Marauder Man: World War II in the Crucial But Little Known B-26 Marauder Medium Bomber [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Brown Kenneth T (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Brown stands out from the ranks of World War II memoirists in three ways. First, he was brought up a Quaker and had to examine his conscience seriously before rejecting conscientious objector status and entering the Army Air Corps. Second, he flew the fast, rugged, lethal B-26 Marauder medium bomber, a plane that was unforgiving of mediocre piloting and, because of it, not widely publicized during or after the war. Third, he flew as a bombardier-navigator, a demanding and highly skilled job, crucial to successful missions and conducted with evolving and imperfect technology (he served additional duty as the nose gunner). His crew nearly crashed ferrying their plane to England via Greenland, and flew one mission from England shortly after D-Day. Thereafter he flew with a number of different crews out of improvised bases in France, with accidents, flak, and the Luftwaffe taking a stress-inducing toll that attests that a war almost won still kills. Brown survived, intact in mind and body, to contribute worthily to the annals of World War II. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Pacifica Press (CA); 1 edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935553533
• ISBN-13: 978-0935553536
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,418,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended reading for anyone with an interest in WW II, December 13, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marauder Man: World War II in the Crucial But Little Known B-26 Marauder Medium Bomber (Hardcover)

Marauder Man: World War II In The Crucial But Little Known B-26 Marauder Medium Bomber is the memoir of Ken Brown, a born Quaker and nonviolent by nature, who nevertheless volunteered for service in the United States Army Air Forces during the era of WW II because he recognized fascism for the evil that it was. He became a lead navigator for the Ninth Air Force's veteran 391st Bombardment Group, and learned to admire the strength and reliability of the Martin B-26 Marauder plane in which he and his fellow servicement entrusted their lives. Marauder Man is a firsthand account of the danger, death, and heroism of aircraft combat life. Marauder Man is recommended reading for anyone with a strong interest in World War II aviation history, and a much appreciated memoir for academic and community library military history collections.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book!, May 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Marauder Man: World War II in the Crucial But Little Known B-26 Marauder Medium Bomber (Hardcover)

Ken is an unusual writer - not only was he "there" but he also has a grasp of the mood and color of the times.

Read this book, not so much as a history of the B-26 (there are better books for that) as it is the life of a bomber crew in the closing months of the war.

Enjoyable, enlightening reading from a guy who writes more like a classic author than a navigator on a WWII bomber.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good memoir, February 23, 2006

By 

eclectic reader (Milwaukee WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marauder Man: World War II in the Crucial But Little Known B-26 Marauder Medium Bomber (Hardcover)

Good little read by an Air Force member during the end of WW II in Europe. Interesting take on how peace loving boys became men of war during this era. A quick and enjoyable book by a man who was not trained as a writer but can still tell a good story. At time, the book was a little bit bland, but don't let that stop you from picking this up.