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Donald L. Miller

Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany Paperback – Illustrated, September 25, 2007

by Donald L. Miller (Author)

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Soon to be a major television event from Apple TV, Masters of the Air is the riveting history of the American Eighth Air Force in World War II, the story of the young men who flew the bombers that helped bring Nazi Germany to its knees, brilliantly told by historian and World War II expert Donald Miller. The Masters of the Air miniseries will be the companion to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s Band of Brothers and The Pacific.

Masters of the Air is the deeply personal story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler’s doorstep. With the narrative power of fiction, Donald Miller takes you on a harrowing ride through the fire-filled skies over Berlin, Hanover, and Dresden and describes the terrible cost of bombing for the German people.

Fighting at 25,000 feet in thin, freezing air that no warriors had ever encountered before, bomber crews battled new kinds of assaults on body and mind. Air combat was deadly but intermittent: periods of inactivity and anxiety were followed by short bursts of fire and fear. Unlike infantrymen, bomber boys slept on clean sheets, drank beer in local pubs, and danced to the swing music of Glenn Miller’s Air Force band, which toured US air bases in England. But they had a much greater chance of dying than ground soldiers.

The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America—white America, anyway. The actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber boy, and so was the “King of Hollywood,” Clark Gable. And the air war was filmed by Oscar-winning director William Wyler and covered by reporters like Andy Rooney and Walter Cronkite, all of whom flew combat missions with the men. The Anglo-American bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest military campaign of World War II, a war within a war. Until Allied soldiers crossed into Germany in the final months of the war, it was the only battle fought inside the German homeland.

Masters of the Air is a story of life in wartime England and in the German prison camps, where tens of thousands of airmen spent part of the war. It ends with a vivid description of the grisly hunger marches captured airmen were forced to make near the end of the war through the country their bombs destroyed.

Drawn from recent interviews, oral histories, and American, British, German, and other archives, Masters of the Air is an authoritative, deeply moving account of the world’s first and only bomber war.

Print length

688 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

September 25, 2007
Dimensions

6.13 x 1.6 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0743235452
ISBN-13

978-0743235457
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Masters of the Air is a piece of history that accurately and comprehensively tells the story of the Eighth Air Force going mano a mano against a tough and determined foe. The incredible cost to both sides is recounted in riveting detail. It left me shaken."

-- Lt. Gen. Bernard E. Trainor, USMC (Ret.) and coauthor of Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

"Miller's work is always extraordinary but this large volume is especially remarkable for its valuable recovery of details, like all the psychiactric ruin of the many bomber boys assigned to kill German civilians. This is a rare account of the American Eighth Air Force, and with so many readers hoodwinked by fantasies of The Good War, it deserves wide acceptance and ultimate enshrinement as a classic."

-- Paul Fussell, author of The Great War and Modern Memory

"When I learned that Don Miller had written a history of the air war against Germany, I knew that readers would be transported as virtual eye witnesses to this aerial battle field. His gripping reconstruction of what was happening in the planes is matched by the best account yet of what the bombings were doing to Germans on the ground. This book bears the Miller trademark: a strong narrative supported by solid history."

-- Joseph E. Persico, author of Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day 1918

"Masters of the Air is a fresh new account of the incredible rise of the American air force from young men learning their trade on the job in combat to an irresistible force that swept the vaunted Luftwaffe from the skies. Author Donald L. Miller knits together the big events of the bombing campaign with illuminating individual human stories of the heroes who lived and died over Germany."

-- Walter J. Boyne, former director, National Air and Space Museum

"Over the first years of World War II, the only American casualties on European soil were flyboys shot out of the sky. Long before Normandy, America's bomber boys waged the Allies' longest WWII campaign and brought the war to Hitler. Now we are fortunate that the incomparable Donald Miller has brought the memory of these Masters of the Air back to us."

-- James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys

"Masters of the Air is masterful narrative history, the elegantly interwoven story of the men and boys who first took the war to the heart of Germany. Vivid and meticulous, judicious but not judgmental, Donald L. Miller chronicles the air war over Europe in all its heroism and horror."

