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Masters of the Air
- America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 25 hrs and 15 mins
- Categories: History, Military
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D-Day
- June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of WW II
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- Length: 25 hrs and 17 mins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 21
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 16
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Stephen E. Ambrose draws from hundreds of interviews with US Army veterans and the brave Allied soldiers who fought alongside them to create this exceptional account of the day that shaped the twentieth century. D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities and triumphs of life are laid bare and courage and heroism come to the fore.
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Band of Brothers
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Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From their rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to D-Day and victory, Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company, which kept getting the tough assignments. Easy Company was responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Band of Brothers is the account of the men of this remarkable unit.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great listen! But I am kinda bias!
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Race of Aces
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In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces" - the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker - offered a bottle of bourbon to the first US fighter pilot to break his record of 26 enemy planes shot down. Seizing on the challenge to motivate his men, General George Kenney promoted what they would come to call the "race of aces" as a way of boosting the spirits of his war-weary command.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 52
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 46
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Story5 out of 5 stars 46
Four days before Christmas in 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a 21-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. It was their first mission. Suddenly a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber’s tail - a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber with the squeeze of a trigger.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Impactful story!
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Spearhead
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 52
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From the author of the international best seller A Higher Call comes the riveting World War II story of an American tank gunner’s journey into the heart of the Third Reich, where he will meet destiny in an iconic armor duel - and forge an enduring bond with his enemy.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Superb storytelling AND it's true!
- By Destry Rides on 2019-06-28
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Helmet for My Pillow
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The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Poetry.
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D-Day
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- Length: 25 hrs and 17 mins
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-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 21
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 16
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Story5 out of 5 stars 16
Stephen E. Ambrose draws from hundreds of interviews with US Army veterans and the brave Allied soldiers who fought alongside them to create this exceptional account of the day that shaped the twentieth century. D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities and triumphs of life are laid bare and courage and heroism come to the fore.
-
Band of Brothers
- E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
- Written by: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Tim Jerome
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- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 133
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Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From their rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to D-Day and victory, Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company, which kept getting the tough assignments. Easy Company was responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Band of Brothers is the account of the men of this remarkable unit.
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5 out of 5 stars
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In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces" - the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker - offered a bottle of bourbon to the first US fighter pilot to break his record of 26 enemy planes shot down. Seizing on the challenge to motivate his men, General George Kenney promoted what they would come to call the "race of aces" as a way of boosting the spirits of his war-weary command.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Higher Call
- An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II
- Written by: Adam Makos
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 46
Four days before Christmas in 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a 21-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. It was their first mission. Suddenly a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber’s tail - a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber with the squeeze of a trigger.
-
5 out of 5 stars
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Impactful story!
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Spearhead
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 52
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5 out of 5 stars
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Poetry.
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The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
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5 out of 5 stars
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a must read/listen for ALL civilians
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Juno Beach
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
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On June 6, 1944, the greatest armada in history stood off Normandy and the largest amphibious invasion ever began as 107,000 men aboard 6,000 ships pressed toward the coast. Among them were 14,500 Canadians, who were to land on a five-mile-long stretch of rocky ledges fronted by a dangerously exposed beach. Drawing on personal diaries as well as military records, Juno Beach: Canada's D-Day Victory, June 6, 1944 dramatically depicts Canada's pivotal contribution to the critical Allied battle of World War II.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great
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In one furious week of fighting in December 1943, the First Canadian Infantry Division took Ortona, Italy, from elite German paratroopers ordered to hold the medieval port at all costs. When the battle was over, the Canadians emerged victorious despite heavy losses.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 12
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Penguin presents the audiobook edition of First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, read by Andrew Brooke. Two months before the outbreak of the Second World War, 18-year-old Geoffrey Wellum becomes a fighter pilot with the RAF. Desperate to get in the air, he makes it through basic training to become the youngest Spitfire pilot in the prestigious 92 Squadron. Thrust into combat almost immediately, Wellum finds himself flying several sorties a day, caught up in terrifying dogfights with German Me 109s. Over the coming months he and his fellow pilots play a crucial role in the Battle of Britain. But of the friends that take to the air alongside Wellum, many never return.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 32
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic Book. Narration needs work.
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A Green Beret's gripping memoir of American Special Forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Okay but the trying too hard.
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Devotion tells the inspirational story of the US Navy's most famous aviator duo, Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, and the marines they fought to defend. A white New Englander from the country-club scene, Tom passed up Harvard to fly fighters for his country. An African American sharecropper's son from Mississippi, Jesse became the navy's first black carrier pilot, defending a nation that wouldn't even serve him in a bar.
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Twilight of the Gods
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- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story5 out of 5 stars 7
Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the harrowing last year of World War II in the Pacific, when the US Navy won the largest naval battle in history; MacArthur made good his pledge to return to the Philippines; waves of kamikazes attacked the Allied fleets; the Japanese fought to the last man on one island after another; B-29 bombers burned down Japanese cities; and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were vaporized. Toll's narratives of combat in the air, at sea, and on the beaches are gripping, but he also takes the listener into the halls of power in Washington and Tokyo.
