For those who love war stories, this book is a must to read. They're all historical facts compiled by a good historian, but retold as a "war story book / novel". Surprisingly, the stories in this book are more suspenseful, more emotional, and full of surprises, thinks that you wouldn't think could actually happen in a real war. It all adds up to a good reading of a small band of men in the Second World War, but what they went through is beyond our imagination. War is bad, and this book proved it, let's hope we don't have to live through another world war.
Anyway, this book is a must for lovers of war stories or war history, once you start reading it, you just can't stop. I finished reading this book in less than a week, reading in between my tight schedule as a surgeon in 3 hospitals.

This book tells a number of stories of the brave men who flew over Germany during World War II. Some of the stories are similar to ones told in other books - the battling with German fighters, the flak, the experiences of being shot down and being a prisoner of war. Others are unusual and not found in other books on the 8th Air Force. The story regarding the airman who was imprisoned in a Swiss concentration camp is new as is the stories of the Swiss shooting down our B-17s that flew over their airspace either accidentally or because they were damaged. These stories were very enlightening and worth the purchase of this book for the reader interested in the 8th air force.

I was also impressed with the numerous stories of the airmen who got shot down over Germany and became prisoners of war. How they were treated by the civilians, the Luftwaffe, the prison guards and especially their experiences at the end of the war, when they were required to hike many miles with little to eat or drink. It just further highlights the sacrifice that these brave airmen gave to our country.

One issue that I had with the book, though, that I need to highlight. The Memphis Belle DID NOT fly in the 92nd bomb group. I gave this book to my father for Christmas since he was a pilot in the 8th air force and the 92nd bomb group and he was surprised by that statement and checked it out. I also did - through Wiki-pedia. Memphis Belle flew in the 91st bomb group.

Although this error was made, I still recommend the book to any reader interested in learning about what the brave airmen of the 8th air forcer who fought over Germany during WWII experienced. In a number of years, these men won't be around, so it is important that these stories be captured and shared.

Instead of repeating other reviewers, let's focus mostly on seldom-mentioned content. Interestingly, Werner Goering, the nephew of Hermann, fought on the American side. (p. 136-on). Though both Sweden and Switzerland were neutral, the latter tilted strongly towards the Germans (p. 173), and treated downed American flyers accordingly. There is a brief account of the evacuation of Stalag Luft III in the face of the advancing Red Army (p. 203)--an evacuation that took place several months after the famous GREAT ESCAPE.

Although much has been written, in recent years, that bemoans the plight of German civilians killed by Allied bombing, this book reminds us that the bomber crews themselves faced heavy casualties in their campaigns. At one point in the book, there is a quoted discourse in which the Nazi killings of the Jews (and--not mentioned--that of millions of non-Jews) is equated with Allies and their killings of German civilians through bombing. (p. 212). Some readers may find this false comparison offensive.

The most fascinating part of the book deals with American Jews. Morris writes: "There were tens of thousands of Jewish airmen flying over the Reich in World War II. An unknown number, certainly several thousand, were shot down and ended up as prisoners of war in German Stalag Lufts, or prisoner camps." (p. 77). The Nazi treatment of American Jews was far from monolithic. Morris writes: "Some Jewish airmen who ended up as POWs reported that their experiences as guests of the Germans were nearly devoid of anti-Semitism or mistreatment...However, there were instances of Jews being mistreated." (p. 78).

In early 1945, towards the very end of the war, the Nazis did separate the Jewish POWs from non-Jewish ones, and made other moves against them. (p. 84-on). However, nothing more was done against them. [The reader familiar with Holocaust history may recount that this, ironically, occurred after the Birkenau crematories had been shut down--in November 1944--two months before the arrival of the Red Army would have forced this development.]

There were American Jews in Nazi captivity for quite a few years. But when all was said and done, the Nazis did not, in fact, extend the Final Solution to American Jewish POWs. Morris comments: "Though the Third Reich was a system dedicated to the complete destruction of the Jewish race, almost all the Jewish aircrew POWs lived to tell the tale of their captivity." (pp. 78-79).

