Customer Reviews

The Wrong Stuff : The Adventures and Misadventures of an 8th Air Force Aviator

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The Wrong Stuff" by Truman Smith is a memoir by a former copilot on a B-17 in the US 8th Air Force. Mr. Smith blazes his own trails in this book. He doesn't pull any punches about some of the screw-ups made during the war that cost lives, or about his own thoughts about the fact that every man involved in the war is killing other human beings. The only way to beat a bad enemy is to be worse. Smith's tale is at times hilarious, at times tragic, but always entertaining. He tells it in a breezy, easy-to-read style with plenty of wry comments thrown in. Not only are the air battle scenes well-written, but accounts of his experiences at the air base in England, of his trips to London where his youth and inexperience hamper his attempts at finding girls, and of his visit to the 'Flak Farm' where he is sent to recuperate from the stress of wondering whether or not he'll survive the next mission. I thouroughly enjoyed this book. As a historian and author who is researching two books on the 8th AF in WWII, I found this book really went a long ways toward explaining not only the horrors of war in the air but how the war affected the young men who fought that air war. I recommend it highly.

LtCol USAF, Retired. Flew combat as Commander of B-17 Aircraft in World War II.

An Air Force friend sent me a copy of the WRONG STUFF. From the opening page, this book took me back to those war years, and kept me totally absorbed. It hit me like "a ton of bricks" when I discovered that Truman, and I, flew with the same 8th Air Force Group in England.

Upon reading Truman's Chapter 5, aptly titled "THE WORST," I discovered for the first time how I lost my plane and crew, while participating on a bombing mission to Berlin, Germany, on April 29, 1944. His vivid description of that raid kept me mesmerized, and it would take a great deal of writing for me to express the large number of superlatives this book deserves.

Chapter 5 is a book within a book. Only 6 ships of 30 in our group returned to home base, while the entire 8th AF lost 63 bombers on that raid alone. I thank God that my friend placed THE WRONG STUFF in my hands, for it enabled me to learn the details of the largest air battle in history. I was unable, for the most part, to view the battle, since I was fully engaged in formation flight. Truman was flying copilot in the highest of our 30 ship formation, and had an unobstructed view of all enemy aircraft, and the raging air battles. It is difficult to imagine such a frightening experience for Truman, a 20 year old copilot, as he peered out the right window of his aircraft, and spotted some 200 enemy aircraft, like a hive of bees, ready to swarm on our hapless group of 30 bombers, which had been carelessly led from the bomber stream. Somehow True survived, complete his tour of 35 missions, and luckily for us, remembered, in detail, the ingredients of this great book.

Truman describes aerial combat with excellence. His accounts of the fears and horrors in WW II aerial combat, is laced with a priceless sense of humor. He keeps the reader on the flight deck with him during each of his 35 missions, and one can almost

feel the thrills - and horror - of the air battles.

He provides us with some of his pleasure jaunts to London, elsewhere in England, and on the Continent as well. His description of those experiences offers a change of pace that is relaxing, enjoyable, and sprinkled with humor.

I found it difficult to lay the book aside, as did my wife, and other members of my family.

THE WRONG STUFF has understandably been selected as required reading this fall in The U.S. Air Force Academy History Class.

One of the few things more exciting than reading Truman's book is meeting Truman himself. Yes there is a Ponca City and yes he does live there. As a veteran of our "conflict" in Viet Nam I had experienced many of the same emotions found in the book. I especially appreciated his discussions on the guilt of surving and of not doing enough. If you get a chance read the book, you won't be sorry. If you have been to war or thought about war you owe it to yourself to read this book. Thanks Mike, for introducing me to Truman, and thanks Truman, for writing the book.

The title was a worry when I ordered it but on the strength of the readers' comments, I pressed on. I am glad I did.

This is a great book - the author is not a great wordsmith but you can feel his fear (and the fun) in every page even in his simple prose.

The reality of the days comes through in every mission - random death was ever present on every mission - yet they went out without demanding anything other than the gratitude of their country.

The author is not sufficiently honoured by the title, but he is well honoured by his deeds and his breezy recall of their context.

