A Wing and a Prayer : The “Bloody 100th” Bomb Group of the US Eighth Air Force in Action Over Europe in World War II
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4.5 • 39 Ratings
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
They began operations out of England in the spring of '43. They flew their Flying Fortresses almost daily against strategic targets in Europe in the name of freedom. Their astonishing courage and appalling losses earned them the name that resounds in the annals of aerial warfare and made the "Bloody Hundredth" a legend.
Harry H. Crosby-soon to be portrayed by Anthony Boyle in the miniseries Masters of the Air developed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg-arrived with the very first crews, and left with the very last. After dealing with his fear and gaining in skill and confidence, he was promoted to Group Navigator, surviving hairbreadth escapes and eluding death while leading thirty-seven missions, some of them involving two thousand aircraft. Now, in a breathtaking and often humorous account, he takes us into the hearts and minds of these intrepid airmen to experience both the triumph and the white-knuckle terror of the war in the skies.
Customer Reviews
Excellent. Read this before watching the television series.
If you’re two-episodes into the “Masters of the Air” series, are confused by who’s-who and timelines, wonder if Buck and Bucky were really that “raunch” (as it was called), and who the new CO with the moustache is, read/listen to this first.
I first read this in it’s hardcover first printing in 1993, and was fortunate to get a signed copy from Col. Crosby. This was the first intimate history of the 100th. While others followed in it’s slipstream over the years, this narrative is still the best because it’s told by an OG member of the group who documented his time overseas in narrative detail.
Apparently the writers of the “Masters of the Air” series agreed, as they used both Cros’ book and Donald Miller’s book by the same name for the Apple television series. Two episodes in, and it seems this book is being used for the telling of the 100th arc and Millers excellent book for everything else.
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