The Fall of Fortresses, Elmer Bendiner
The Fall of Fortresses, Elmer Bendiner
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The Fall of Fortresses
The Classic Account of One of the Most Daring and Deadly Air Battles of WWII

Author: Elmer Bendiner

Narrator: Shawn Compton

Unabridged: 7 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/22/2021

Synopsis

On an August morning in England in 1943, a group of American airmen were told that before the day was out they would deliver the blow that would win the war.

Flying the legendary B-17 Flying Fortress, their mission was to destroy the industrial facilities that kept the Nazi war machine in business—Schweinfurt's ball-bearing factories.

But a determined and ferocious defense awaited the bomber crews of the USAAF's Mighty 8th.

Somehow, Navigator Elmer Bendiner and his crew survived, their faithful B-17, Tondelayo, carrying them home. Hundreds of their young compatriots did not.

Vivid, powerful, and often viscerally engaging, The Fall of Fortresses is a stunning testament to the skill, courage, and sacrifice of the men who fought in World War II's deadliest campaign.

About Elmer Bendiner

Elmer Bendiner was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1916. Following the death of his father, his family moved to New York City, where he spent much of his adolescence. He worked as a reporter, married in October, 1941, and, one week after the attack on Pearl Harbor, enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He served as navigator on Tondelayo, a B-17 "Flying Fortress," and was awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal with three oak-leaf clusters. After the war he worked as a journalist and author. His published books include A Time for Angels: The Tragicomic History of the League of Nations, The Virgin Diplomats, a chronicle of diplomacy during the American Revolution, The Rise and Fall of Paradise: When Arabs and Jews Built a Kingdom in Spain, and The Fall of Fortresses. Elmer and Esther were married for sixty years. They had two daughters, Winifred and Jessica. He died on September 16, 2001.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Michael on October 06, 2018

This is one of the better WWII memoirs that I’ve read. The author was one of many airmen who survived the war. We are fortunate that he became a professional writer who, 35 years after the war, decided to investigate why the U.S. Army and the 8th Air Force sent so many of his comrades to their death......more

Goodreads review by F on July 23, 2015

Parts were really excellent and having said that,obviously, parts were not. The missions were interesting and his style of writing really accentuated that aspect of his story. Not really appreciative of the cavalier handling of the affairs he had while overseas while proclaiming his love for his wif......more

Goodreads review by Bfisher on January 31, 2021

I read this before in 1981, shortly after its initial publication. Bendiner was a B17 crew member (navigator) on both Schweinfurt raids; he completed his 25 combat missions shortly after the second Schweinfurt mission. He had been a reporter before WW2; given that and his job as navigator, he could t......more

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