451st Bomb Group
88mm anti-aircraft gun
A01=Robert Thompson
Antiaircraft artillery
Army Air Force
Author_Robert Thompson
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-24 Liberator heavy bomber
Category=NH
Daylight bombing
Eighth Air Force
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Fifteenth Air Force
Focke-Wulf FW 190
Italy
Luftwaffe
Markersdorf
Messerschmitt Bf-109
Messerschmitt Bf-110
Norden Bombsite
Ploesti
Precision bombing
Regensburg
Strategic Bombing
World War II Air War
World War II in Europe
Product details
- ISBN 9781594164415
- Weight: 399g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 23 May 2025
- Publisher: Westholme Publishing, U.S.
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
The men who flew American heavy bombers over Europe in World War II were very young—most were either in their late teens or early twenties. Before they deployed overseas, they were military amateurs who knew nothing of the violent, dangerous world of air warfare. Heavy bombers flew over Europe in steady formations at high altitudes. There they faced a gauntlet of razor sharp antiaircraft artillery bursts and fighter aircraft firing cannons that shattered Plexiglas, metal, engines, and bone. It is no wonder that bomber crews suffered some of the highest casualty rates of any service during the war. Yet, their courage and sacrifice would help the Allies secure an overwhelming victory over Hitler’s Germany. That bravery and the extreme dangers these young men faced in combat over Europe are vividly portrayed in The Cruel Sky: A Heavy Bomber Group in World War II. Using the 451st Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the Fifteenth Air Force as the focus for this compelling narrative, author Robert Thompson describes how the bomber group was established and trained, what is took to fly its aircraft—the Consolidated B-24 Liberator—the opposition they faced, and the harrowing stories of the missions for which the group received three Distinguished Unit Citations, one of only two units so honored during World War II. Relying on official reports and firsthand accounts of those who flew with the 451st, the book provides a fresh and personal perspective of the deadly air war over Europe that was critical in defeating the Nazis and liberating millions.
Robert Thompson is a historian and former career military officer, serving on B-52 bombers. He has a BA in history from Texas Tech University and a graduate degree in military studies from American Military University. He is author of a number of books, including Suddenly Soldiers: The 166th Infantry Regiment in World War I and Nine Desperate Days: America’s Rainbow Division in the Aisne-Marne Offensive, both of which were finalists for the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award. He lives near St. Louis, Missouri.