I enjoyed "The Wrong Stuff" immensely! I rank it among the best I have ever read, and I read a lot. My criteria for a really good book are these: (1) Is it hard to put down? (2) Am I anxious to get back to it? (3) Am I sorry when I'm finished reading it because the story is now over? The answer with regard to "The Wrong Stuff" is yes, in spades! It is every bit as spellbinding as a Tom Clancy novel ( my standard measure for the best action stories), and this one is true. The factual information about the war and how the air war was fought over Europe is excellent. The description of what it was like to be involved in that type of air combat is terrifying, and the antics and misadventures of the young men involved make it seem real and human in a delightfully humorous way. Additionally, the writer's ability to vividly describe the mental and emotional stress endured by those men enables the reader to get a feel of what it must have actually been like to survive such an ordeal. The men who made it through the conflict must have acquired 20 years of maturity in those few months. The book is very skillfully written, and I honestly believe that it has the potential to become a best seller! It also reminds the reader that those of us who followed owe an enduring debt of gratitude to those who fought that war.

To update my enthusiastic review of Truman Smith's "The Wrong Stuff" posted on this page, I must add that another book by a WWII veteran of the air war over Europe has come out that is absolutely superb. It is Gene Carson's "Wing Ding", also available. Gene managed to get transferred, through persistance and hard work, from an assignment as a cook and baker to the more exciting--and also more deadly--assignment as a tail gunner in the early months of the air war over Europe. Both books capture both the humor and the deadly seriousness of the air war over Europe. I recommend both very, very highly.

"As a publisher of aviation art I have to extensivelyresearch my subjects which means reading almost every book on WW2 thatis available. Some good and some not so good. Many written in co-operation with a professional writer and although having an interesting story to tell, aimed mainly at the experienced and knowledgeable reader.

Very, very occasionally one finds a literary jewel and a treat lies in store. "THE WRONG STUFF" by Truman J.Smith is one such. You don^Rt have to know what a B17 is or be interested in the Air War in Europe to read this book. This is an incredibly moving human story, told with great eloquence and humor, of a young man, twenty years old, thrown in at the deep end of a murderous war who, fifty years later, has the incredible gift of being able to pass on to the rest of us the feeling of "being there."

And so we can all experience as never before the hardships on the ground and pre-mission nerves, the terrors unfolding all around at 25,000 feet watching new found friends hurtling to their deaths and knowing that the next shell could have your name on it. Relaxing on leave in London, laughing and searching for any diversions to pass the time until the next mission. They had to cram a lifetime's experiences into a few months because for tens of thousands of them there was no future.

I have tried but find it difficult to compare it with anything. This book made me laugh and brought a lump to my throat. It is just the best book dealing with the air war that I have ever read and should be required reading in schools so that the younger generation can appreciate the debt they owe to Truman J. Smith and his like.

This is the amazing - but true - story of a young man facing the daily agony of probable death. It is a wonderfully well written account of the fear and anguish, yet also the humor and comradeship, of a band of young men being asked to take on incredible odds. It's a tale that could be read with interest in any age. But it is also a terrific insight into the world of 1944, when it was not at all clear that the United States was going to survive it's greatest challenge to date. I recommend it to the attention of any 20-year-old today - and to anyone else who can remember what it was like to be 20. A superb read.

This is one of the best first person accounts of WW2 to come out in print. If you have ever wondered what it was like to fly with the men who won the air war over Europe, this is the book to read. Truman Smith is a truly gifted story teller who holds onto his audience. Each page leaves you looking forward to the next. He has the incredible ability to allow the reader experience his own trials of air combat. I felt I was in the cockpit with him. This is truly a unique gift in writing. This is a must-read book.

An excellent and captivating book. A 20 year old co-pilot relates his (and the crew's) experience on 35 bombing missions. The marvel of the book is that it is written throught the eyes of a young man without any of the ponderous statements or judgements that come with age. It has a lot of humor, but also gives the sense of responsibility and fear that these young people faced. I gave it to my 18 year old son to read, and he was moved by the experiences and the descriptions. A truly excellent book