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5 out of 5 stars
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thumbs up way up
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Across the Fence: Expanded Edition
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 41
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Story5 out of 5 stars 41
For eight years, far beyond the battlefields of Vietnam and the glare of media distortions, American Green Berets fought a deadly secret war in Laos and Cambodia under the aegis of the top secret Military Assistance Command Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group, or SOG. Go deep into the jungle with five SOG warriors surrounded by 10,000 enemy troops as they stack up the dead to build a human buttress for protection. Witness a Green Beret, shot in the back four times and left for dead, who survives to fight savagely against incredible odds to complete his missions.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great book, Superhuman men doing unbelievable things.
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Carrier Pilot
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 4
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Story5 out of 5 stars 4
In 1942, Norman Hanson learned to fly the Royal Navy's newest fighter: the US-built Chance Vought Corsair. Fast, rugged, and demanding to fly, it was an intimidating machine. But in the hands of its young Fleet Air Arm pilots, it also proved to be a lethal weapon. Posted to the South Pacific aboard HMS Illustrious, Hanson and his squadron took the fight to the Japanese. Facing a desperate and determined enemy, Kamikaze attacks, and the ever-present dangers of flying off a pitching carrier deck, death was never far away.
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 1
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1
Of the many myths that emerged following the end of the Korean War, the prevailing one in the West was that of the absolute supremacy of US Air Force pilots and aircraft over their Soviet-supplied opponents. The claims of the 10:1 victory-loss ratio achieved by the US Air Force fighter pilots flying the North American F-86 Sabre against their communist adversaries, amongst other such fabrications, went unchallenged until the end of the Cold War, when Soviet records of the conflict were finally opened. From that point onwards, a very different story began to emerge.
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The German Aces Speak II
- World War II Through the Eyes of Four More of the Luftwaffe's Most Important Commanders
- Written by: Colin D. Heaton, Anne-Marie Lewis, Dr. Dennis Showalter - foreword, and others
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 10
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story5 out of 5 stars 10
In The German Aces Speak II, Heaton and Lewis paint a picture of the war through the eyes of four more of Germany's most significant pilots, put together from numerous interviews personally conducted by Heaton from the 1980s through the 2000s. The four ex-Luftwaffe fighter aces bring the past to life as they tell their stories about the war, their battles, their off-duty lives, their lives after the war, and perhaps most importantly, how they felt about serving under the Nazi leadership of Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Learning about German soldiers
- By Mike D. on 2020-05-04
Publisher's Summary
This is the dramatic story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler’s doorstep. With the narrative power of fiction, this is a harrowing ride through the fire-filled skies over Berlin, Hanover, and Dresden.
Fighting at 25,000 feet in thin, freezing air no warriors had encountered before, bomber crews battled new kinds of assaults on body and mind. Air combat was deadly but intermittent: periods of inactivity and anxiety were followed by short bursts of fire and fear. Unlike infantrymen, bomber boys slept on clean sheets, drank beer in local pubs, and danced to the music of Glenn Miller’s Air Force Band. But they had a much greater chance of dying than ground soldiers. In 1943 an American bomber crewman stood only a one-in-five chance of surviving his tour of duty. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the US Marine Corps.
The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors. Actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber boy, as was “King of Hollywood” Clark Gable. The air war was filmed by Oscar-winning director William Wyler and covered by reporters like Andy Rooney and Walter Cronkite, all of whom flew combat missions with the men. The Anglo-American bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest military campaign of World War II, a war within a war. Until Allied soldiers crossed into Germany in the final months of the war, it was the only battle fought inside the German homeland.
Strategic bombing did not win the war, but the war could not have been won without it. American airpower destroyed the rail facilities and oil refineries that supplied the German war machine. The bombing campaign was a shared enterprise: The British bombed at night while American bombers attacked by day - a technique that British commanders thought was suicidal.
Drawn from interviews, oral histories, and American, British, German, and other archives, this is an authoritative, deeply moving account of the world’s first and only bomber war.
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What listeners say about Masters of the Air
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- daniel
- 2019-07-29
Fantastic
Incredible detailed visual history. There is so much covered here from so many angles. I couldn't stop listening.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Olaf
- 2012-01-05
Facts and Emotions Masterfully Combined
A book about war does not have to be either military history or record of human experiences but can be a combination of both if skillfully written for the knowledge and heart sections. This book is a very good example for this. It would not be the right book for somebody beginning to learn about World War II but if good overall knowledge of the war is given, the book provides deep insights into this very special theater of war in Europe. Even though I have read many, many books about the war I have found quite a bit of facts which were completely new to me. The individual histories of the fliers going through this ordeal are told with great tact, respect and without nationalism - just as it has to be. Highly recommended.
21 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 2012-02-19
An excellent, comprehensive history
Where does Masters of the Air rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Among those books dedicated to telling the story of the European air war, and notably that based in England, this is one of the best. It is comprehensive, well written, well narrated, and it artfully and engagingly stitches together strategy, personal stories, and tactical events. The mix of German and British and American story lines is superb.
What other book might you compare Masters of the Air to and why?
