I cannot praise this book too highly. Professor Miller has told the story of the Mighty Eighth bringing together in clear and concise prose the factual, personal and even moral aspects of the air campaign against the Axis. The air crews of the 8th were boys - Miller calls them "the bomber boys". They were civilian soldiers led by generals, some good, others not so good. Jimmy Doolittle comes off as a respected, compassionate and moral leader nevertheless not afraid to make very hard decisions. Hap Arnold, on the other hand, is portrayed as being distant, emotionally volatile and ambitious. The generals were developing strategy as the campaign evolved before they finally got it right. All at a horrific cost; the 8th suffered a staggering 26,000 fatalities. The stories of the crews is heartbreaking.

I think the most important of the many critical observations made by Professor Miller was whether the decisions of what to bomb and how to bomb was best left to the generals or civilians. Not all the civilians were on the mark, either.

This book is daunting scholarship and a very human and real story.

By far the BEST, most comprehensive, aviation history book I have ever read. Highly recommend it to everyone I discuss aviation with.

I have read aviation history for most of my life and this is, I believe, the best book on the subject I have ever read! The author does an absolutely marvelous job of weaving together all the factors that made up the daylight airwar over western Europe... from the personalities involved, both at the HQ's and in the cockpits, to the policies and the politics behind them, to the orders, to the tactics and the resulting counter-tactics, to the hardware and everything in between. And then performs the miracle of making it exceptionally readable. "Reads like a novel" is an overused cliché but this is a book that you will truly hate to see come to an end. History doesn't get any better than this!

In Masters of the Air, Donald Miller tells a story of valiant men trying to implement a hopelessly flawed military strategy. After the bloody attrition battles of the First World War, military theorists seized upon the ideas of Italian strategist Giulio Douhet who convinced American aviation enthusiasts that wars could be won from the air. No enemy, his theory said, could withstand aerial bombing that would destroy his industry, demoralize his population and end his capability of waging war. The age of the bloody, yard-by-yard, infantry battle was over. Ground troops would only be required to accept the surrender of the enemy and to police an occupied country.
Reality turned out to differ from theory as the US Eighth Air Force and the British Royal Air Force, at a huge cost in blood and treasure, discovered when they attempted to prove Douhet's theories.
The air war over Europe was justified by the need to obtain air superiority before the D-Day invasion. The ability of Germany to produce aircraft would be destroyed by the precision daylight bombing of factories by the Eighth Air Force and the dislocation of the workforce by the nighttime bombing of cities by the R.A.F.
It didn't quite work out that way! Perhaps the R.A.F. should have recognized the resilience of a bombed population from the reaction of the British to the Blitz which resulted in civilians feeling directly involved in the war and strengthened British resolve but, at least, the British had the justification of seeking revenge for that bombing. The Americans were slow to recognize the basic flaws in their concept. The B-17, unfortunately named Flying Fortress, was, contrary to their ideas, incapable of defending itself against Luftwaffe fighters and they oversold precision bombing: initially claimed as able to land a bomb `in a pickle barrel', it soon gave way to radar guided bombing scarcely more accurate than the night bombing of the R.A.F.
The commanders of the Eighth Air Force, unable to accept that their conceits were not valid, continued to send air crews to near-certain death in the skies over Germany and Miller captures the heroism of terrified men forcing themselves to overcome their fear and go, again and again, into the maelstrom. The commanders, stuck in the track of their fixed ideas, could find no alternative as they pursued their theoretically-assured victory and the political objective of the creation of the U.S. Air Force as a separate, independent military arm capable of winning wars on its own.
Mastery of the air in Europe eventually came, not as a result of destroying the Germany's means of aircraft production which continued to expand almost until the end of the war, but with the development of long-range fighters which could engage German fighters - the bombers becoming little more than bait, the means of drawing the Luftwaffe into battle, and with all pretence of `precision' abandoned. Perhaps there is a touch of irony in Miller's title?
Miller is at his best when he portrays the stress and terror brave men overcame to climb, yet one more time, into the thin-shelled aluminum aircraft that became flying coffins for so many of them, and their desperate hopes to complete the magic 25 missions that would release them, but he is less convincing as he repeats every apocryphal story of drunken, sex-crazed orgies between missions. It might be fair to say that Miller gives as much credence to anecdotal accounts as to those historically verifyable.
Germany surrendered when its armies were destroyed and its capital occupied. It was ever thus and perhaps ever will be. War is always more bloody and more prolonged than the theorists anticipate. More recently, any student of History should have known that when our stand-up comedian Defense Secretary was assuring us that the `Shock and Awe' of laser-guided precision bombing would bring victory within six weeks, he had not studied this campaign.

Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi GermanyAs usual Miller researches and covers his topic accurately but also, very interestingly. Anyone who has read extensively about World War Two aviation will admire how Miller brings different approaches to the many events that have been so often written by so many. One can read ten or more books on "The Mighty Eighth" and still learn many facts, stories or anecdotes found by Miller but missed by others. Any book written by Miller is a fascinating read and Masters of the Air definitely ranks either one or two.

