Combat Crew
The Story of 25 Combat Missions Over Europe From the Daily Journal of a B-17 Gunner

Dad's book is based on the journal he kept during his first 25 raids from England over Europe in 1943 when the casualty rate on his base was 80%. He got the crew together within a few days of each mission so he had a 360 degree view of each hair-raising raid. As many times as I've read the book, I'm a......more

4.5 stars. I’m glad I read this book. It was written by a flight engineer/gunner with the Eighth Air force in 1943, when American B-17 crews were taking horrendous losses and the chance of completing a 25-mission tour was slim. Later, long-range fighter escorts would arrive, and things would improve......more

I enjoy reading biographies of famous World War One and World War Two generals. I also enjoy reading the memoirs of the average soldier from these two Wars. These firsthand accounts by the ordinary soldier are great ways to understand these two Wars better. Many of these memoirs are weak and fragment......more

This book, Along with MY WAR: THE TRUE EXPERIENCES OF A U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE PILOT IN WORLD WAR II by John C Walter and The Wrong Stuff : The Adventures and Misadventures of an 8th Air Force Aviator By Truman "Smitty" Smith Brought about my return to my love of building WWII Aircraft 1/72 scale model......more

This is one of the best combat memoirs I've yet read. Comer was an aircraft mechanic stationed stateside with the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) in November 1942, when he volunteered for combat service as a flight engineer/gunner. After completing his training, Comer ended up in Britain in Jul......more