CLASH OF EAGLES: USAAF 8th Air Force Bombers Versus the Luftwaffe in World War II [Hardcover]

Martin Bowman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2007

This is the story of the air war over Western Europe, told first hand by the American and German pilots and aircrew who took part. It spans the period between 1942 and 1945 and covers the encounters between the audacious Luftwaffe fighter pilots and the Fortress and Liberator bomber crews of the American 8th Air Forces flying from East Anglia.

Many unique experiences are recounted from both the night and day bombing raids that were hurled against Hitler's war machine. What was it like to fly through the dense flak over the Ruhr and against the German Experten and to be hit by machine gun and cannon fire from Focke Wulf 190s and Bf 109s? How did so many badly damaged bombers manage to struggle back, against all odds, to their East Anglian bases?

The author has sought the experiences of German fighter pilots, who explain how they stalked their prey in the sky over the Reich and how they pounced on their four engine victims from 12 o'clock high. This book contains vivid accounts of some of the most heroic actions in the history of air warfare and contains many previously unpublished action photographs.

REVIEWS

"...vivid, first hand accounts that seek to give the reader a sense of what it was like to fly and fight in the air war over Germany."Military History of the West, 01/2010

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pen and Sword (January 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844154130
• ISBN-13: 978-1844154135
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In-the-Cockpit Memories of 8th Air Force Missions!, March 28, 2007

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CLASH OF EAGLES: USAAF 8th Air Force Bombers Versus the Luftwaffe in World War II (Hardcover)

With the passing of the widely respected Roger Freeman, Martin Bowman is in line to become THE 8th Air Force historian. Bowman has authored at least a half-a-dozen books on the 8th including JANE'S BATTLES WITH THE LUFTWAFFE and WILD BLUE YONDER. Unlike the former title which was more of a photo history and the latter which recounted the human interactions of 8th personnel and Englishmen and women, Bowman's latest book is a straightforward narrative account of 8th AF combat ops.

From 1942 to 1945 8th AF B-17 and B-24 crews engaged in a merciless air campaign against Hitler's Germany. The battles grew increasingly savage with American bomber losses becoming so high that only the introduction of the P-51 Mustang saved the American daylight offensive.

Using the words of many 8th Air Force personnel and their Luftwaffe opponents, Bowman vividly traces the daylight bombing campaign. The 8th Air Force story has been told before but CLASH OF EAGLE'S first-person accounts, some of which are quite lengthy and sometimes graphic, present the human experience behind those scenes of contrail-streaming formations of bombers wending their way toward Germany. Bowman's book underscores the tremendous hardships endured by the Fortress and Liberator crews.

Eighth Air Force fans will want to pick up a copy of this book. It's a great read and a great tribute to those young warriors who braved the flak and fighters so long ago.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars super read from Eighth AF historian, June 29, 2007

By 

N. Page (UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: CLASH OF EAGLES: USAAF 8th Air Force Bombers Versus the Luftwaffe in World War II (Hardcover)

..author Martin Bowman is probably one of the UK's most prolific aviation authors and he is on home ground with this - another volume dealing with the US bomber war over Europe. The title is a bit of a misnomer; it doesn't tell the story of the bombers war as such - but paints a picture of exactly what it was to fly and fight over Europe in a B-17 or B-24. It is extremely well written - in terms of sheer reading experience one of the best WWII aviation books I've come across recently - the personal accounts are mostly very moving, grey (gray), sombre (somber), gritty, even brutal in places. I would say though that the accounts by Luftwaffe veterans hinted at in the title are few and far between and generally extracted from other well-known works. While the author covers the 28 September 44 massacre of the 445th BG by the Sturm assault fighters, he could usefully have covered the history of these specialist Luftwaffe bomber destroyer units in more detail .. Otherwise nice production and the Amazon discount certainly invites a purchase.. on second thoughts this is probably worth that extra star...

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fkying to glory, July 12, 2008

By 

Lawrence Goldstein "'goldie"" (ARDEN, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: CLASH OF EAGLES: USAAF 8th Air Force Bombers Versus the Luftwaffe in World War II (Hardcover)

I HAVE KNOWN MARTIN BOWMAN PERSONALLY FOR MANY YEARS. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE US. MILITARY ARCHIVES FOR SEVERAL OF HIS BOOKS. I WAS A B-17 CREW MEMBER OF THE 8TH AF AND CAN ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT ALL OF HIS INFORMATION IN HIS BOOKS IS TRUE AND FACTUAL. HE IS A RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY OF 8TH AF AND RAF HISTORY. ALSO HE HAS BEEN INVITED BY THE US NAVY TO DO SEVERAL BOOKS OF CARRIER OPERATIONS. ANYTHING APPEARING AND ASSOCIATED WITH MARTIN BOWMAN IS AUTHENTIC AND WELL RESEARCHED.