My interest in the bomber crews who carried WWII to the German homeland began when I read John Hersey's "The War Lover" as a teenager. Many of the texts referenced in "Masters of the Air" I have also previously read..Chuch Yeager's autobiography, Truman Smith's "The Wrong Stuff" etc. "Master's of the Air" is the best single source for providing an all encompassing history of the air war along with numerous enlightening anecdotes that make the sacrifice and effort and fear come alive. Including the information about prisoners of war is especially important in relating the entire saga and unique to this work among the books I have read. I recommend this without reservation to anyone interested in the topic.
Jonathan D Wright
Toledo Ohio

This is the best book I have read regarding activities of American bombers in the European theatre during WWII. I highly recomment it.

Having read extensively on the Army Air Forces in WWII, a lot of the book is very familiar, with names and events that I recognize from other works. However it becomes an in-depth look at the full life cycle of the air war, from the early missions where daylight strategic bombing was a new and untested concept for the AAF to the bloody middle years where it seemed the concept was doomed to a death not unlike the bombers that were being driven from the sky by the Luftwaffe, to the final triumphant years, where the bombing took on new and deadlier forms and even with air supremacy, young men continued to die.

But it's not just a story of the air war itself, more a dissection of the individual pieces, of the men and the machines and the life they led. It brings up familiar faces and reminds us of their service, and tells the story of men we do not know and how they had to adapt to the strange world they inhabited as members of a heavy bomber crew. No subject is off limits in telling the story -- the trauma of combat, the psychological and physical toll, and the need of the men to soldier on while all around them their friends and squadron mates died in droves. It is a testament to individual fortitude and to sacrifice, and well worth a long, slow read.

Very well written and easy to read history of the US Air War in Europe. Includes warts and all. If you only have time for one book on this subject this would be the one. I was directed to this book by a half dozen WWII veterans who actually served in the bombers and experienced the war as written. Well researched and clearly presented.

This is the most comprehensive, yet concise, history of the bombing war of WWII in Europe. The subject is covered from the angle of ALL participates, from flight crews to ground crews to the engineering corps who prepared the fields for the build up of the American Forces. A must read!

This monumental work covers the bomber war in Europe in a more complete way than any other book I have read including anything the great Martin Caidin has written. Mr. Miller tells the story from the perspectives of the tail gunners, waist gunners, radiomen, bombadiers, navigators, co-pilots and pilots as well as the generals who devised the strategys. All aspects of the war are covered from the original construction of the air bases to airplane maintenance to training to missions to time-off at local village pubs. Unlike other books, this one covers the POWs and their horrendous plight especially as the war is winding down and the Nazis more them from location to location ahead of the advancing Allies. Miller also includes stories about Capt. Tibbets of Hiroshima fame and a fascinating story of Chuck Yeager's escape from occupied Europe through Spain and his subsequent return to combat, something almost never allowed because re-patriated flyers knew too much about the french underground that would jeapordize lives if they were shot down a second time. Also of interest was information about what happened to crewmen who elected to land in "neutral" Switzerland in wounded ships. I recommend this book highly.

A marvelous story about the WW II air war over Europe. Full of interesting details and descriptions. I have shared it with friends that did their 35 missions, and they concur.

This well-written and exhaustively researched book chronicles the rise of the American Eighth Air Force from its early days in England to VE Day in 1945.

At the outset of the war, the British believed that night bombing was the best way to attack German cities and industry. However, once America entered the war, they chose a philosophy different from that of the British. The Americans believed that daylight precision strategic bombing was the only way to defeat the Germans. The British, on the other hand, still favored nighttime area bombing. This difference of opinion between the Americans and British was never really settled, but by combining the "round the clock" attacks of American planes during the day and British planes at night, the Germans faced an unending stream of planes and bombs.

When the Eighth flew their first mission in the fall of 1942, they could barely muster thirty planes, but at the end of the war, they were putting up well over one thousand, with several hundred fighter escorts as well. The German Luftwaffe could not match these incredible numbers of planes, and, despite such tactics as underground production and introducing the world's first jet fighter, there was little they could do to stop the Allied bombing.

Differences also existed between the British and Americans regarding target selection. The British favored carpet bombing Germany's cities with little or no regard for civilian casualties. The Americans favored targeting German industry (synthetic oil production, ball bearings, and transportation hubs). The Americans believed that the systematic destruction of the German economy would bring about surrender quicker than the British belief of "terror attacks" designed to break the will of the German people.

An interesting point made by the author is whether or not strategic bombing was effective against the Germans. A preponderance of the evidence would suggest that the answer to this question is "yes", but there are some compelling counter-points made in the book.

This is a fine work of aviation history. The book is well-researched and is easy to read and understand. Every aspect of the Allied bomber offensive in Europe is covered in great detail. The author also includes many personal testimonials from the men who flew the B-17s and B-24s against the Germans. An interesting chapter is also devoted to the Swiss government and how they treated "captured" Allied fliers. The terrifying incendiary raid on Dresden as well as the horrific destruction of Berlin is also told in vivid detail.

I give this fine book my highest recommendation. If you're looking for information on the Eighth Air Force and the air war over Europe, this is the book to read.

Mr. Miller's book includes not only substantial research into prior publications but very interesting research based on letters and interviews he's found on his own. It's a good book. But if you're a member of the word police you'll be annoyed by the many proofreading errors. Here's a sample: "In the heavily defended Ruhr, with its permanent cloud of industrial smoke, the number was only in ten." (p.54) Should have been "within ten miles." Some errors are so simple a spell checker would have caught them: (p.199) "spining" for spinning. And there are some factual errors as well. Miller attributes contrails to wingtips. They're created by engines. It's much easier to criticize than to write. Still, S&S should have, with the several editors listed in the acknowledgments, caught the errors. I have no idea whether they have been corrected in the paperback.

