303rd Bombardment Group (Osprey Aviation Elite 11) [Paperback]

Brian O'Neill (Author), Mark Styling (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Aviation Elite Units | Publication Date: May 20, 2003

The first title in the Elite Units series to deal with an American bombardment group, this title focuses on the 303rd BG, dubbed the 'Hells Angels.' One of the very first B-17 units assigned to the newly created Eighth Air Force in England in September 1942, the 303rd was in the vanguard of the daylight bombing campaign through to VE-Day. Awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation in January 1944, the 303rd also had two of its aircrewmen presented with the Medal of Honor, Americas ultimate military decoration. Brian O Neill brings the group's colourful combat history to life with a mix of first-hand accounts, raw statistics and concise mission narrative.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Looking at elite fighter and bomber units in action, these books draw on profile artworks, black and white photographs, fully detailed appendices and breathtaking first hand accounts.

About the Author

Brian D O’Neill is the General Counsel of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, the famous aviation company that manufactured the Curtiss P-40 fighter and the B-17s Wright Cyclone engine during World War 2. Before becoming an attorney, he served with the US Navy as a destroyer gunner officer and shipyard repair officer. An avid student of Eighth Air Force history, he resides in East Windsor, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (May 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841765376
• ISBN-13: 978-1841765372
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.4 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,827,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done Account of The "Hell's Angels" B-17 Group in Action!, January 7, 2006

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 303rd Bombardment Group (Osprey Aviation Elite 11) (Paperback)

The 303rd "Hell's Angels" Bomb Group was one of the cornerstones of the 8th Air Force's campaign against Germany, being one of the first four "pioneer" groups permanently assigned to the 8th AF. As such, they helped translate pre-war doctrine into effective strategy albeit at a heavy cost in men and aircraft. In doing so, the 303rd compiled an exemplary combat record, which is ably chronicled in this Osprey Aviation Elite volume by Brian O'Neill.

The 303rd flew its first combat missions in November 1942 and subsequently took part in many memorable, sometimes painful strikes on targets such as Wilhelmshaven, Bremen, Hamburg, Schweinfurt and Berlin. It was the first 8th AF bomb group to fly 300 missions, eventually racking up a total of 364, more than any other bomb group! The cost was 210 B-17s lost in combat or operational accidents.

O'Neill packs a lot of information into the book's 120 pages of text, recounting the exploits of the B-17 aircrew who took "Sky Wolf," "Knock-out Dropper," "Hell's Angels" and "The Duchess" into harm's way. The book features dozens of photos, 13 pages of color profiles and a nifty 3-page nose art section.

A fine tribute to a great bunch of airmen!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference, June 7, 2010

By 

Gerald R. Carter "Cowboy" (Topeka, Kansas, US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 303rd Bombardment Group (Osprey Aviation Elite 11) (Paperback)

My father was in the 359th of the 303rd from Oct 43 through July 44. He went over to England with 300 men and 30 planes. Only 18 men returned to the State's during the war and another 12 were repatriated after the war. Luckily Dad was one of the 18 - although he refought the bombing runs he had made every night in his dreams until the day he passed on. I have read the diary that his crewmate kept of their missions together. The accuracy of this book to the diary is very impressive. It is much more than a listing of the mission logs - which are available by book now if that interests you - it catches the flavor of the times. I think that my father would have been very proud to have had this book in his library to give to people when they asked him what it was like to fly with the Hell's Angels. Gerald R. Carter

5.0 out of 5 stars 303rd Bombardment Group, December 12, 2011

By 

fungchung - See all my reviews

This review is from: 303rd Bombardment Group (Osprey Aviation Elite 11) (Paperback)

What a magnificent and humbling read this book was for me.It displays quite a wealth of information of how one particular Bombardment Group did it part during the war against Nazi Germany. For it also reveals in great detail the losses that were experienced on a daily basis in men and aircraft. This book holds nothing back, it simply gives undeniable and truthful facts of what must have seemed a continuous conveyer belt of death and destruction. The losses suffered by the 8th Air Force were a mirror image to the massive continual losses suffered nightly by The RAF Bomber Command. Though it can not be denied that the bravery and determination of the aircrews, and not forgetting the ground crews, was outstanding. The stories within the pages of this book folks are really humbling to say the very least.For the American thinking of the time was that bombing targets during broard daylight would enable them to see THEIR targets. Trouble with that thinking was if the Americans could see THEIR targets with confidence. Then the Germans could see THEM as THEIR targets with the same amount of confidence Well worth reading and realising just what sacrifices these young men made regularly in broad daylight and odds stacked against them.