Customer Reviews

Angels Zero: P-47 Close Air Support in Europe

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was personally was a beneficary of the support provided by the author's unit, the 366th Fighter Group, during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest which occurred during November up to mid-December, 1944. The author's descriptions of the missions he flew during that battle are outstanding as was the support provided to my unit - 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division.

Mr. Brulle's technique and phrasing brings a clear jnderstanding to the uninitiated of what the low level figther-bombers did, the circumstances surrounding those missions, mission resuilts, weather conditions as well as the emotions and feelings of the pilots.

To those who thought that a fighter -pilot's life during World War II consisted of three hot meals a day, clean sheets, pressed uniforms, an eight hour duty day - think again. This infantryman changed his mind. Read the book and learn what the dive-bomber pilots actually went through during the war.

The book has lighter moments also. Mr. Brulle tells of meeting his relatives in Belgium while on a short leave and the interesting results during a subsequent fly-over of their farm.

The book is well written, informative, interesting, easy to read, and contains a number of photographs as well as a three-view drawing of the P47 that Mr. Brulle flew.

Angels Zero is a fascinating history of Lt. Brulle's experiences during WWII. It reveals an amazing recap of an almost daily report on his P-47 group's activities, including the names of many of his fellow pilots. It shows what a terrific effort he must have put forth in researching the records and logs of the various squadrons and units. The book flowed nicely and was easy reading. As an ex-infantry and artillery guy (Korean War time frame) I got a totally different perspective on the European warfare scene. I really had no feel for Air Force side of the operation and Brulle's book gave me a sense of what their lives were like. Bob takes one all the way through his military experience from his induction to discharge. There are several lighter sides to the book as he describes his visiting with relatives in Holland and buzzing their homes as well as more somber moments where he relates the losses of pilots he had trained, lived and played with. All in all, it is an entertaining and educational book and I'd recommend it to everyone.

This book is as well written as any about WWII "Thunderbolts" that I have read. Not only do you get an American perspective, there are comments made by the Germans as well. I tried reading "Winter Journey With The 9th", but it paled in comparison to this one. The big difference really boils down to is this book is written by a pilot who can write versus a third person account.

I enjoyed this book, when you think of fighter pilots in WW2, you think of the dogfights over Germany, escort missions of the bombers. Not so with this author, he was one of the many who saw little dogfighting - the majority of his missions were ground support.

Robert Brulle was there, and did that. He gives an excellent view of what it was like to fly the P-47. Several surprises here. The attrition rate of these fighter bombers were very high, especially when supporting the ground troops in the battle of the Hurtgen Forest. There was a lot more Flak (AAA) than I thought. Secondly, not all pilots lived the life of Riley. Brulle had to sleep in a tent, which he admits is better than a foxhole, but didn't get a sleeping bag until the last months of the war. Having slept in tents in France/Germany in the military, that couldn't be easy. The weather was extremely cloudy and the cold made flying conditions very dangerous. Lastly, how many hours the new pilots trained before seeing battle. The Germans and Japanese did not have that luxury and had to throw pilots in the air as soon as possible with predictable results.

I see other reviewers rated this one higher than I did. The narrative is fine, there are enough B&W photos, maps (not the best, but ok). It just did not strike a personal note with me. I usually enjoy 'you are there' type books, while I learned things from the book, it just did not strike a chord with me. I still recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about ground support efforts in WW2.