The telling of the personal stories reminds me of Ambrose's talent for doing so. James Hornfischer's
19 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robert
- 2012-08-06
Heros
Where does Masters of the Air rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
My father only answered my direct questions about the war. He was a belly gunner on a B-17. This book answeres many unasked questions. This is by far the most detailed account of why dad's hands shook every day after the war.
16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lee
- 2013-07-28
An Excellent Story
What made the experience of listening to Masters of the Air the most enjoyable?
I thought the book did a wonderful job mixing the stories of the men in the planes with the political and strategic parts of the book. This made for a well rounded story which really gave the listener a full picture of the war.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Masters of the Air?
The descriptions of what took place inside the planes in the skies over Europe are absolutely riveting.
What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I thought that the narrator did a wonderful job. Often times the narrators for history books can be dry and, to be frank, rather dull. Mr. Dean did a magnificent job. The book flows very well and so it really felt like I was listening to someone describe the events rather than reading from a book.
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rick
- 2012-10-01
From Start to Finish in Europe
This is a great day to day complete story of the air war in Europe. A chronicle of the behind the scenes politics and maneuverings. The double strategies the Allies fought, The crews life and death struggle, that broke some, and tested all.
London and the fly boys. A good description of the British thoughts of the American fly boys, and the Americans experiences with the British people.
A great book that puts you in the ERA along with all the peoples involved. Even the enemies.
I listened night after night. Happily, it's a long book. I highly recommend "MASTERS of the AIR" to WW ll buffs or anyone who like to read books of life in the 1940's.
8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Noel
- 2012-11-02
One of the best war books I have listened to.
Where does Masters of the Air rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
As a 2nd world war narrative it rates as among the best
What was one of the most memorable moments of Masters of the Air?
The real story about how the airmen and their doctors dealt with the chaos of their experiences going from sitting around to being in the air with the enemy guns and planes attacking them
Which scene was your favorite?
the story about the 32 year old airman who was a rough diamond but was able to put the fire out in the plan, rescue his mate and also still keep shooting the guns
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Endurance, strength and falability make the man
7 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- David
- 2013-04-25
Omelet with everything
The thing you should probably know before using a credit on this book is that the title is a bit misleading. While substantial portions of this very long survey of the Allied air war against Germany are devoted to telling the stories of individuals and the missions they flew (and even of their experiences as POW's), Miller's dominant objective seems to be the parsing of the air campaign from every possible viewpoint: economic, strategic, moral, political, social, strategic and tactical. Also, it is principally the story of the 8th Air Force operating out of England, so while it's treatment of that unit is comprehensive, it has little to say about other U.S. bomber commands in the European theatre.
Miller writes clearly and the book is read very competently, but I found my interest sagging as the narrative followed a kind of oscillating formula: detailing political maneuverings, analyzing matters of strategy, describing the planning and execution of a particular operation, and then zooming in for closeups of the action as it affected individual units and crews. Then the process would begin all over again with the next phase of the campaign.
That said, I certainly know a GREAT deal more about the air war in Europe than I did when I began the book. At times Miller also succeeds in powerfully communicating the emotional landscape of the struggle. While the flyers periodically take a back seat to the generals and the politicians, there is enough here to engrave their exploits in every reader's mind. And the questions he raises about the choices the U.S. and England made in regard to "civilian" vs. "military" targets are unsettling and painfully timely in today's world. I guess I just think all of it would have been more effective if it were not presented in a single omelet which was trying to use up all the tasty things in the fridge in one dish.
19 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew Scott McClanahan
- 2012-11-07
The Mighty Eighth story is told in full
What did you love best about Masters of the Air?
This is a long book with many details. There are so many stories. If just one book about the Mighty Eighth is bought, this is definitely the one.
What other book might you compare Masters of the Air to and why?
The Wild Blue
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
A Sacrifice for Their Country Beyond Imagination
Any additional comments?
There is one sentence in this book that made a great impression on me:
"Mass education made the 8th Air Force."
Our nation's public education system before the war created so many quality Air Corp officers, America completely overwhelmed the Luftwaffe.
The air battles over Europe defy comprehension. This book expands that impression an order of magnitude.
I will listen to it again.
12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dan Greene
- 2012-07-29
Excellent: The classic bomber campaign of the 8th
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes - great stories, good insight into the phases of the bomber campaign.
Any additional comments?
Thoroughly enjoyed the detailed look at the bomber campaign.Explores the details of the B-17s mainly and the roller coaster ride they had from 1942 to 1945. Details include targeting strategies, crew experience, Luftwaffe strategies and coverage of the Fw-190 vs B-17 war plus lots of other details and little known facets of the bomber experience. A must read for someone wanting a good understanding of the European Air War in WW2.
11 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- George
- 2014-03-29
History Uncovered
Book describes just what the title says...from training to bombing missions to POW status and everything in between. It's well researched and well written with personal vignettes that are illuminating and illustrative. It's mostly about 8AF and 15AF (the other European numbered air force) gets short shrift in the deal. Probably, the book would have been too long. I enjoyed learning more about that time in history.
4 people found this helpful