All this is counterintuitive. We had been led to believe that the Nazis would spare no effort to kill every single possible Jew within reach, even if it went against German military, economic, and political interests. We see from this book that such was not necessarily the case. [The reader who is a student of WWII POWs may recount the fact that the Germans murdered over 3 million Soviet POWs, mainly through starvation. The USSR had not signed the Geneva Convention; the Americans had done so. Clearly, the Germans put observance of the Geneva Convention ahead of their plans to exterminate all possible Jews. It is sobering to realize that the American Jewish POW had a greater right to live, in Nazi eyes, than did the Byelorussian-gentile or Ukrainian-gentile Soviet POW.]

The title of this book is misleading. I expected to be reading about untold stories of W II. Instead 80% of the book is about the service mens life stories before and after WW II. There was very little time devoted to their actions during their active duty. In the entire book there were two chapters that interested me.

This book is well researched. Excellent detail and written so all readers can enjoy. Would read other books by this author.

Great service -- well satisfied with all the books we have ordered and received. thanks

Reading this book has been a very special experience for me. My beloved grandfather, who was a ball-turret gunner on B-17s during WWII, passed away in 2007. Along with this loss, came the realization that I had not learned enough about his experience in the ball-turret, or enough about the history about the seemingly super-humanly brave men who manned the various aircraft of WWII. Their bravery and their losses in WWII were staggering, as was the often lifetime suffering for those wounded physically or psychologically. These are extraordinarily special men with special stories. They are a breed apart.

I found this book while searching for the phrase "ball-turret". In my search, I discovered this was the only book with a chapter dedicated to the subject. Like the ball-turret chapter, what you will find here are well-written, extremely important, soul-wrenching stories that might have been lost to history had the author not intervened to tell them.

After finishing the book, I decided to email the author to thank him for writing a chapter about the ball-turret and let him know how much I enjoyed and appreciated his book. Much to my pleasure and surprise, I received a warm response. We have been emailing back and forth ever since, along with a couple of the airmen written about and mentioned in the book that Rob to which Rob put me in contact with.

What is special about Untold Valor is the painstaking research Rob went through to make sure the stories were accurate as possible. In many cases, Rob developed close personal friendships with the airmen he writes about and was often a guest at their house for days at a time during his research. Also in many cases, sadly, such as with Leonard Herman and Gus Mencow, Rob has had to endure the loss of the friends he has come to know so well - those who he loves and admires infinitely. In the case of Leonard Herman, Rob was even recently asked to Eulogize Leonard at his funeral service. Each of these men gave their stamp of approval to Rob, which he went above and beyond to earn. In that regard, this book is the last living link to some of the most brave and heroic men in American History.

So, I recommend Rob's book "Untold Valor", the extended book about Leonard Herman, written by Leonard & Rob: "Combat Bombardier" and his blog untoldvalor.blogspot.com for learning about one of the most important, but infrequently discussed subjects of American History - the brave Airmen of WWII. After you do, I recommend sending Rob an email and let him know what you think! Rob is, himself, an example of Untold Valor in a literary, historical, educational and friendship sense.

I got this book expecting an overview of the bomber offense in Europe and was extremely disappointed. Instead of a cohesive story, the book is merely a bunch of short essays tossed together with no real order or significance. Each chapter seems to have been written at different times and facts or stories are often repeated chapter after chapter. If you are looking for a book with all of these stories as well as the historical insight into them buy the Masters of Air: Bomber Boys. It is a much better overview of the history. If you are looking for some light WW2 reading however this novel will do.

As another reviewer mentioned, the ranks of WWII veterans are quickly diminishing, so it is great to see a book like this that keeps their heroic exploits alive. For another right-there, in-person account, I recommend WALKING THROUGH FIRE: AN IWO JIMA SURVIVOR'S REMEMBRANCE, which tells not only of the horrifying time on that island but also elsewhere during the War in the Pacific. Walking Through Fire, An Iwo Jima Survivor's Remembrance

These are great stories, some of which have never been told before, and indeed some of the stories only developed fully in the last few years. The author deserves high praise for digging them out and bringing them to print. It is a difficult book to read, however, because the writing is amateurish, clumsy, and redundant. It was poorly edited, and at times appears that it was not edited at all. (How long would it take to verify the spelling of Strayer College?) The stories seem to be in random sequence and to have been developed independently of one another, which adds to the redundancy. Some facts about survival rates are repeated more than a dozen times in the course of the book.