This is an overdue tribute to those young men who gave their lives, in great numbers, fighting the air war over Germany in WWII.To those who think WWII was fought without major tatical errors, this book will be a revelation. In tribute to the kids who lost their lives in this bloody effort, everyone should be required to read this story. If you thought that service in the Air Force was a cake walk read this book.

TRULY AN AMAZINGLY DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE AIR WAR IN EUROPE!! MANY FACTS NEVER HEARD BEFORE! THESE BOMBER BOYS WERE TRUE HEROES.

Masters of the Air is the third of three books I plucked from Al Mohler's list of suggested summer reading. It is the story of "America's bomber boys who fought the air war against Nazi Germany." I have long been fascinated with the Second World War and the air war in particular, perhaps because my grandfather was a proud member of the Royal Canadian Air Force during the War and, years later, used to tell me stories of his time in the service. I have fond memories of those times with him. During my years at college I enrolled in every course I could find that dealt with World War II and found that my interest in the subject knew no bounds. Even today I love to read books about this conflict second only to books on theology.

Written by Donald L. Miller, this book is "the deeply personal story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler's doorstep." Written to appeal to those who do not have encyclopedic knowledge of the subject matter, Masters of the Air will appeal to anyone with an interest in World War II. Reading the book is no small commitment as it extends through more than 500 tightly-packed pages. But it is a rewarding read. It focuses not just on events but also on the people who made those events happen. It is a personal look at a very personal war.

As I read, I was struck by how foreign it seems to read about a war in which the nation's population was largely supportive. Today no war can begin without cries for an exit strategy, but in the Second World War the nation rallied behind the troops and the leadership and truly believed the war was both just and necessary. They knew that victory would be costly but also knew that the price had to be paid. While no foreign nation seriously threatened American soil, millions of Americans crossed two great oceans to battle for the cause of freedom. These bomber boys had one of the most dangerous jobs in the Armed Forces with mortality rates that almost guaranteed, especially in the early part of the war, that few of them would return.

Masters of the Air is the best book I've read dealing with the air war over Germany. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in the subject matter.

My dad was a bomber navigator in World War II. Like Miller, I had my first first-hand exposure to history coming across dad's old maps, memorabilia, and letters from the war. The European air theater was the topic of my first term paper, forty years ago. If my dad were alive today, he would relish this book and make me read it again and again. You needn't listen to my dad. Listen to me: Read this book.

The air war in Europe was never as romantic as any novel, movie or aging veteran might want to make it. The fighting was raw tension. Early in the war, odds were one in five you'd survive your tour of duty. And it was not just the German fighters or the flak. It was frigid weather, accidents, cowardly pilots, and poor leadership. And just to make the flight required more courage than most heroes could ever have.

Miller weaves together time, territory, and terrific vignettes, biographies and context, all trying to convey this pivotal time and action in military and world history. Two stories stand out in my mind: Three gunners crashing to their deaths rather than abandon a fellow gunner jammed in his turret. A second turret gunner faces death when his planes wheels won't lower and he is literally erased as the plane comes in belly up, and the last eight minutes of his life get discussed over the radio. I read it closely (e.g., there is a typo on p. 195, "headig") and completely.

Miller is not shy about the mischief, the mental duress, the strategic and intelligence mistakes. He makes nice links back to two popular films, "Twelve O'Clock High" and "Memphis Belle" to color his text. He shows Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart as ordinary, patriotic Joes from Hollywood, something that would be hard to imagine today. Perhaps Pat Tillman comes closest.

Miller describes the telling statistics, losses, and numbers, the sorties, the "heavies", the clothing, the weather, the pubs, the casual infidelity and the rest homes for the war weary. The latter part of the experience, starting mid-1944, was less terrifying, but not by much, for the airmen, while the controversial and problematic terror bombing on German civilians ramped up; German civilian deaths in one city doubled American combat deaths for the entire war. Terror bombing was probably not necessary, and destroying German civilian morale did not destroy the military's desire to fight, but the entire campaign must be placed in the context of the time as well as the general fog of war.

Sources number in the hundreds, from scholarly books to personal oral histories. Miller's style is warm and even awestruck, showing respect for the men who really merit our awe, our praise, and our thanks. Thanks, dad.

My dad was a bomber navigator in World War II. Like Miller, I had my first first-hand exposure to history coming across dad's old maps, memorabilia, and letters from the war. The European air theater was the topic of my first term paper, forty years ago. If my dad were alive today, he would relish this book and make me read it again and again. You needn't listen to my dad. Listen to me: Read this book.

The air war in Europe was never as romantic as any novel, movie or aging veteran might want to make it. The fighting was nothing short of pure terror. Early in the war, odds were one in five you'd survive your tour of duty. And it was not just the German fighters or the flak. It was frigid weather, accidents, cowardly pilots, and poor leadership. And just to make the flight required more courage than most heroes could ever have.

