Overview

On an early morning in the fall of 1942, Kemp McLaughlin's group set out for a raid on a French target. Immediately after dropping its bombs, McLaughlin's plane was hit. A huge fire burned a four-foot hole in his wing, his waist gunner bailed out, his radio operator was wounded, the plane lost all oxygen, and his pilot put on a parachute and sat on the escape hatch, waiting for the plane to explode. And this was only McLaughlin's first sortie. McLaughlin went on to pilot the mission command plane on the second raid against Schweinfurt, the largest air raid in history, which resulted in the destruction of 70 percent of German ball bearing production capability. McLaughlin also participated in the bombing of heavy water installations in Norway. The Mighty Eighth in WWII also includes the stories of downed pilots in France and Holland who traveled under the cover of night through the countryside, evading the Nazis who had seen their planes go down. As a group leader, McLaughlin was responsible for the planning and execution of air raids, forced to follow the directives of senior (and sometimes less informed) officers. His position as one of the managers of the massive sky trains allows him to provide unique insight into the work of maintenance and armament crews, preflight briefings, and off-duty activities of the airmen. No other memoir of World War II reveals so much about both the actual bombing runs against Nazi Germany and the management of personnel and material that made those airborne armadas possible.

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9780813191591

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This book should be on the shelves of all those who are interested in the Allies' massive raids over Germany. It is a standout effort by one who was there - well worth the price of admission. - Flight Journal This is an astounding inside look at the Mighty Eighth which we have not seen before. - Hollywood Inside Syndicate His crisp, clear narratives of the youthful hijinks of flyers in foreign lands, and of facing death in the skies, put a human face on that wave of men who fought for freedom in the skies over Europe. - WTBF Radio

This book should be on the shelves of all those who are interested in the Allies' massive raids over Germany. It is a standout effort by one who was there - well worth the price of admission. - Flight Journal """"This is an astounding inside look at the Mighty Eighth which we have not seen before."""" - Hollywood Inside Syndicate """"His crisp, clear narratives of the youthful hijinks of flyers in foreign lands, and of facing death in the skies, put a human face on that wave of men who fought for freedom in the skies over Europe."""" - WTBF Radio

This book should be on the shelves of all those who are interested in the Allies' massive raids over Germany. It is a standout effort by one who was there - well worth the price of admission. - Flight Journal This is an astounding inside look at the Mighty Eighth which we have not seen before. - Hollywood Inside Syndicate His crisp, clear narratives of the youthful hijinks of flyers in foreign lands, and of facing death in the skies, put a human face on that wave of men who fought for freedom in the skies over Europe. - WTBF Radio

Author Information

Brig. Gen. J. Kemp McLaughlin, USAFR (Ret.) joined the U.S. Air Corps in 1941, then went to Europe the following year as a member of """"Fame's Favored Few,"""" the 92nd Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. He returned to the States in 1945 and organized the Air National Guard of West Virginia in 1947, which he commanded for thirty years.

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