For all military history buffs this is a must read. Exceedingly well researched, nicely written, this book contains little known anecdotes from those who were there. Do not be put off by the sheer size of this book -- it's hard to put down.


Above review by retired USAF fighter pilot.

Masters of the Air presents a truly expansive perspective on the air war waged against the Third Reich by 8th Air Force. Insights into the reality of "pinpoint" bombing, the casualties on both sides, the window opening on Swiss "neutrality", the state of prisoners of war, the decisions to carpet bomb and fire bomb civilian populations, the thin line of demarcation between admitted British and American bombing strategies and the reality thereof. All combine to make this book a "can't put down" item. Exceptionally well researched and presented.

I think this is a very good book covering both the tactical level of the bomber boys and also the strategic level of Doolittle and up to Churchill. The book is very detailed and covers not only the well-known facts and aerial raids such as the Schweinfurt-Regenburg, but also about all sort of experience that an airman can expect to encounter on base and in midair. The only thing that is a little disappointing to me is the layout, which scattered articles all around the book, making it a little diffcult to follow. However, I believe this is a must read for general info about the aerial theater.

A friend of mine was returning this book to its owner when I intercepted it. I have always been fascinated with the air war of WW2 and this book promised to give me a lot of insight into the air war over Europe. It did that in spades, almost to the point that I began to wonder if I really wanted to learn about all that went on, as the real history of this period is seriously depressing when one looks at the ravages of war on the scale of WW2.

At times, I wondered if Miller had an ulterior motive in writing this book to make it a definitive anti-war account, but I have come to the conclusion that war is often such disorganized Hell that it makes that point by itself without any prodding from an author that is trying to tell about it.

It is easy from the distance of time to romanticize the "bomber boys" of WW2, but there is little in those years that is truly romantic while there is much to admire about the bravery of those on both sides who waged the war with little expectation that they would live to see it's end.

This is a sobering a review of the madness that was the air war in Europe told both interestingly and frankly as you are likely to find and it should be required reading by all who seek knowledge from those times.

One of the better books you will find on the 8th Air Force. The author covers every facet of the strategies and actual operations of the 8th. Even though the reader may not always agree with his conclusions and opinions, in most cases, the author makes a strong case in his favor. His compelling descriptions of the hardships the flight crews suffered makes the reader contemplate whether or not they could have performed those same tasks under those conditions. The later portion of the book does a fine job of covering the hardships of POWs towards the end of the war. This book is definitely a "keeper" and should find a favored spot in your library.

Donald Miller produced a well-documented and frequently harrowing account of the history of the US Army 8th Air Force, the first US Army unit to engage in combat with elements of Nazi Germany during WWII. When the vanguard of the 8th Air Force arrived in Britain the RAF was carrying out a night bombing campaign against targets in Nazi occupied Europe.

In this book you will read about strategic and tactical differences of opinion between the RAF and leadership of the US Army 8th Air Force. The 8th came to Britain to join in the fight with Germany, but in a way that had never before been attempted - high-level, precision, daylight, strategic bombing designed to deliver a knock-out blow to the industrial and economic centers of Nazi occupied Europe.

If you are like me, and have read different accounts of the war in Europe in WWII including accounts of the air war, you, like me, may have accepted the general conclusion that the daylight bombing campaign of the 8th was not only effective, but decisive. Miller's account, however, provides a rich and focused account of the risks, challenges, successes, and failures of the 8th which provide readers with a reason to revisit their opinions about the 8th's ability to carry out precision bombing.

Miller uses many, many personal accounts from individuals who were members of flight crews, ground crews, and members of command staffs as he weaves his historical account of the 8th. I was repeatedly impressed, deeply impressed, by the heroism, grit, and determination of men who climbed again and again into bombers heading to the air war over continental Europe. Time and again I had to stop reading and re-read passages of the book out loud to my wife who was likewise awed by the terrible conditions of battle and inspired by the bravery of the men in those bombers.

In the heading for this review I use the word "unvarnished." That's not because there is undue use of profanity, but because the account presented by Miller details the conditions encountered in the air: fighter attacks, flack, extreme cold, constant stress, and other challenges associated with the WWII bomber air war. The account is also "unvarnished" because of the direct and candid description of the challenges in carrying out precision bombing...which from many accounts was not as precise as we may have been led to believe.

This book was outstanding. If you are interested in the military history of WWII in general, and of the air war in specific, then you will greatly enjoy this book.