Miller weaves together time, territory, and terrific vignettes, biographies and context, all trying to convey this pivotal time and action in military and world history. Two stories stand out in my mind: Three gunners crashing to their deaths rather than abandon a felloe gunner jammed in his turret. A second turret gunner faces death when his planes wheels won't lower and he is literally erased as the plane comes in belly up, and the last eight minutes of his life get discussed over the radio.

Miller is not shy about the mischief, the mental duress, the strategic and intellignece mistakes. He makes nice links back to two popular films, "Twelve O'Clock High" and "Memphis Belle" to color his text. He shows Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart as ordinary, "patriotic" Joes from Hollywood, something that would be hard to imagine today. Perhaps Pat Tillman comes closest.

Miller describes the telling statistics, losses, and numbers, the sorties, the "heavies", the clothing, the weather, the pubs, the casual infidelity and the rest homes for the war weary. His sources are in the hundreds, from scholarly books to personal oral histories. His style is warm and even awestruck, showing respect for the men who really merit our awe, our praise, and our thanks. Thanks, dad.

My dad was a bomber navigator in World War II. Like Miller, I had my first first-hand exposure to history coming across dad's old maps, memorabilia, and letters from the war. The European air theater was the topic of my first term paper, forty years ago. If my dad were alive today, he would relish this book and make me read it again and again. You needn't listen to my dad. Listen to me: Read this book.

The air war in Europe was never as romantic as any novel, movie or aging veteran might want to make it. The fighting was nothing short of pure terror. Early in the war, odds were one in five you'd survive your tour of duty. And it was not just the German fighters or the flak. It was frigid weather, accidents, cowardly pilots, and poor leadership. And just to make the flight required more courage than most heroes could ever have.

Miller weaves together time, territory, and terrific vignettes, biographies and context, all trying to convey this pivotal time and action in military and world history. Two stories stand out in my mind: Three gunners crashing to their deaths rather than abandon a felloe gunner jammed in his turret. A second turret gunner faces death when his planes wheels won't lower and he is literally erased as the plane comes in belly up, and the last eight minutes of his life get discussed over the radio.

Miller is not shy about the mischief, the mental duress, the strategic and intellignece mistakes. He makes nice links back to two popular films, "Twelve O'Clock High" and "Memphis Belle" to color his text. He shows Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart as ordinary, "patriotic" Joes from Hollywood, something that would be hard to imagine today. Perhaps Pat Tillman comes closest.

Miller describes the numbers, the sorties, the "heavies", the clothing, the weather, the pubs, the casual infidelity and the rest homes for the war weary. His sources are in the hundreds, from books to oral histories. His style is warm and even awestruck, showing awe for men who really desrved our awe, our praise, and our thanks. Thanks, dad.

Masters of the Air is not only about the masters of the skies over Europe, this book is unequivocally the master of books on the topic. In incredibly rich and detailed narrative the author begins with the theories of strategic bombing that formed the core of the 8th Air Force's missions, to the men who formed those strategies and tactics, to the men who flew the missions -- from the 8th's first mission to its last. He is not afraid to criticize where it is due, nor to praise where it is due; and he highlights with extraordinary realism and clarity the heroism that marked the fliers of the 8th Air Force. He covers the unique psychology of the bomber war, their R&R, and their treatment as POW's -- at the hands of both the Nazis and the "neutral" Swiss. My only knock on the book, and it is a minor one, is his "after-action reports" that comprise the last couple of chapters put the brakes on the rapid chapter-to-chapter action and quickly shift into a more academic perspective; but once this is trudged through, its content is no less enlightening. An outstanding and necessary book if you are interested in the bomber (and fighter) war over Europe, the experiences (both in and out of combat) of the men who took part, and the generals who led them.

Masters of the Air is both a masterfully researched and superbly written account of the still largely underappreciated story of the men of the 8th Air Force. I have read several other books on the air war in Europe and this is the best one I have picked up for the reasons I've just cited. There are other books that might better delve into more technical aspects of aircraft and operations, but this one captures what it was like for the young men who had to fly into the teeth of the Luftwaffe with enough insight into the equipment,commanders and tactics to sustain the interest of all but the most diehard military aviation buffs. I highly recommend this book.

As a combat veteran pilot of the 8th Air Force in WW-II, I have read many accounts of the exploits of this the largest air armada in the history of mankind, never to be repeated. "Masters of the Air" is the best account of the air war in Europe in WW-II that I have read. I bought three additional copies to give to my two reamining bomber crew members (out of the original ten members)and to an airline captain whose dad flew with the 8th. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in what the real world of aerial warfare was during those dark days.

The author Donald L. Miller has written a brilliant story of the air war over Europe, based on detailed research. I was living in the Netherlands during the years of 1940 till 1945 and saw the Flying Fortresses fly over on their way to Germany. However, I have also seen these impressive planes come down and have always admired the daring courage of these boys in their early twenties. With his very readable book Mr. Miller has given me - after so many years ! - an insight in what these American airmen had to go through and possibly I admire them now, after having read this book, even more than, when as a youngster, I was looking up in the sky to the never ending white condense stripes.

Thank you for recommending this book !

I purchased these books as gifts for WW II veterans. The reviews that I have were that the book was excellent and that it reflected a comprehensive review of the 8th Air Force and their role in Europe during WW II. I am planning on reading it next.