-- Geoffrey C. Ward, author of Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

"Donald L. Miller's Masters of the Air is a stunning achievement. The compound effect of the book's narrative vitality and attention to human detail is terrific in all the meanings of the word - terrifying, extraordinary, highly admirable. What a story it is!"
-- David McCullough

"Masters of the Air is a direct hit."
-- Allan R. Millett, Director, Eisenhower Center for American Studies, University of New Orleans

"For sixty years we have waited for a history to equal the epic saga of the Eighth Air Force's struggle with fighters, flak and weather on a battlefield moving at three miles per minute five miles above the earth's crust. Now it is here. With brilliant artistry, Don Miller paints the story from the pallet of the voices of the men who manned the planes or waited them out."
-- Richard B. Frank, author of Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire

About the Author

Donald L. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of History Emeritus at Lafayette College and author of ten books, including Vicksburg, and Masters of the Air, currently being made into a television series by Tom Hanks. He has hosted, coproduced, or served as historical consultant for more than thirty television documentaries and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (September 25, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 688 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743235452
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743235457
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 1.6 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #59,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #80 in Military Aviation History (Books)
- #151 in German History (Books)
- #523 in World War II History (Books)

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913 ratings

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Donald L. Miller

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Donald L. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of History at Lafayette College. He hosted the series A Biography of America on PBS and has appeared in numerous other PBS programs in the American Experience series, as well as in programs on the History Channel. He is the author of eight previous books, among them the prize-winning City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America, The Story of World War II, and D-Days in the Pacific.

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2 star		1%
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Jeop1986

Fast, Lively, Informative History of the Eighth Air Force

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2016

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Superb history of the Eighth Air Force and its combat operations in World War II. This book puts the Daylight Precision Bombing operation into a historical context. This theoretical, untried concept was wrong-headed in so many ways. Pre-war planners eschewed the need for a long range fighter to shepherd the bombers, believing that the heavily armed B-17 could easily defend itself. Instead the plane was easy prey for Germany's fighters. The planes were not equipped to keep their crews warm at the cold altitudes at which they operated. And the Norden bombsight, tested in the clear skies over the desert in America, was problematic over Europe, where clouds cover reigned much of the year. Tactics and objectives had to be rethought again and again. Meanwhile, airmen died by the thousands. Miller moves seamlessly from broad overview to personal stories of heroism and horror to thoughtful analysis of how the massed bomber attacks on Germany affected the outcome of the war. A fast, lively, and informative read.

32 people found this helpful

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Treven40

A Major Contribution to the History of WWII

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2018

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As an amateur WWII historian, I found this book to be the absolute best written and most comprehensive treatment of the air war over Europe. I came across this book while visiting the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Savannah, GA, and talked to both former airmen, who were part of a veterans group visiting the museum, and researchers at the museum. They all agreed that this is the best historical account of not only the air battles and the airmen involved, but also the behind the scenes decision-making by both U.S. and the British military and political leaders. I found the differences between the U.S. focus, at least initially, on strategic targets (i.e., ball bearing, military equipment manufacturing, transportation networks, oil supply, etc.), and the British focus on demoralizing the German citizenry by bombing non-military targets (e.g, fire bombing of large cities as payback for the Nazi bombing of English civilian targets) to be both interesting and somewhat disturbing. Also, information on the aircraft used by U.S., British, and German forces was very interesting, especially the roles played by U.S. fighters, in particular the P-51 Mustang, in establishing total air superiority in the skies over Europe, which was considered the major prerequisite to the Normandy invasion and eventual Allied victory.

12 people found this helpful

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Bryan C. Woolman

A Complete History of the Topic.

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2017

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A massive complete work. This book is not just the history of the combat bombing air war over Europe in WWII but the entire history of the lead up to the war and the political, social and economic highlights of both the RAF and USAAF efforts. Most impressive is the impartial evaluation and controversy regarding the results. Of special value to this reader is the coverage of the personal aspect of war, from the bases in England to the POW camps in Europe. There is even coverage of the effect of the bombing war on the German population. There are surely equal or even better books covering each topic, however no book this reader has read since 1959 has done as complete a job. The book is correctly centered on the US 8th Air Force and its history, but a complete history of the US and RAF effort is achieved. The book is massive with over 40% devoted to notes and bibliography. An excellent read and reference guide.

