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The Wild Blue (Abridged): The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45 Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,730 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Stephen E. Ambrose, acclaimed author of Band of Brothers and Undaunted Courage, carries us along in the crowded and dangerous B-24s as their crews fought to destroy the German war machine during World War II.
The young men who flew the B-24s over Germany in World War II fought against horrific odds, and, in The Wild Blue, Ambrose recounts their extraordinary heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship with vivid detail and affection.
Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and selected the elite few who would undertake the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war. These are the boys—turned pilots, bombardiers, navigators, and gunners of the B-24s—who suffered over fifty percent casualties.
With his remarkable gift for bringing alive the action and tension of combat, Ambrose carries us along in the crowded, uncomfortable, and dangerous B-24s as their crews fought to the death through thick black smoke and deadly flak to reach their targets and destroy the German war machine. Twenty-two-year-old George McGovern, who was to become a United States senator and a presidential candidate, flew thirty-five combat missions (all the Army would allow) and won the Distinguished Flying Cross. We meet him and his mates, his co-pilot killed in action, and crews of other planes. Many went down in flames.
As Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers portrayed the bravery and ultimate victory of the American soldiers from Normandy on to Germany, The Wild Blue illustrates the enormous contribution that these young men of the Army Air Forces made to the Allied victory.
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"A very informative book about the origin, development and implementation of the strategic bombing campaign undertaken by the US heavy bombers during World War II. This book focuses primarily on the B-24 "Liberator" rather than the B-17 "Flying Fortress." The book centers upon the flying career of George McGovern, a 22 year old pilot of the B-24 bomber in November, 1944 when his crew was assigned to the European theater. He later became a US Senator during the 1960s and Presidential candiate in the 1972 election. Stationed at an air force base in Italy, McGovern piloted his aircraft and crew over the Alps and into Axis Europe on bombing runs from November, 1944 through April, 1945. He finished with 35 missions (the required number before concluding a tour and returning home) which he accomplised just prior to Germany's surrender in May, 1945. He was considered to be an excellent pilot by his crew and other airmen. In the book, Ambrose details the capabilities and limitations of the B-24, the type of missions it flew, its biggest enemies (bad weather and enemy flack) and many tragedies suffered by the brave men who flew and manned this lethal plane during the second world war. It was a stirring book and a good read."
— Craig (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Brilliant…It is a terrific story.”
— Larry King, USA Today -
“Ambrose is a superb historian.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Mr. Ambrose’s storytelling ability is unparalleled.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“A brilliant new book.”
— USA Today -
“[The Wild Blue] demands our attention…page-turning reading.”
— Denver Post -
“The Wild Blue is right on target…[the book] finally gives those men of the 15th Air Force the tribute they so richly earned.”
— Dallas Morning News -
“[A] fast-paced narrative.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“Brought to life by bestselling historian Ambrose, here is one of America's forgotten workhorse weapons of WWII, the B-24 bomber…Ambrose follows pilots and crews from start to finish where they were from, their backgrounds, training, bravery and heroism as they did their part to help win the war.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Based on an impressive array of primary and secondary sources, the book is another affirmation of the Greatest Generation, to be sure, and a tribute to a fast-diminishing band of American heroes who offered and in many cases gave their lives to save their posterity from real and gruesome dangers.”
— Booklist
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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One of the 2001 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Nonfiction
The Wild Blue Listener Reviews
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" The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose is controversial because some scholars point out Ambrose has lifted the work of other authors without placing said work inside "quotation" marks. That is a tragic error. Is it an error of omission or commission? I do not know. I do know it is ethically wrong. The book tells the story of former US Presidential candidate and US Senator George McGovern. It tells of McGovern's upbringing, his journey to college, the outbreak of World War II, his falling in love and marriage, his joining the US Army Air Corps, his training as a pilot, and his combat deployment and action where he was based out of Italy bombing the Axis war machine. It is written in Ambrose's wonderful narrative style. It is highly readable and entertaining. Read in January 2005. "
— Jimmie, 2/19/2014 -
" very good, but far from Ambrose's best. He seemed to be phoning it in. "
— Art, 2/12/2014 -
" I had to quit on disc 3 of 8. I just wasn't interested in the story; it wasn't moving very fast at all. I was expecting to hear more about combat life, but on disc 3, the pilots were still in flight school. "
— Lisa, 2/5/2014 -
" My dad was an nose gunner in a B-24 in WW2. This gave me a good idea of what he experienced as a flyer. "
— Notalice, 1/27/2014 -
" This is a great book about the boys who flew the B24 Liberators during WWII. Gives a very intimate look into the lives of a few as well as what the men had to go through to become a pilot and the what they went through on the actual missions they flew. "