The author Donald L. Miller has written a brilliant story of the air war over Europe, based on detailed research. I was living in the Netherlands during the years of 1940 till 1945 and saw the Flying Fortresses fly over on their way to Germany. However, I have also seen these impressive planes come down and have always admired the daring courage of these boys in their early twenties. With his very readable book Mr. Miller has given me - after so many years ! - an insight in what these American airmen had to go through and possibly I admire them now, after having read this book, even more than, when as a youngster, I was looking up in the sky to the never ending white condense stripes.

Thank you for recommending this book !

Every once in awhile a work of non fiction comes along that can truly be called the definitive work on its subject. They are comprehensive, thoroughly researched and compelling reads. Donald Miller's "Masters of the Air" fits this bill to a tee. While Miller puts the exploits of the US Army 8th Air Force into the context of the greater Allied air war of World War II he wisely chooses to concentrate on the individuals who flew the planes. Their stories are some of the most dramatic and harrowing of the war. There is heroism and heart break aplenty but also liberal doses of nerve wrenching pressure, along with everything else from guilt to panic to depression. Meeting these pilots is to gain further insight into the human condition, the limits to which it can be exposed and the very fragility at its core.
Miller introduces us to the entire cast of this sprawling epic: The English who shared their homes, pubs and sometimes beds with American airman; the Germans, both those who bore the brunt of the allied bombs and the fighter pilots who tried to shoot them down; and those who sent the the pilots on their missions.
Miller brings us into all sections of the fortresses (bombers) the allies flew. We join the pilots, tail gunners, navigators and the rest of the ten man crews. Every flight could bring an instant death, or a slow excruciating one or a permanent injury, or a bail out and capture by the enemy. As readers we experience all these fates.
We also follow the pilots to wild scenes of ribaldry in London nightspots, street corner sexual encounters and peaceful evenings with village families. Other stops include crash landings into icy ocean waters and emergency parachute bail outs into the hands of vengeful German citizens.
"Masters of the Air" is at once an exciting read of valor from the last century and a sobering account of the horrendous costs of war. It is also indispensable reading for anyone with the slightest interest in the second world war.
The success of the allied air war efforts were, as Miller emphasizes an integral part of ultimate victory over Hitler. The manner in which it was waged was initially rife with mistakes and miscalculations and there is enduring controversy over the costs to German citizens. Also still debated is the failure of allied bombing to at least slow the machinery of theNazi death camps. Miller does not flinch from addressing these issues.
Indeed, Miller is not a cheerleader for the allies (though he unabashedly admires the men of the 8th and their cause) he is first and foremost a bloody good storyteller and a meticulous researcher and reporter.
It is this combination that makes "Masters of the Air" the definitive book on the allied air war in Europe and one of the best books on World War II I've had the pleasure to read.

Every once in awhile a work of non fiction comes along that can truly be called the definitive works on its subject. They are comprehensive, thoroughly researched and compelling reads. Donald Miller's "Masters of the Air" fits this bill to a tee. While Miller puts the exploits of the US Army 8th Air Force into the context of the greater Allied air war of World War II he wisely chooses to concentrate on the individuals who flew the planes. Their stories are some of the most dramatic and harrowing of the war. Their is heroism and heart break aplenty but also liberal doses of nerve wrenching pressure, along with everything else from guilt to panic to introspection. Meeting these pilots is to gain further insight into the human condition, the limits to which it can be exposed and the very fragility at its core.
But we also hear from the entire cast of this sprawling epic. The English who shared homes, pubs and sometimes beds with American airman. Germans, both those who suffered from the allied bombs and the fighter pilots who tried to shoot them down.
Miller brings us into all sections of the fortress (bombers) the allied flew and every flight could bring an instant death, or a slow excruciating one or a permanent injury, or a bail out and capture by the enemy. As readers we experience all these fates.
We also follow the pilots to wild scenes of ribaldry in London nightspots, street corner sexual encounters and peaceful evenings with village families. Other stops include crash landings into icy ocean waters and emergency parachute bail outs into the hands of irate German citizens.
"Masters of the Air" is at once an exciting read of valor from the last century and a sobering account of the horrendous costs of war. But it is also an indispensable reading for anyone with the slightest interest in the second world war.
The success of the allied air war efforts were, as Miller emphasizes an integral part of ultimate victory over Hitler. The manner in which it was waged was initially rife with mistakes and miscalculations and there is enduring controversy over the costs to German citizens. Also still debated is the failure of allied bombing to at least slow the Holocaust. Miller does not flinch from addressing these issues.
Indeed, Miller is not a cheerleader for the allies (though he undoubtedly and unabashedly admires the men of the 8th and their cause) he is first and foremost a bloody good storyteller and a meticulous researcher and reporter.
It is this combination that makes "Masters of the Air" the definitive book on the allied air war and one of the best books on World War II I've had the pleasure to read.

This is a good (not great) picture of the allied war effort. It concentrates almost exclusively on the 8th air force which was the fleet based in England. No real mention of Italy or North Africa. And none of elsewhere.

It provides a picture of both individual efforts in the fight and a picture of what was going on throughtout the theatre. It is mostly tactical - what was happening month by month. There is some discussion of the strategic, but really only enough to give a framework for the tactical efforts.

I'm glad I read it but it is not one of the outstanding books on WWII.

"Masters of the Air" is, in a word, outstanding. There are very few, if any, other books in print that tell the story of American heavy bomber crews in England during World War II, and of the missions they flew over occupied Europe, as well, as thoroughly and as readably.

