Twelve O'Clock High (Great Classic Stories of World War II) [Paperback]

Beirne Lay (Author), Sy Bartlett (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Dodd, Mead (1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0396078672
• ISBN-13: 978-0396078678
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twelve O'Clock High: Still Relevant After All These Years, April 20, 2000

By 

Roy Jaruk (Patterson, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twelve O'Clock High (Paperback)

Twelve O'Clock High is, of course, one of the best works of fiction about the air war in Europe ever to be published. But that is not why it's still required reading at America's service academies. The book is a fascinating study in the psychology of command and commanders. It explores the satisfaction of command - taking a dispirited air group and turning it around to become the point of the 8th Air Force's aerial spear, and changing a group of crybabies into a disciplined, proud unit. It also shows the price in human lives and mental anguish inflicted upon a commanding officer who must, time and again, order his men into battle with the certain knowledge that some of them won't be coming back. It further offers hints on how a commanding officer can deal with the stress he must needs inflict upon himself, and shows clearly the fine line a leader walks between familiarity and emotional disassociation. In some ways the book is almost a roman a clef, particularly in the characters of Savage, Bishop and McIlhenney, with the action itself a composite of various air actions, including the notorious "Black Thursday" raid of October,1943 on the Schweinfurt ball bearing works. But for all that, it's still a compelling read for all who are interested in what makes miltary leaders tick. This book cannot be recommended too highly, and it is so superior to the movie that there is no comparison. I rate it as a "must-read."

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest war novels of the twentieth century!, August 7, 1999

By 

Wayne Nye (Staunton, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twelve O'Clock High (Paperback)

Twelve O'Clock High! is the story of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in England during World War II. Written by authors Beirne Lay and Sy Bartlett, both original staff officers of the 8th Air Force, this novel draws heavily from actual experiences of airmen in battle and their commanders on the ground. This is "must reading" for any serious aviation enthusiast or historian, as the book weaves a spell-binding and realistic tale of drama, action, and human suffering. A chronicle of patriotism, Twleve O'Clock High! is the novel of America's "Gettysburg in the Sky."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 12 O' CLOCK HIGH, March 22, 2000

By 

DANIEL E. WYATT (HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twelve O'Clock High (Paperback)

Lt.Col.Beirne Lay, Jr. USAAF flew B-17 combat missions in the European Theatre in World War II. He created the 918th Bomb Group by putting together his unit the 91st Bomb Group and the 8th Air Force. Brig. Gen. Frank Savage was based on the real Brig. Gen. Frank Armstrong. After World War II Lay and writer Sy Barlett wrote the novel and the 1949 Screen Play 12'O CLOCK HIGH. This book is excellent.