Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and thoughtful account of the 8th Air Force
Review: I have been a keen fan of Gerald Astor since I first read his book 'Operation Iceberg'. Up until that time I was not keen on oral histories but this author has changed my mind in regard to this style of history. In this book he once again produces an excellent and moving account of the strains, experiences and horrors that men bear in wartime. This book covers the American daylight effort in the airwar over Europe which was just as horrific as that of the British & Commonwealth nightime efforts. At times when I read this book I could picture the spinning and burning B-17's and B-24's going down and I think that this is a timely book to remind us of the young men who went down with those planes on behalf of their family, friends and country. The book offers a good overview of the terrible battles over Europe and also covers the efforts of the fighter pilots and ground crew. Enjoyable and sad!
Rating: 
Summary: A great work!
Review: I just read this book. I was a little hesitant to read a book on the air war over Europe as most of my interest is in the ground war BUT once I started to read this book, I couldn't put it down. It is a GRIPPING account of aerial combat and every bit as thrilling as the accounts of the epic battlefields of Europe. The book is full of first-hand stories, many of which are likey told for the first time. A major accomplishment as many of our "heroes" are now passing on. It's great that their accomplishments are recorded for the future. After reading this book, I realized that the bomber offensive against Germany hurt it almost as much as the Russian steamroller on the Eastern Front. A very highly recommended book!
Rating: 
Summary: Where are the editors & proofreaders?
Review: I just started this, am about 25 pages in, & have found a couple of glaring errors already. I hope things improve, since I bought this after reading a number of reviews, such as the preceeding ones. BTW, Douglas Bader did NOT "lose his legs in the Battle Of Britain".
Rating:
Summary: true to life
Review: My father Robert F. LaMere was a bombadier in the 100th Bomb Group. This book very closely matches his personal account of life in a B-17
Rating:
Summary: Excellent portrait of daily life in the Eighth Air Force
Review: My father was a navigator on a B-17 in WWII and has passed away. I am interested in what his life was like back then. Even though it does not refer to his specific bomb group, I found it very interesting and detailed and gave me a good idea of the dedication and service of our veterans. It is amazing that anyone survived those times. I also didn't think much about how new aviation was at the time. This is a very readable history and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: The Best WW2 Book I've Ever Read
Review: Out of all the World War Two books that I've read, this one is by far the greatest of them all. Gerald Astor takes you into the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang, the pilot's seat of a B-17 and the cold prison camps of Nazi Germany. I could not put this book down. This is a book written from the experiences of the men who were actually there. The men of the 8th Air Force are indeed heroes, and this is their story. Thank God for these men. BUY THIS BOOK!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Best WW2 Book I've Ever Read
Review: Out of all the World War Two books that I've read, this one is by far the greatest of them all. Gerald Astor takes you into the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang, the pilot's seat of a B-17 and the cold prison camps of Nazi Germany. I could not put this book down. This is a book written from the experiences of the men who were actually there. The men of the 8th Air Force are indeed heroes, and this is their story. Thank God for these men. BUY THIS BOOK!!!
Rating:
Summary: Wild Tales From the Blue Yonder
Review: The bold US Air Corps policy of daylight strategic bombing deep into Nazi territory proved deadly, unfortunately it was deadly on both sides. Bold is too tame a word to describe the incredible devotion to duty exhibited on almost every mission of the Mighty Eighth bomber force. For maximum results, bombing accuracy was exchanged for planes and lives. They bombed during broad daylight, they took no evasive action on a bomb run and not until late in the air campaign would there be pursuit escorts over enemy territory. The bombers became sitting ducks for flak and easy pickings for enemy fighters. I had two uncles, both dead now, who were gunners on bombers in the Mighty Eighth. I never could get them to tell me much about it, but now we have this book to give us details of what fliers endured. I learned a lot from this book and plan to read it again soon. The personal oral history format exposes you to several different viewpoints, often on the same incident. Coming to England in the nick of time to bolster the battered and exhausted R.A.F., these fliers were not all the stereotypical egomaniacs I had seen portrayed in countless films. In this book I met salesmen, farmers, college students, high school ROTC Cadets, engineers and mechanics who all loved their country and loved to fly. Certainly there were some hotshots in the mix, but most fliers just wanted to kill all the Germans they could. Shooting down a ME190 with a waist mounted .50 caliber machine gun after dropping a full load of bombs on a Nazi synthetic fuel refinery suited them just fine. I learned that just simply finding your home field in the fog could be as big a gamble as flying through a German flak barrage surrounding your primary target. This is a great companion piece to "Band of Brothers" and both of those "The Greatest Generation" books. All these books give you first person accounts weaved into the author's narrative. In this book though, the weave is almost seamless making this a thoroughly enjoyable yet enlightening read chapter after chapter. A superb job of editing with just the right amount of historical perspective. Now if we can only focus Mr. Astor's attention on the Pacific!
Rating:
Summary: Wild Tales From the Blue Yonder
Review: The bold US Air Corps policy of daylight strategic bombing deep into Nazi territory proved deadly, unfortunately it was deadly on both sides. Bold is too tame a word to describe the incredible devotion to duty exhibited on almost every mission of the Mighty Eighth bomber force. For maximum results, bombing accuracy was exchanged for planes and lives. They bombed during broad daylight, they took no evasive action on a bomb run and not until late in the air campaign would there be pursuit escorts over enemy territory. The bombers became sitting ducks for flak and easy pickings for enemy fighters. I had two uncles, both dead now, who were gunners on bombers in the Mighty Eighth. I never could get them to tell me much about it, but now we have this book to give us details of what fliers endured. I learned a lot from this book and plan to read it again soon. The personal oral history format exposes you to several different viewpoints, often on the same incident. Coming to England in the nick of time to bolster the battered and exhausted R.A.F., these fliers were not all the stereotypical egomaniacs I had seen portrayed in countless films. In this book I met salesmen, farmers, college students, high school ROTC Cadets, engineers and mechanics who all loved their country and loved to fly. Certainly there were some hotshots in the mix, but most fliers just wanted to kill all the Germans they could. Shooting down a ME190 with a waist mounted .50 caliber machine gun after dropping a full load of bombs on a Nazi synthetic fuel refinery suited them just fine. I learned that just simply finding your home field in the fog could be as big a gamble as flying through a German flak barrage surrounding your primary target. This is a great companion piece to "Band of Brothers" and both of those "The Greatest Generation" books. All these books give you first person accounts weaved into the author's narrative. In this book though, the weave is almost seamless making this a thoroughly enjoyable yet enlightening read chapter after chapter. A superb job of editing with just the right amount of historical perspective. Now if we can only focus Mr. Astor's attention on the Pacific!
Rating:
Summary: Great tribute!
Review: The Mighty Eighth tells the stirring tale of the bombing campaign against Germany in WWII. I've always been fascinated by the epic airwar over Europe, in fact I've just read THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY, a great new novel about a B-17 pilot. But I digress . . . anyone who respects the heroism and courage all of our young men displayed during those dark days of conflict should read THE MIGHTY EIGHTH, and for that matter, any of the other great books about our gallant airmen.
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