5 stars all the way!

I'm sure I have read over 50 books dealing with the 8th AAF but never one this indepth and far reaching and so filled with a roller coster of emotions. My father (Bombardier, 95th BG H) flew 25 missions (four over Berlin)and reading this put me right in the plane with him and at home with his crew and their feelings. What I never knew about the air crews interned and the Swiss was very revealing. So too was the background on the formation of the 8th and the strategy from start to finish. Having flown in a B-17 (EAA) I was able to put myself in a position to at least think I could feel some of the excitment of the aircraft during takeoff and landing as I read. It also gave me a greater understanding of what it must have been to be so cramped up during the missions. The interviews and research done for this book was fantastic and would serve as the basis for a great movie. I'm saddened more veterans of the 8th are not around to read this book and recall the good and bad of their missions and their impact on history. As I read I compared much of what was in the book about the 95th with the book left by my father, Contrails, the 95th Group which confirmed many actions described.
I ordered three more copies of Masters of the Air for friends. (One of which flew the Polesti raid and was an original member of the 100th having served as a member of the RAF prior to our entry into the war). No other book I have ever read can come close to the enjoyment and education offered by this author.
If you are truly interested in one of the most complete overviews of the European airwar as well as the 8th AF you cannot overlook reading this book!

My father served in the Eighth Air Force during World War Two, and his experience during that time overshadowed all of the other things that he did during a long life filled with civilian accomplishment. It wasn't that he was uninterested in his civilian life; it was just that he never again felt that he was engaged in an effort as compelling or important as the work that he did during the war years. Donald Miller's book sheds ample light on why my father felt that way. My father raised me as a boy who built airplane models and was familiar with the basic story of WWII. But he was unable to convey the reason that his wartime experience held him in its emotional grip for almost 60 years after V-E Day. Donald Miller's majestic history supplies the emotional linkage, and supports it with a wealth of factual detail. This is a majestic work of history-writing. It is based on thorough and scholarly research, but it is written with an eye for the human side of the subject matter. Before reading this book, I did not grasp the grim statistics of Eighth Air Force warfare: more combat deaths than were suffered by the entire United States Marine Corps, and a 34% casualty rate---the highest of any of the American armed forces. But Miller's book is not about statistics. It tells the fascinating story of the theoretical origins of strategic bombing, and the enormous, bloody gap---for both aviators and civilians on the ground---between theory and practice. This is not a book for WWII buffs or aviation enthusiasts. It is a lavishly researched and beautifully written study, richly embellished with detail and anecdote. It makes for very compelling reading---just in time, as the last veterans of the Mighty Eighth Air Force fade away.

Donald Miller is not only a historian and researcher but a great writer. This is the fourth Miller book I have read and they have all been accurate and compelling. He's written a history of Chicago, maybe he'll write one of San Francisco.

This is a very good book! Having said that, it is unfortunate that it contains so many technical errors. Within the book, Donald L. Miller continually mentions people who join or serve in the "Army Air Corps" after the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7th, 1941 - the "sneak attack" which hastened America's entry into World War Two. But, early in his book he also (via a footnote reference) correctly acknowledges the fact that the Army Air Corps (AAC) ceased to exist in June of 1941, some six months before America's entry into World War Two. In June of 1941, the Army Air Forces (AAF) came into existence. The Eighth Air Force (the primary subject of the book) was an arm of the AAF, and not in any way associated with the nonexistent "Army Air Corps" to which Martin incorrectly makes continuous reference. People who enlisted or were drafted during World War Two might have served in the Army Air Forces (AAF) but nobody served in the nonexistent "Army Air Corps" (AAC).

He incorrectly speaks of prop wash ("swirling propellers") as the source and cause of high-altitude contrails. These contrails were, and are, actually the result of hot engine exhaust gases, not swirling propellers.

He makes reference to "Congressional Medal of Honor." However, there is no "Congressional" in the highest military award known specifically and correctly as the "Medal of Honor."

He speaks of a "nose turret" on an early model B-17. However, it was the B-17G that incorporated this advanced armament called a "chin turret." It definitely was not a feature on the B-17F, or earlier models.

Had Miller selected a knowledgeable military advisor to review his narrative, his book would not contain as many technical errors as it does (in addition to those already mentioned here). Other than that, "Masters of the Air" is an excellent treatise on the subject of when and how the allied bomber offensive of WW-II was created, and conducted - - with particular disclosure and emphasis regarding the monumental and costly errors of the U.S. general staff. Setting aside some bothersome technical errors, it's one of the best works available on the subject (if not actually the best), and is well worth reading!

