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Episode Ten – “Serenade to the Big Bird” by Bert Stiles. Additional readings and recommended resour

John Hersey’s “The War Lover” published in 1959. Hersey was war correspondent who worked in the Pacific, Mediterranean, and European theaters. This novel centers on the troubled relationship between a B-17 pilot and copilot. It was later made into a movie.


Donald Miller’s “Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany by Donald Miller”. This book is a must read if you are interested in the 8th Air Force bomber offensive. It is also one of the main sources for the new Tom Hanks & Steven Speilberg mini series being made for HBO about the air war in Europe.


Robert Dorr’s “Mission to Berlin: The American Airmen Who Struck the Heart of Hitler's Reich.” The book provides a detailed description of the 8th Air Force's largest raid of the war. It provides a narrative of this mission from start to finish plus it weaves in the history of the 8th AF throughout the book. Well written and worth reading.


Stephen Ambrose’s “The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45.” The book is about the George McGovern's experience as a B24 pilot flying with the 15th Air Force out of Italy. It provides readers some detail on how crew members were selected and trained. It also provides background in how the 8th AF and the 15th AF worked together to destroy German oil production at the end of the war.


Gerald Astor’s “The Mighty Eighth: The Air War in Europe as Told by the Men Who Fought It.” An excellent overall history of the air war over Germany.


Link to “Twelve O’Clock High” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p60wUlGWm5o&t=110s. Released in 1949, this movie centers on the changing command styles and attitudes of the crews in an American bomber group based in England.


Link to the 8th Air Force Historical Society website https://www.8thafhs.org/. Contains information on the planes, bases, missions, and crews of the 8th Air Force.


Link to the 91st Bomb Group Association website http://www.91stbombgroup.com. The page contains lots of information on the 91st and what they did during WWII. There are command chronologies that are really interesting as well pictures personal diaries and reference documents.


Link to the B-17 pilot’s manual https://jasonblair.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Pilots-Manual-for-Boeing-B-17-Flying-Fortress.pdf. This manual explains how the aircraft and crew were supposed to operate.



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