The remarkable thing about "Masters of the Air" is the breadth and depth with which Mr. Miller covers his subject. His skill and style make "Masters of the Air" a complete, stand-alone volume, one that is useful as an introductory work for novice readers or as a valuable summary for those more knowledgeable. Mr. Miller strikes exactly the right balance in the topics that he presents, and the amount of detail with which he covers them. For example, he touches on the "movie stars"--Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart--who served in the Eighth Air Force, and gives us just enough information to understand what these men were like without unnecessarily cluttering their stories with anecdotes. Similarly, he objectively and nonjudgmentally explores segregation and race relations in the Service and in wartime England. He describes the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" and Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" in enough detail for us to visualize what each crew member went through on a bombing mission. There are very few important aspects of the Air War in Europe that he doesn't address. He describes the low-altitude B-24 attacks on the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania, the horribly costly raids on the German ball bearing plants and aircraft factories of Schweinfurt and Regensburg, the shifting priorities of the Allies' bombing missions as the war progressed, the attacks on V-1 and V-2 launching sites, and even the experiments with remote-controlled, explosive-laden, high-time B-17s as early "cruise missiles."

"Masters of the Air" is well-written, exhaustively researched, immensely readable, exceptionally accurate and incredibly complete. It deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in learning about what America's young men experienced as they fought and died miles above the earth in history's greatest aerial conflict.

If you are looking for a book that gets into the behind the scenes of the 8th air force during WWII, this is the one I would recommend. I was told about this book by a customer of mine and I have not been dissapointed in the least. I am a consummate WWII historian and this book has told me things i did not know and gets you involved with the airmen and their groundcrews (a viewpoint very rarely heard.

This is a great book. A nice mix of general historical information intermixrd with specific, real life examples. Highly recommended.

This is a very informative book, if you are looking to learn more about WWII. It delves into the life of bomber groups, pilots, bombardiers and the rest of each of the crews. It re-lives what they went through on a day to day and mission to mission basis. It is the type of book you will not be able to put down until you have finished it.

Excellent account of what are flyboys went through.

I just finished Donald L. Miller's vast account of American bombers, primarily the Eight Air Force over war torn Europe. The Allied fighters over the skies of Europe are surely amazing heroes and they are due our deepest respect. I especially enjoyed learning more about Jimmy Doolittle, Curtis Lemay, and Jimmy Stewart.

One of the positves about this account is it definitely reflects a scholarly and informative style. The research was obviously done in a serious matter with great thought and reflection. Even though I may not have agreed with every one of his conclusions or thoughts, they were however well thought out. I also deeply enjoyed the chapters which dealt with downed pilots, and prisoners of war, it was definitely great story telling.

In terms of making the book even more readable so to speak, it would have even been better to spend more time on some of the side-stories he told which were amazingly interesting. I felt like the author often cut away very fast from a very fascinating story or side-note and rather awkardly transitioned back to less exciting facts and figures.

I would say this account is definitely worth reading because it really does a good job of explaining and describing how strategic bombing was really new and uncharted territory and a lot of this stuff had to be slapped together so to speak, and done in a large part with simple trial and error.

I deeply admire the heroes who fought over the skies of Europe and Pacific, they were undoubtedly some of America's Greatest.

Expected a good read, was disappointed by serious lack of details. The author makes no descriptions of the technical details of the aircraft.."early models of B-17s", etc. Relying instead on personal experiences of the participants. A mixed bag of pros and cons about Strategic Bombing, pretty much ignoring the great wealth of other literature by Mitchell, et al. See John Mosier's books for a "how-to" on writing military books.
What I found particularly annoying was a misspelling early on pg.33..zepplin; this is the type of error a high school student would make.

My father was a top turret gunner on a B-17 in the 92nd bomb group of the 8th Air Force. I learned much about his action and sacrifices during WWII growing up, but I have to admit, this book sheds new light on many things my father never related to me. I strongly suggest that if you appreciate your freedoms in this country, you read this book. If you like history of the Air Force or air planes, you should read this book. Just in case you didn't know it previously, many men gave their lives so that you could live free of tyranny. This book brings it all home. A very enjoyable read I might add. You wouldn't think a history book could be this good.

This is the best book about a part of World War Two that I have ever read. It is an all encompassing history of the US Eighth Air Force,the arrogance of the commanders in their belief of a flawed strategy, the sufferings, the bravery of the combat personnel, the impact of so many American soldiers on the English social fabric. It truly is a must read for any student of military history. The parallels of this facet to Iraq is striking. History always repeats itself.

Miller gives an excellent picture of the 8th Air Force in England. The Generals down to the flight maintenence crews, even the stories from the Press Corps. What the men went through before, during and after flights, all pictured in a realistic picture, never before told because the grim reality never could be handled by the American Public. If you want to know what really went on in World War II and the 8th Air Force, this is the only book to read.

This book is outstanding and meticulously researched. This WW2 history should be in every library and read by adult students in schools and colleges.
jm

Excellent book and well written. It gives you all the info on the air war but doesn't over do it. The book keeps moving. No one can understand WWII unless you know the air war. This book completes the picture. It is the missing part of the puzzle.

This book is awesome.

It is awesome because of its balanced and thorough analysis of the air war that pulverized Germany, a war now sentimentally known as "the good war" when Americans pulverized their enemies with the ease of comic book heroes.