17 people found this helpful

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sixtring

Close to a 360-Degree History of USAAF 8th Air Force of WWII

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2021

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While recognizing Anglo-American cooperation in the strategic bombing of Europe during WWII, "Masters of the Air" is purposely focused on the U.S. Eighth Air Force, which was the centerpiece of epic missions conducted at great risk in broad daylight. Countless books have already been published about the aerial bombardment of Germany and it war-making capacity. But I am not aware of any book that is as comprehensive in its assembly of individual voices - witnesses to the lead-up, conduct, and (to a limited extent) the aftermath of that ferocious campaign. This narrative thankfully avoids the stuffy tone found in older volumes. Here, the reader is treated to virtual, face-to-face episodes relating to the pre-war origins of strategic bombing concepts, developed by maverick thinkers working for skeptical superiors. Sadly, scant attention is paid to the massive training effort that converted young men into aviators, airborne gunners, and radio men. Instead, the narrative moves quickly into the earliest deployment of USAAF assets and personnel in England, which hosted the overnight development of dozens of airfields - each a virtual city unto itself - complete with a staggering array of ancillary trades needed to support the operation of four-engine bombers, their armament, and their deadly cargoes. Ample attention is paid to the impact that such operations had on the surrounding English towns and villages. Readers get a candid reckoning of the testosterone-driven exploits of young American men of all ethnicities, gathered in the same space to fight, die, and work long hours while also seeking leisure with their English hosts. Then there is combat itself, executed in a learning-by-doing fashion. Here again, the first-hand recollections are made both accessible and riveting. An undertaking of this scale has many consequences, which are described in "Masters": What is it like to stay alive at 40,000 feet in an unheated unpressurized airplane? To conduct one's job while enduring bone-shattering anti-aircraft artillery fire or the attacks of German fighter planes - which if not spewing rapid-fire projectiles, were often purposely piloted as suicidal battering rams? There were consequences for bailing out of a burning bomber only to be interred in a German POW camp. It meant something else to ditch your crippled plane in "neutral" Switzerland, as one testimony reveals. It was yet another fate to breakdown mentally and emotionally, which eventually became its own hazard. What I did not expect, but found interesting, was the narrative about the American strategists tasked with evaluating the effects of strategic bombing - an exercise conducted at great personal risk by venturing into war zones even before the end of hostilities. Very few of the principals of that era are still alive today to tell their stories. Readers can obtain a next-best experience from the pages of "Masters of the Air."

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. D. J. J. Lowe

Good for youngster or people with little knowledge.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

The author does a good job of using personal accounts to create an exciting atmosphere and draw the reader into the boots of the USAAF as they flew, fought and died over the skies of Europe. Sadly, it's light on context, figures, strategic overview and regularly sacrifices factual accuracy on the altar of popular American jingoism. This is suitable for trying to get youngsters interested in military history, particularly if they are American, but it's a waste of time for any one else.

2 people found this helpful

Mr P D

... choice of world war 2 book to purchase and enjoy.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

An excellant choice of world war 2 book to purchase and enjoy.

One person found this helpful

Spook

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent book.

Normski

Brilliant history of the American fliers in WW2

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is the most amazing book for anyone interested in the American Air Forces involved in WW2 in europe.
Donald Miller's comprehansive knowledge of the subject, and excellent way of describing the air war against Germany is awesome - I couldn't put the book down!

I. A

A thorough study about the 8th Air Force in IIWW

Reviewed in Spain on November 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

I have read almost every book written about the air war over Europe, and I can say that this book is a "must".
You will find in it a detailed study of almost every relevant point about the conditions in which some young men put their lives at the stake -and many of them lost it- to freed Europe. From doctrine till major operations, and all without forgetting that little stories about singular people, just like you and me, that makes you understand how so many youngsters turn into old in just the 2-4 months time of their tour of duty.
Don't miss it!

One person found this helpful

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