Carl B. Jordan
(Formerly of the 449th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, USAF)

As one who reads lots of books about WWII aviation, and B-17s, in particular, I was excited to see the cover of this book and to think that it would be a great oral history of the bomber boys. Well, yes and no. The book was very good about discussing the strategic air war in analytic terms - what worked; what didn't; getting started in England; building bases; the different treatment of the blacks and whites while serving in England; and much much more. Many of these stories were supported, to a degree, by the veterans oral histories which made for a wonderful read.

However, I wrongly assumed that this book was a complete oral history of the air war as told by the bomber boys...and that was not the case. Therefore, my disappointment with the book.

Another item of the book I did not like was the author's apparent wondering away from the subject (the air war) to discuss prison captivity in Switzerland; being captive in the German POW camps (that particular chapter read like a rehash of "The Great Escape"); the devasting effects of the bombing of Dresden as told from a few German citizens. Although these stories were interesting, I found myself thinking, "What's this to do with the air war?" These stories seemed like side tracks to the overall picture, although they were part of being a bomber boy. It just didn't seem to fit and would have been better suited to another book.

But, still worth one read.

This is history writing at it's best. Just an outstanding piece of work. Everyone who is interested in World War II should read this book.

Miller's book is a masterpiece. Without too much effort, one can make the case that American Army Air Force generals were incompetent and reckless. I was appalled of the losses sustained by aircrews and the ineffectiveness of bombing in many cases. Miller points out that little targeting was done for German electric grid, although the RAF bounced some bombs into dams, which was not mentioned in the book. The mistakes made were colossal and include the following:
1. Not engaging in anti-submarine warfare in the Battle of the Atlantic (described as a minority opinion).
2. Not defining "round the clock bombing" -- like, what happens if the bomber force doesn't re-target for days or weeks because of inclement weather or replenishing the wings.
3. Not using fighter escorts to their operational range limits because the slaughter for Regensburg-Schweinfurt ball bearing and Ploesti oil raids were unacceptable without escort. That is, it took Doolittle to improve fighter performance and this should have occurred earlier.
4. Hap Arnold's Aphrodite (new to me) was bizarre to say the least.
5. Not going nighttime adopting the British area bombing approach since daylight results did not indicate any degree of precision.
6. A question of war crimes against Brits and American leaders for Dresden, Berlin and other complete destruction of the populace. Civilian or collateral damage should have been minimized, but it's easy to say this in hindsight when the author described painstakingly the difficulty and risks involved in making the final bomb run.
7. Oil and aircraft plants were high priority but unbelievably, it took some time to racket up for synthetic oil (eg Bergius) and transportation (railroad hubs, bridges, etc). It also makes one wonder why the German use of coal to make petrol is not part of our energy program now -- that is, coal to liquid (CTL) instead of ethanol.
8. Galbreath's bombing assessment survey pointed out other problems. I think the answer is somewhere between the military enthusisasm and the assessment. Speer's comments are very worthwhile.

I think deploying the fighters more earlier in the conflict would have been a sounder policy. Air superiority is always a tenet of war. I would think that not bombing might have given the Germans reason to not manufacture as many flak armaments, possibly catching them short at later target defenses.

This is an excellent book. Read it critically and see the American mentality that "we know better" and how we pay for its consequences. All options should have been on the table; that is, how do we prosecute the war to minimize our losses and get good solid results? Our generals just seemed to think get more heavies and aircrews and take on the Luftwaffe in their strongholds. Just imagine if the strategy was better coordinated. On the first attack, the Brits with Lancasters level Hamburg suburbs indiscriminately at 11 pm and the Yanks show up at 7am to do Norton-sighted bombing. The next night, US planes hit the military targets as best as possible but leave the Brits to show up at dawn to drop some really big bombs on the U-boot pens. That is effective round-the-clock bombing. Didn't happen according to Miller.

Finally, what ever happened to Gen Barnwell Rhett Legge for his miserable service of poorly monitoring POW conditions in Switzerland?

Thoroughly enjoyed this large collection of personal stories of the 8th Air Force during WW II. History buffs will enjoy this as it gives a very detailed inside look at how we grew our air force and the men who ran it.

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.