Great find Martin !

read that some years ago through library loan. Have you been interested in picking up the Blue Nose Bastards of Bodney, 352nd fg book possibly ? Think they have re-released it, a great personal history

been chatting with friend Bill Marshall that wrote the 355th fg Angles, Bulldogs and Dragons, Bill has a home about 30 miles from me and has told me he is thinking of a revamp of the older title still a classic. Martin do you have that ??. the 359th Unicorn book is well done as well ........

Erich

I don't have any of those, Erich....Fact is, many of the 8th AF unit titles are quite difficult to find and/or hugely expensive over here.

So when I see one on my travels and it's reasonably priced.... I strike !

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

For me, one of the best 8th Air Force books is Elmer Bendiner's ''The Fall of Fortresses'' about the first Schweinfurt raid and first published in 1981.
Bendiner was navigator on ''Tondelayo''a B-17 flying out of their base near Bedford, England.o the way back they debated whether to make for neutral Switzerland but as bebdiner reminde his crew mates his wife was about to guve brith to their first child so they all carried on back to England.
Beautifully written by Elmer Bendiner ''The Fall of Eagles'' published in Britain by ''Souvenir Press''(1981), is a must read for all serious students of the ''Mighty Eighth''
Also superb is a book I bought 9 years ago in the ''Shambles'' in York-Ian Hawkins-''Courage, Honor, Victory-a 343 page, first person anthology by members of the US 8th Air Force 95th Bomb Group-utterly superb!.

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Brian Donald

Correction ''The Fall of Fortesses''

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Brian Donald

Brian the title does not make sense....... Fortress is spelled thusly

friend Jan Zdiarsky's "Black Monday over the Ore Mountains" Sept 11, 44 battle the 100th bg group is hamamered by JG 4. Can be obtained in both German and English directly from his website covering 11 September 1944. Small booklet and quite enlightening.

"Hell in the Heavens" by William Hess. Ill-fated 8th AF bomb group misisons. it needs to be redone as the many of the German activity is incorrect in coverage. 140 pages, some pics

Steve Blake is the author or future author of the big 9th AF 354th fg book to come out

1-1-45 Bodenplatte by John Mahnro and Ron Pütz. although covering just one specific time in history during newyears 44 into 45 the reprucussions it had for the Luftwaffe were enormous. Covering the German and US 8th, 9th AF and the RAF/RCAF dispositions, the attacks and defence, and very well written book should be on all ETO aviators shelves

I'm on the lookout for a reasonably-priced copy of 'Bodenplatte' ....

Bendiner's book is a classic of its kind - I've read it two or three times now. Ian Hawkins' other book is also highly recommended - 'Munster - The Way It Was'.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

ah yes Martin Ian Hawkins Münster book, Bloody skies over Germany which I won may be a remake of the way it was ? exceelent regardless. Also did you pikc up the May 1990 copy of the supplement to the work "7 days in October" ?? by Paul M. Andrews. A small booklet cream coloured paper cover around 31 pages described in summary each US 8th AF bomber loss in that terrible 7 days of action over the Reich.
You may note in you Hawkins volume a German chap by the name of Helmut Zittier, flew a Bf 110G-2 with the ugly Br 21cm rocket launchers. Quite an interesting fellow to interview some years ago..........another veteran that has passed on. A Test pilot in later war with about every single and twin engine the Luftwaffe could produce.

A short story real quick if I may in his ZG after a US heavy bomber encounter, Helmut had just landed his Bf 110G-2 when an a/c from the unit a G-4 night fighter equipped with the standard Br 21cm rocket launchers, two under each wing came in a hard land and was bouncing to a stop, took a hard turn and a still un-launched rocket fired out of the tube right into the hanger that Helmut was coasting his Bf 110G towards. A huge explosion of course developed as two Bf 110G-2 exploded within the hanger. he never did tell me whatever happened to the Bf 110G-4 pilot that came in so abruptly, except to state that the crew had a terrible time trying to keep up formation due to the hevy cannon, rockets and the radar antlers fitted to the night fighter .......

E ~

I'm baffled as i poste yesterday on Elmer Bendiner's 1981 8th Air Force classic-''the Fall of Fortresses''-about-but not exclusively the Schweinfurt raid of August 1943.
This book by Bendiner-a navigator on the B-17 Tondelayo''is a true classic of the genre.
As is Ian Hawkins ''Courage, Honor, Victory''A First Person History of the 95th Bomb group 8th Air Force-which i purchased in the ''Shambles'' York in 1988 and heve dipped into many times since.

