I read a lot of World War II fiction and found this memoir by Frank Murphy to be very interesting. I learned a lot of what really happened in the skies over Europe from this real member of the Greatest Generation.

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, many young American boys joined the military. Frank Murphy was in college at the time but he signed up to be part of the new Army Air Corp. After extensive training, he became a navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress in the 100th Bombardment Group. He was one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group and after numerous bombing runs, his B-17 Flying Fortress was shot down over Germany and he spent months in a German POW camp. His bravery earned him the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Prisoner of War Medal. The incredible stories of Murphy and his Eighth Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group will be featured in the upcoming Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks TV series, Masters of the Air.

Frank's story of his time during the war was very interesting. My personal problem with the book is that there was too much information about some subjects - the history of aerial warfare, the names of the planes and the pilots of every plane in the 100th bomb group and various other lists. This information would be very exciting for someone who was had a real interest in it, but I found myself skimming through the lists to get back to Frank's personal story. Overall, this was definitely a good read for me - I learned a lot about what actually went on during the bombing raids and it was a real treasure to learn about the life of one of the brave young boys who went to war to help save the world. They definitely were the Greatest Generation . ( )

narrative, memoir, memories, biography, prisoners-of-war, air-war, airman, WW2, us-army, bombing, Germany, POW camps, military-history, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, military-aviation-history*****

Nov 12, 2022 Meticulously documented and yet very personal.
Very detailed info on air raids of the European war perfect for Air Force personnel past and present.
As a civilian, while I felt outclassed in much of the narrative and the extensive appendices, the years in the Stalag were personalized and moving. It's a book well worth diving into again and again.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley. Thank you
Jan 06, 2023 I was very fortunate to receive a temporary audio copy from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley. This was a great improvement for me. Jonas Moore is an excellent voice actor and greatly added to the interpretation of all parts of the journal.

"The epic true story of an American hero who flew during WWII, soon to be featured in the upcoming Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks TV Series, Masters of the Air." ( )