Customer Reviews

An Emotional Gauntlet: From Life in Peacetime America to the War in European Skies

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Stuart Wright owes m several hours of sleep that I missed because I had a very hard time putting the book down. The style is fascinating and compelling. Even though I was a B-17 driver, even though I went to the Eighth on a replacement crew (not original cadre), even though I never had the pain of losing a crewmember, teh book riveted my attention because of the resonance it established between me and the characters of the book's crews. This book is a towering addition to the literature of the Eighth Air Force. Thank you.
Craig Harris B-17 pilot 457th BG, Station 130 Glatton.
e: charris4@nc.rr.com

This is a must read for anyone interested in the daily life of a real B-24 combat crew. Stuart has done an excellent job of presenting the difficulties and challenges of an American air crew in England, as he takes you from the early days of crew training to each of the (very)tough missions flown. One feels as if you are actually part of this team. I came away with a sense of awe and admiration for these men "just doing their job" amid the daily horrors of combat over Germany, and the very real risk that they would not be coming back every time they flew.

As an aspiring WW2 B-24 and 392nd BG researcher, I regard Wright as a real teacher in his use of archival and original sources. A review of the bibliography, notes and appendix is a quick education in how to use available research tools. Going thru the boxes of unit histories, Missing Air Crew Reports and German KU files on downed allied aircraft at the National Archives in Washington, DC, is something I also would like to do. His efforts in tracking people down by any means, including letters to very old addresses, is a new option for me. In addition Wright is a fine story teller and interesting to read.The Corky crew flew during the first half of 1944, some of the toughest, highest attrition missions as the 8th AF broke the Luftwaffe prior to D-Day. The detail of each crewman's life during the war and after is such a huge task, requiring years and years, very hard to put this down. Our father was a Lead Pilot in the 392nd BG, a few miles from Old Buckenham, and flew on these same missions, so this is indeed a special book for us.

A long look at one airplane, one crew involved in the air war against Germany during World War II. The airplane is the Corky, a B-24 Liberator. The story starts with the people the made up the crew before they entered the military service. Finally on Tuesday 7 September 1943 the crew met together as Crew 25, 734th Squadron, 453 Bomb Group. Five months later on the 5th of February the first of a couple of milk runs over France, within a week they were over Germany. By the 25th of June the crew, not without loss, had completed their combat tours. Their war was over.

Stuart Wright is from the small village in England where the 453rd was stationed. He grew up on stories about the Yanks in and around the village. A chance meeting when he was fourteen began a friendship and collaboration with Bill Eagleson, the pilot of Crew 25. Years of research later, this book is the result. As Mr. Wright says: "This is not so much a book about airplanes or war; but a book about people." One crew of people that made a difference.

History - especially WWII history - has always been an interest of mine leading me to read scores of books and articles since I was a young boy. This book was especially poignant for me as the author introduced us so intimately to the men profiled. I really felt like I got to know most of them as the pages turned. By the time I completed reading this wonderful story I was emotionally attached like never before.

These men who are so modest when speaking of their deeds are true American heroes. The stories have been told many times regarding their difficult formative years during the Great Depression and then being pressed into military service just as they were reaching adulthood. I still find this remarkable, especially when compared to the upbringing of future generations. We truly had it easy.

I should note - in the spirit of full disclosure - that Bill Eagleson, one of the primary subjects and contributors to this book is my father's first cousin. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to meet Bill while he was alive. However, I do believe I got to know him by reading this story. I am sure all other readers will feel the same way.

Bloodlines or not this is a fabulous story. Meticulously researched and easily followed you truly get a feel of what it must have been like in the airplane and more importantly the human interaction on the ground, as well as in the air.

One of the problems for those interested in books about air warfare in World War Two is that you've read it all before. At least it seems that way. There are books so imitative of other books that the reader may question whether he read it all before.
You won't get that feeling when you read "An Emotional Gauntlet". No, Sir. This is as fresh as the smell of 100 octane on a crisp morning. Author Stuart J. Wright brings freshness to his topic that we thought had been burned away in the 50's and 60's.

You are not confined to barracks when you read "Gauntlet." The author takes you to British hamlets and cities where the Luftwaffe can be expected when least expected. B17s and 24s machine guns hammer.

This is good stuff! You are not going to fall asleep reading it. Stuart was too young for WW2 but he researched his book for more than ten years! He interviewed a great many survivors of Europe's air war some of whom you may recognize if you flew out of Blighty when the going was rough or at any other time.

This is not pulp fiction. Veterans of the Eighth may well recognize planes and people from their own wartime experiences Former bombardier Alan Eagleson, a character in the book has turned up at air shows in the Greater Boston area and your Reviewer, a 10th AF vet, has enjoyed talking to him.

"An Emotional Gauntlet" is filled with photographs. What fun on a snowy evening to scan the photos with the aid of a magnifying glass and perhaps identifying a long lost pal in a long ago scene. READ IT AND ENJOY!
John Brennan