Early in the 1960s, somebody decided to film John Hersey's novel "The War Lover" in England. All well and good, except . . . they needed flyable B-17 bombers to do it, and the only good candidates were on the wrong side of the Atlantic. Enter John Crewdson and Greg Board, two ex-WWII fighter pilots who, with a handful of volunteers, round up three B-17s and (just as in the war) ferry them across the Atlantic to England. Caidin was one of this merry band, and although he clearly had a great time the book is never quite as much fun as the trip seems to have been. As the saying goes, maybe you just had to be there. ( )