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Brian Donald

another interesting read, and I say interesting as the pilot/author starts to wander in the text.

Ellis Woodward "Flying School, Combat Hell"

Primarily about the viscious SturmFw attack on his 493rd bg on 12 September 1944 by II.Sturm/JG 4. Ellis was lead pilot/a-craft on the mission and recalls the attack from his way forward position, his group and squadron really got ripped apart with his B-17 looking like a sieve when he landed at another base after the terrible mission. Since the Sturm attack was from the rear, Ellis and his crew only got a glimpse of the destruction but that was enough. had he and his craft been at the rear end they would of been blown out of the sky ......

Copyright 1998, American Library Press. It was a pleasure some years ago back in 2000 to chat with the man although briefly, my copy is signed.

Library of congress Card # 97-077087

E ~

Erich ''The Bloody Munster'' book is really good I was amazed by the author's revelation that the bombing point was given as ''the steps of Munster Cathedral...'' which was a refutation of ''daylight precision bombing'''s avowed aim of avoiding civilian targets?

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Brian Donald

Aye Brian, and excellent title it is. Actually several cities were pinpointed just on top for the cathedral as it was such an outstanding point even from over 20,000 feet up

another work is Merle Olmstead's Classic on the Us 8th AF 357th fighter group, now released from Eagle Editions. there is another book by James Roeder through signal publications that has a wealth of pics and profiles for around US 20.00 dollars a great pick up if you can find the title "357th Fighter Group"

At Duxford yesterday was pleased to pick up a copy of 'The Ragged Irregulars of Bassingbourn' ( 91st BG ) in perfect condition for half the price of a new copy.

I've wanted to read this since meeting 'B17Sam' last year and even though it's published by Schiffer ( ) it's good to have it.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

That IS a good buy, Martin! Well done!

I have been stacking up on self published books recently....no 8th AF though....

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"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

(banner by Otto)
www.basher82.nl

excellent purchase Martin. I saw an old copy slightly tattered and torn at Paul Gaudette books in Arizona years ago on a visit to family

keep at it, and I want to see at least two full shelves plus on the 8th AF alone !

....with Mylar covers....?

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

yes ! I found the poster on LEMB comments quite amusing. Geezo my books are beat up and rightly so, they "get used !"

keeping seraching for those old titles friend

E ~

I'm just re-reading Martin Middlebrook's 'The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission'. It's interesting that he covers the German POV as well as that of the Eighth. Schweinfurt is a fascinating subject but, as always with any book about the Eighth's bomber missions, for me it's the individual experiences of the crews which 'make' the story.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Just bought this in a charity shop for £3.50.
I don't really know anything about aircraft books but something about it, even on first spotting the spine (amongst the usual dross), seemed 'proper'... the book hunting instinct is a very strange thing.

Looks very readable too, loads of great photos.
(I do hope this isn't another expensive theme developing, the tank books are bad enough. )

Cheers,
Adam.

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"Wars cannot be fought with dream stuff" - Sir Percy Hobart.

..I was recently browsing this volume but elected to purchase Vol 1 of 'Aces & Wingmen II' still in its cellophane wrap - Vol 2, I've subsequently discovered, (published in 1999) appeared with William Hess' name on the cover. Apparently Morris had a falling out with the publisher Aviation USK - so I'm wondering just how much of the original 1972 edition remains 'unpublished' anywhere else ..any ideas Martin ??.........

and Adam ..your old copy is only worth 25-30 GBP at most ...if you want to trade it away for a brand new hardback worth zillions, just PM me please...


cheers

Neil

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http://members.aol.com/falkeeins
Kaczmarek - a German view of the air war

Wow...I had to dredge this thread back from the recesses of my memory...

No, I haven't seen hide nor hair of any other bits of 'Aces And Wingmen' ; in fact, I still have my original copy on the shelf right here.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

the originals are still to be had though and crop up in the funniest places. aeroplane books here in the states had the one big monster as well as the twin volumes as an example. now as Neil said the big boy is worth hundreds in the US market if copy is available ?? personally I'll just throw the cash into finding one of the rare 8th or 9th AF histories.......