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The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,729 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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"I consider myself a student of the Pacific Theater of WWII. This started with the indoctrination that is Marine Boot Camp. I built upon that with my own reading, eventually spilling over to the ground war in Europe. What I found I was missing was any sense of the scale of the air war over Europe. This good book did much to remedy my lack of knowledge of this subject. Ambrose does a good job of conveying the scale and sacrifice made by these brave and I must say undertrained men. Being a pilot myself, I can not imagine being thrown into battle with the minimal training they had. The other info that made me realize my lack of understanding of the scope of the airwar was the casualty figures. It's easy to forget that each bomber sent over carried 10 or so crew. The numbers add up in a hurry. Good overview of the airwar, the personalities involved, and the debatable results of the campaign. As usual a very good Ambrose book."
— Nathan (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 is right on target…[the book] finally gives those men of the 15th Air Force the tribute they so richly earned.”
— Dallas Morning News -
“[The Wild Blue] demands our attention…page-turning reading.”
— Denver Post -
“In his fast-paced narrative, Ambrose follows many other flyers (including the Tuskegee Airmen, the African American pilots who gave the B-24s essential fighter support on some of their most dangerous missions) as they brave the long odds against them, facing moments of glory and terror alike.”
— 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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" I listened to this audio book on CD while driving to and from St. George for spring break. It was excellent. "
— Alyson, 2/17/2014 -
" Entertaining and informative. Not his best work, but better than most everyone else's. "
— Tony, 2/16/2014 -
" Not the best Ambrose book I ever read, but it is an interesting book. This is the story of (mainly) B-24 crews flying out of Italy during WW2. Light and easy read if you're a history buff. "
— Peter, 2/15/2014 -
" I admire Ambrose for what he did--I don't fault him for writing popular history. "
— Rod, 2/9/2014 -
" Gave me different perspective on war from Army power. "
— Brent, 2/8/2014 -
" worst of all Ambrose' work "
— Don, 2/4/2014 -
" Not my favorite Ambrose, but still a detailed referece of B-24 groups, their training, and life before during and after the war. "
— Matt, 1/24/2014 -
" 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, 1/16/2014 -
" Great story of what it was like flying over Germany in WWII "
— Pat, 1/1/2014 -
" 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, 12/25/2013 -
" A lot of time is spent looking into the background of these brave men. "
— Cimuchowski, 11/1/2013 -
" I had to read this book for school and it had cussing and stuff in it. "
— Marshall, 6/4/2013 -
" Like a bomber's mission, book is slow to get started but action is intense. Generally an ok read, with a nice end. Not as gripping or engaging as Band of Brothers tho. "
— Tin, 3/17/2013 -
" Much more of an biography of McGovern than I had expected, but still a good read. "
— Tony, 12/18/2012 -
" Read this because my grandfather flew during WWII. Very inspirational. "
— Robert, 11/3/2012 -
" Didn't stand out in it's genre in the way Band of Brothers did. "
— Bill, 10/9/2012 -
" A quick brief acount based on interviews with people who were there and did fly the bombers. A good acount, well written but perhaps not quite what I was after in length and over all detail. "
— Steve, 4/8/2012 -
" Great collection of what B24 crews experienced. Also a interesting perspective of those flying out of Italy. Writers and movies have covered the 8th out of England extensively, but there is little about the crews flying from Africa and Italy and how their experiences differed. "
— Gregory, 7/27/2011 -
" It felt like this one was written in a hurry. Still a good book. "
— Jeff, 4/29/2011 -
" would have been better, but it spent too much time focusing on that idiot democratic politician/presidential candidate McGovern "
— Rob, 4/15/2011 -
" 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.