Overview

The temperature was 40 degrees below zero when fighter planes screamed out of the clouds, puncturing the fuselage with a spray of machinegun fire and sending the bomber beside them into a death spin. This was followed by intense flak, as a hundred cannons on the ground tried to blow them out of the sky. When they finally made it back to the base, another enemy awaited them: homesickness, crushing boredom, relentless cold, and more mud than they could imagine. Bert Ibelle was a 19-year-old freshman at Dartmouth College when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps to fly dozens of bomber missions over Nazi-occupied Europe and win the Purple Heart. His buddy, Fran Brighenti, served as an infantry marksman on the opposite side of the globe, slogging through the steaming jungles of the Philippine and the fiery hell of Okinawa. Their wars couldn't have been more different, nor could their approach to life. While the ever-exuberant Fran was a ladies man, Bert only had eyes for “Red,” the girl back home who was in love with another young man. This is their story - one that combines terror, humor, friendship, and a son's search for his elusive father. AUTHOR: Bill Ibelle is a career journalist who worked as executive editor of Northeastern Magazine, features editor of Lawyers USA, and as a reporter and columnist on several daily newspapers. 30 photographs

Full Product Details

9781636245584

Table of Contents

Reviews

""It reads like a charm. Nicely layered and compiled.""-- ""Historical Miniatures Gaming Society"" ""This triple biography of three young people has proved to be both a highly readable and very interesting story.""-- ""The History Book Chat"" ""It's never easy for World War II veterans to share their memories, but when they do finally open up, sometimes decades later, the result is incredible stories like this.""--Tim Gray, Founder, President and Filmmaker, The World War II Foundation ""Into the Inferno deftly weaves a story of war, love, and friendship that spans three continents. It is a triumph of curiosity over reticence and a beautiful bridge between father and son.""--Paul Bingley, author of ""Bomb Group--The Eighth Air Force's 381st and the Allied Air Offensive Over Europe"" ""Into the Inferno is more than just another war story. It's an intriguing tale of best friends--one fighting at 25,000 feet above German flak guns and the other in the steaming jungles of the Pacific--and of the unforgettable girl they left behind. A page turner to the very end.""--Travis L. Ayres, author of ""The Bomber Boys""

""It's never easy for World War II veterans to share their memories, but when they do finally open up, sometimes decades later, the result is incredible stories like this.""--Tim Gray, Founder, President and Filmmaker, The World War II Foundation ""Into the Inferno deftly weaves a story of war, love, and friendship that spans three continents. It is a triumph of curiosity over reticence and a beautiful bridge between father and son.""--Paul Bingley, author of ""Bomb Group--The Eighth Air Force's 381st and the Allied Air Offensive Over Europe"" ""Into the Inferno is more than just another war story. It's an intriguing tale of best friends--one fighting at 25,000 feet above German flak guns and the other in the steaming jungles of the Pacific--and of the unforgettable girl they left behind. A page turner to the very end.""--Travis L. Ayres, author of ""The Bomber Boys""

Author Information

Bill Ibelle is a career journalist who worked as executive editor of Northeastern Magazine, features editor of Lawyers USA, and as a reporter and columnist on several daily newspapers.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available