— Tim, 1/17/2014 -
" Very good book. It allowed me to feel like I was there with those bombing crews over Europe, not knowing if that next mission would be my last. "
— Joe, 1/3/2014 -
" the start is painful. i'm not a fan of ambrose's style of jumping from character to character. the story is very interesting, though, about being in the team that flew the b-24s at the very end of the war. don't really recommend unless you're passionate there though. "
— Bhall, 1/1/2014 -
" A superb tale of the B24 air crews and their mission in 1944-45 "
— Ed, 12/22/2013 -
" A small slice of what just one group of men did during WWII. "
— Nate, 12/19/2013 -
" Enjoyed this history of B-24s and George McGovern very much--I like him much more as a bomber pilot. Reminded me of my days commanding crews in the KC-135A/Q aircraft around the world--crew dogs experience something no one else ever will . . . "
— Jon, 12/18/2013 -
" Great account of what it was like to be on a bomber crew in WWII. "
— Greg, 11/13/2013 -
" Interesting set of stories on the airmen flying the B-24. Focus is on George McGovern and his crew, but pulls stories from many veterans of the Army Air Corp and Navy fliers. To be honest, there really is no narrative, just a jumble of stories. "
— Brooks, 10/30/2013 -
" Interesting subject matter. Poor writing. Not enough detail. "
— Jmswtsn, 10/4/2013 -
" It's a good book, giving an idea of what it was like to fly daylight bombing missions in WW2. I learned that although we usually think B-17 in this context, the B-24 was actually more prolific, newer and could carry a bigger bomb load; never knew that. "
— Steve, 8/30/2013 -
" good -- enjoyed a couple of his other books better. This one is mostly about George McGovern "
— Bob, 8/15/2013 -
" A docu-journal style book largely about the experiences and phenomenal struggle of particularly those in the AAF in WW II. It was written largely from the experiences and perspective of George McGovern who piloted the B-24 in flights over Germany... a highly readable and informative narrative. "
— Renny, 7/10/2013 -
" Good stories about what you'd expect from Ambrose. WWII B-24 bomber missions and strategic bombing, from volunteering to the end of the war it follows George McGovern's experiences as well as his crew's. "
— Evan, 6/8/2013 -
" Provided some amazing numbers to me about the air war in WWII, but this seemed like Ambrose just stuck together paragraphs and chapters written by his research assistants. "
— Don, 4/3/2013 -
" Gave me different perspective on war from Army power. "
— Brent, 12/18/2012 -
" These guys were nuts! Or they were just young guys who thought they were invincible...ah the illusion of youth! The part where they are deciding where to crash into the English Channel is truly a nail-biting experience. I think I held my breath when I was reading it. "
— Kelly, 12/15/2012 -
" If I could live during any other time period period, maybe I'd want to be pilot a B-24 Liberator in WWII. "
— Skyelr, 9/2/2012 -
" audio book, abridged, nonetheless good...still ambrose likes to justify bombing...sweeps over all the human loss and suffering, along with the racism... "
— Jose, 11/21/2011 -
" This book calmed my fear of flying. Much like the movie "Memphis Belle" this is a great story of the bombers of World War II. "
— Brett, 10/10/2011 -
" Who knew George McGovern was a war hero. "
— Scot, 2/17/2011 -
" audio book, abridged, nonetheless good...still ambrose likes to justify bombing...sweeps over all the human loss and suffering, along with the racism... "
— Jose, 1/16/2011 -
" Very dynamic book. Was very humbled when I got to travel by train through Romania and got to see some of the area in which these men gave their lives to liberate. "
— Lacey, 11/8/2010 -
" it was okay for being a historical fiction. in my opinion it was really boring but not so bad that i couldn't finish it "
— Devon, 9/28/2010 -
" I enjoyed this book partly because my father served in the Army Air Corp and was station at the same air base in Cerignola Italy where much of this book was based. Gives a good feeling for what it must have been like for those flying in the B-24's under such extreme conditions. "
— Dennis, 9/14/2010 -
" Good stories about what you'd expect from Ambrose. WWII B-24 bomber missions and strategic bombing, from volunteering to the end of the war it follows George McGovern's experiences as well as his crew's. "
— Evan, 9/7/2010 -
" I admire Ambrose for what he did--I don't fault him for writing popular history. "
— Rod, 6/10/2010 -
" A bit dissapointing of a book not up to the standard I expect from Ambrose. A good if brief overview and insight though. Just seemed a rushed book to me. "
— Michael, 6/4/2010 -
" I had to read this book for school and it had cussing and stuff in it. "
— Marshall, 5/25/2010
About Stephen E. Ambrose
Stephen E. Ambrose (1936–2002) was the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including Citizen Soldiers, Undaunted Courage, and D-Day, as well as biographies of Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon. He also founded the Eisenhower Center and was president of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. His book, Band of Brothers, was the basis for the HBO miniseries. He was also a contributing editor for the Quarterly Journal of Military History, a member of the board of directors for American Rivers, and a member of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council Board.
About Jeffrey DeMunn
Jeffrey DeMunn is an American film, television, and stage actor. He graduated from Union College in 1969 and then spent two years at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre school in England. He is best known for his roles in several Frank Darabont films, including The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Majestic. His is also featured in numerous television roles, most recently in the adaptation of The Walking Dead comic book series. In addition to his film and television performances, DeMunn has lent his voice to several audio books, including The Colorado Kid, Dreamcatcher, and Letters for Emily.