"'Tain't so, Magee." Comic book heroes never had such courage.

Instead, think of the 80 percent casualty rate of the US Eighth Air Force in its early years as book theory met killing reality in conditions that stagger modern imaginations. I've flown in a B-17; it is huge on the outside, inside it is a tiny tube filled with equipment, supplies and hundreds of sharp objects that hurt when you are bumped, slip or are thrown about. Think of riding inside your computer on a truck bouncing down a bumpy mountain road and having to write an A-plus story en route.

So much for creature comfort. Put it all in air colder than Antarctica. Paint a big star on the side as a target, then send it into the sky for hours at a time. Soldiers on the ground sheltered in foxholes and bunkers; the skin of a B-17 was beer-can-thin aluminum. The plane is like a vast Tinkertoy riveted into an amazingly strong and yet frightfully vulnerable structure. It is a mighty aircraft, yet thin enough that a pigeon could penetrate it and injure crewmen.

This is the reality of the bomber offensive. Miller presents it in awesome, chilling detail. Unlike most histories, it isn't a lone portrait of some brave men; instead, it includes chilling accounts from all. One account is of an American pilot flying with his elbows because his hands were blown off, another is of German children who roasted to death in their flaming cities.

He spares neither the folly of American planners who thought their aircraft and tactics would be invincible and quickly effective, and the terrible folly of Germans who had worse delusions. The air war was a battle in which neither side surrendered; both fought until only one was left flying.

Miller offers a convincing argument that victory in World War II was not inevitable, it was based on pure courage. No wonder World War II veterans are 'The Greatest Generation". Without their courage, far and above all expectations, orders or threats, the vast production of war material would have become a vast junkpile.

There are many great books about the air war. This one has an advantage over most if not all because it draws many disparate facts, threads, ideas, opinions and follies into a comprehensive portrait. It is awesome, because it is a story of awesome courage.

This book will never become the official history of anything, let alone the Airwar in the ETO.

I have read the majority of the books written about the air war in Europe but few have revealed the thoughts and feelings of those who flew the planes into danger as well as this one. It examines from the beginning to the end of the war with both an intimate perspective and a global one. It discusses the lives before battle and events in the air. It talks of those came back, those who died or were wounded and those who were captured. The total picture here and written in an exciting yet human manner. I highly recommend this book. If you have one book to read about the war in the air over Europe, this is the ONE.

As a WWII history buff, the highlight of my one and only trip to Europe was crossing the Dutch coast and asking myelf how could the boys - and that's what they really were - of the Eighth Air Force have done this raid after raid, knowing that they were likely flying toward their own death. Until late 1944, the odds were against an 8th Air Force crew member surviving their tour.

Donald L. Miller answers that question and many others in his absolutely superlative history of the American air war over Germany. (Not taking anything away from Miller's work is that suggestion that you also read Max Hasting's "Bomber Command" for a view of the very different English air war.)

Miller alternates between first person accounts of crew members and their missions, the leaders, the campaign objectives, assessments of the impact of the various phases of the air war and the enemy reaction. It may sound confusing, but because of Miller's extraordinary writing and the seamless organization of his meticulously researched material, it is not.

In fact, Miller does an exceptional job of conveying the fear of the crew, the blind faith of the leaders in the doctrine of aerial bombing, the grim realities that had to be faced all down the line as men realized that the unsupported bomber was not an impregnable "Flying Fortress". Miller weaves each part of the incredibly complex air war and its combatants together. From gunners to pilots to generals to the men who selected the targets and argued over strategy, Miller allows the multiple stories to develop and blossum and then moves on to another.

Miller is careful to distinguish the American campaign of "precision" bombing from the more candidly terror oriented British campaign of "area" bombing. The distinction became extremely thin and possibly non-existent in the final few months of the war.

Arguments still rage as to whether or not the bombing campaigns truly contributed to war against Germany. Miller is, fortunately, not judgmental. What he does stress is the incredible courage shown by American airmen in their campaign against Germany. While Miller does not recount the episode in this book, Herman Goering is reported to have told his interrogators that he could not believe that German fighters were unable to turn a single American bomber force from its intended target.

Miller's reach is essentially encyclopedic in this book. No aspect of the American air war over Europe is left untouched. The scholarship is simply staggering. Miller's alternation between stories of individual "bomber boys" and their selection, training, fighting, deaths, injuries, imprisonment when captured, rescues and finally the end of war interspersed with examination of the history of air warfare, the development of machines and weapons, strategy and tactics is exceptionally well done.

"Masters Of The Air" never becomes dry or pedantic. It is always intense and one cannot help but marvel at the courage, tenacity and genius of "America's bomber boys who fought the air war against Nazi Germany." A wonderful addition to the library of anyone with an interest in history.

Jerry

I am only about half way through this book but felt compelled to write a review at this time. Normally I read at about 100 pages per hour, but not this book. The material is so compelling and the stories so heartbreaking (and true) that I am reading it very very carefully. The amount of research that went into this book is amazing - over 115 pages of notes and bibliography! I have several other "picture histories" of the 8th Air force, but nothing prepared me for the stark realism found here. The sacrifices being made today in Iraq are sad, but nothing compared to what the 8th endured. WWII ended when I was just 10 years old, so I really don't remember much about it and so I now have an extensive library of books about the conflict. This is by far the best writing I have encountered, except perhaps for Ernie Pyle's books. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in WWII and stories of incredible heroism.

