The Forbidden Diary: A B-24 Navigator Remember [HiFi Sound] [Hardcover]

John Lawrence Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

As a World War II combat navigator, the author flew 31 missions and broke two rules: he kept an accurate diary of these missions as well as some of the maps and charts issued only to navigators. Here, he recounts his exploits.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A genre of WWII writing stronger in the U.S. than anywhere elseAthe "trunk memoir"Agrows stronger still with this contribution. These works are based on letters, diaries and similar personal papers stored in trunks by veterans who were "forbidden" by regulations to keep records of their missions. Stewart was a B-24 navigator with the 8th Air Force, flying his first mission (at age 19) on December 2, 1944, and his last on April 25, 1945. His story, based primarily on the contraband diary of the title, is a useful corrective to "big-picture" accounts that dismiss the strategic bomber campaign after D-Day as a series of milk runs. Even in decline the Luftwaffe was a dangerous opponent. Stewart and his crewmates particularly feared the new jets that could outfly the best piston-engined escorts. Stewart, who later became an aeronautical engineer, is also worth reading for his description of aerial navigation methods in a pre-electronics era, and for his useful insights into the institutional behavior of a newly mature military organization. Flexibility minimized the consequences of errors like a takeoff into fog that cost Stewart's group four aircraft before someone in his crew drained the gas from the auxiliary engine starter and bought enough time for the base commander to cancel the mission. The 8th Air Force never turned back from a strike, because it had men like John StewartAand because it learned how to sustain the best in those men. B&w photos and diagrams throughout.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As a 19-year-old navigator with the Eighth Air Force, Stewart logged combat time in a B-24 Liberator named the Gremlin Manor. He navigated on 31 missions that dumped 8000 pounds of explosives on enemy targets over Europe. Keeping a journal was strictly against regulations, but Stewart secretly wrote about his exploits and those of his crew. His recollections describe in vivid detail everything about the harrowing life of the combat navigator, beginning with the training, and in an appendix he tells how he guided the Gremlin Manor over preplanned routes. He also introduces the reader to the all-important dead-reckoning procedures along with the instruments and devices. What makes Stewart's book unique amidst a flood of World War II memoirs is his detailed descriptions of how he navigated and the equipment he used, which gives his book a you-were-there feel. After seeing Memphis Belle a dozen times, here is the real thing. Recommended for World War II and aviation collections.AMichael Coleman, Regional Lib. for Blind & Handicapped, Montgomery, AL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071581871
• ISBN-13: 978-0071581875
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,914,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars give the guy a break, December 11, 2000

By 

Chris Bryant (Oklahoma City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Forbidden Diary: A B-24 Navigator Remember (Hardcover)

Not the most entertaining book but not bad either.Some reviewers have come down a little hard on it.It's a little too technical for some readers but not so filled with errors as some reviewers here claim.Stewart corrects at least one error later in the book. Put it this way:if you want to read just ONE book about bomber crews this isn't the one.It's a little too dry.If you are interested in the subject and can afford to buy several books then this one can be included.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A welcomed addition to any book collection, May 21, 2000

By 

A J Zywiczynski - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Forbidden Diary: A B-24 Navigator Remember (Hardcover)

Although there have been several disappointing reviews of this book I personally found it informative from several points. First off my father was a crew member on B-24 Liberators and this gave me an insight as to how a "Liberator" crew flew their missions. As far as being to technical and boring I didn't find it so, there are some missions that were "Milk Runs" but the author points these out prior to reading them and makes up for them with experiences he and his crew had while not flying combat missions. This is also the first book I have read that mentions the "Davis Wing", which I personally found very informative.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The most boring WWII book I have ever read., March 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Forbidden Diary: A B-24 Navigator Remember (Hardcover)

I was hoping that a "forbidden diary", written as the action happened, would be very interesting. It wasn't. I am sure the author went through some hairaising experiences, cheating death on every mission. I just wish he had told the reader about them. Instead, we get a very technical description of the airplane written in a boring style. His Editor should have known better. That's why we buy these books...to get a feel of how it really was. Unfortunately, the description of his missions felt no more exciting than a commercial flight between New York and Chicago. "We went up, dropped the bombs, then came down." Wild stuff.