After having read a number of books on the bomber war on Germany I kept this book on the shelf for a while before looking at it. I'm glad I finally picked it up. Each of what I consider to be the classics of the subject: the two books titled 'The Mighty Eighth' by Astor and Freeman and Budiansky's book 'Air Power' and now this one bring up different aspects, different details of the struggle over Germany.

None of them have convinced me to come to a conclusion as to just how worthwhile the bombing campaign was. I guess it doesn't matter, this is what happened. About the only real conclusion that I can come to is that I'm awfully glad that I was only about 90 days old when the war started. In the skies over Germany, or on the ground under the bombers would not have been a good place to be.

This book is based on the history of the 8th, but includes a lot of researched based on interviews of participants who were involved. Of particular interest was his inclusion of the stories of airmen who had been shot down and wound up captured in Germany, or surprisingly in Switzerland.

Over the years, I have read a good deal of World War II history, and this is one of the best. Donald Miller in Masters of the Air puts it all together. He has the personal accounts, the big strategic plan, the technology innovations, the follow-up reports, the POW stories, the Yank-in-Britain encounters, the German impact, the relentless missions, all bound together in one very readable book. From my father-in-law, I learned about the little-known travails of the Swiss internees, American bombers who crash-landed in "neutral" Switzerland, and Miller devoted a chapter to this aspect of the war. He has the skill of a novelist and the scope of an historian.

For all of the writing that has been done on the Second World War I am surprised to see that a work of this calibar, chronicling the lives and deaths of the US Air Force in theatre has never been competed. Donald Miller has written one of those books that not only features a great story, but has the fantastic writing to deliver a compelling and riviting story. Miller also deserves applause for writing on what happened when the planes were not in the air and for capturing the mistakes and learning processes without making it appear that the crews were poorly trained. This is probably the best WWII book since Stephen Ambrose passed away. I strongly recommend sitting down and reading all pages!

Every once in a long while we delight and surprise ourselves when we pick up a book that enlightens and entertains. It's the pinnacle of excellence reached by but a few non-fiction writers. Miller is one of those writers. His book, the story of the Eighth Air Force, is one of equal parts bravery, terror, and glamour, with some of its men becoming the most celebrated personalities the war. Miller chronicles the heroic feats of Robert Morgan, pilot of the legendary Memphis Belle; of Paul Tibbets, who later would fly the Enola Gay on the A-bomb mission to Hiroshima; of Curtis LeMay, the most celebrated combat leader of the bomber war; and--one of the key figures of the book--of Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal, leader of the Bloody Hundredth, who flew 52 combat missions, was shot down three times, and later became a member of the team of prosecuting attorneys at the Nuremberg Trials.
Although remembered by few alive today, their exploits were captured for the home front by gritty young reporters such as Walter Cronkite and Andy Rooney. Unlike many of the talking heads who populate our TV news, these men flew combat missions with the Bomber Boys risking their lives, not for ratings, but because they wanted to remind all the mothers and fathers wives and children back home why our cause was just.
But the most interesting thing that struck me while reading this book is that while it tells the tales of celebrities such as Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, William Wyler and the like, it also reminds us that these brave men, these truly heroic men, who flew harrowing missions, were our fathers and grandfathers. They were young men, some of them just out of high school, who were just like us or our children. It's a book filled with almost mythical heroes, men bigger than life yet real enough to be your neighbor. In an era saturated with pretend celebrities and steroid saturated athletes, this is a book that you should read to your children.

This is a 521-page account of the Eighth Air Force that I never intended to buy for myself. To me, car repair manuals are usually more interesting than dry WWII books filled with numbers and dates. World War II is truly my father's domain. He has had a 50-year fascination with WWII and could probably teach a college course on the subject.

Dad's birthday is coming up, and I knew that Donald Miller, the author of "Masters of the Air" was speaking in town. I never heard of Miller before. I merely intended to hear Miller speak so I could present yet another (yawn) autographed WWII book for dad's birthday. My husband went with me and said, "You should buy the book now, before the guy speaks. That way, we can make a fast getaway." I replied, "If the author is boring, then I know the book will be boring. Let's wait. I might save us some money and my dad some time."

Well, the author's passion for his subject is clear. His dynamic discussion of the people he writes about in "Masters of the Air" caused me to turn to my husband early into the presentation and say, "I should have bought the book before he got on stage. Now I'll have to wait in line."

This historical account is different from most of the other WWII books I've seen. It's a scholarly narrative that is written like a hard-to-put-down novel. The airmen described in "Masters" are compelling, and their stories make the seemingly abstract WWII statistics come alive. One of Miller's many asides tonight -- that 40 million of the 60 million WWII casualties were civilians -- shocked me. War used to be fought on a battleground, away from the civilians. World War II changed all that.

I have only begun reading this book, so please forgive this obviously premature review. I'm writing this review specifically for lay people, not WWII experts or armchair historians. So far, I appreciate "Masters" for making the Greatest Generation's contribution to the world theater more REAL to me, a jaded American, sixty years later. If you have a short attention span and/or think a lengthy book about World War II air fighting would be dry, I promise you: This book will hold your attention.