Well worth reading, despite all this. Not enough has been said about Switzerland and the war, the strategic bombing decisions, the Allied treatment of displaced persons after the war, Jewish airmen, and other topics.

Three chapters in, I'm still wondering when we're going to get to the bomber crews. It's a mishmash of stories, subjectively told. More history, less hoo-rah. I won't be adding it to my shelf of WWII aviation.

History can be found both in volumes upon shelves and in the hearts of those who witnessed it. Rob Morris has managed to organize a meeting between the two through his tremendous book, "Untold Valor".

With a style underpinned by sincerity, Rob has managed to grasp and share some amazing tales from those who dared take to the hostile skies over Europe. Yet their tales and survival are not confined to the stratosphere. A fact that Morris effectively relates through the accounts of those confined and no longer able to take to the skies.

I highly recommend this book for not only those who study history, but for those who seek further insight into the human spirit. Thanks to Rob Morris, these stories of valor are no longer untold.

Owen Zupp- Author "Down to Earth"

[...]

A reasonable book with some good focus on crew aspects not normally dealt with, an example is the chapter on ball turret gunners. Much of the other subject matter has been discussed in other books though.

In Untold Valor, Rob Morris tells the story of American Bomber crews over Europe in intricate, well researched detail. From the tale of the Memphis Belle to Hermann Goerings nephew, the stories are poignant and told with the kind of vivid detail that keeps the memory alive. This fine book is indeed a tribute to the bravery and courage of the thousands of young men who put their lives on the line for freedom at twenty thousand feet over foreign soil. There is one aspect of the tale that could be expanded on to round out the true history of the war experience. As Mr. Morris tells us, one out of every three of these brave young aviators were shot down over enemy territory. On the ground below were not only enemy soldiers, but also hundreds of equally brave Belgian, French and Dutch civilians who risked their lives to locate and shelter many of the American airmen who parachuted behind enemy lines. Over the course of the war hundreds were escorted back to Britain to continue the fight. For an equally compelling look at the war from this perspective, check out the excellent new book by Douglas W. Jacobson Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II. Congratulations to Mr. Morris for bringing us Untold Valor and keeping the memory alive.

I loved the book as I am a history buff anyway. The photos add immensely to the story. A great book indeed.

Rob Morris has brought together accounts of service men during World War II which would probably never be known had he not talked to the very ones who went through this costly war. With these vets dying at a rate of 1000 to 2000 per day, the title to this review will not be able to be asked in the near future. This book tells about the everyday living and dying these heroes did to give us the freedom we too often take for granted. I have been a WWII history buff for as long as I can remember, but this book brings out accounts of World War II I have never heard of.
Thanks Ron for bringing these truths out.
A fantastic read, which I will be glad to add to my library.
Garry Grier

Untold Valor is the very aptly-chosen title of the marvelous book by author Rob Morris. After years of research, Morris has told some of the most hidden stories of WWII. The stories, unfamiliar to many who seek WWII reading material, reflect the sacrifice, suffering, triumph and yes, valor of the subjects. Morris's painstaking and thorough research ensures that the stories are accurate as they reveal previously-unknown facets of the WWII experience.

Far beyond the traditional wartime stories, Morris focuses on the untold experience of the Jewish POW, for instance, carrying the added burden of fear of reprisals from an anti-Semitic dictator. He tells of brave crews who survived the chilling and notorious Schweinfurt raid losing so many of their Blood 100th comrades. And Morris sought out and discovered a most unlikely and unexpected B-17 pilot following his movements throughout the war.

The author has brought to light the issue of the Swiss internees who found that neutral Switzerland was not the safe haven and refugee they had expected it to be. The reader is taken into the heart of Switzerland with ex-internee, Dan Culler, as he endures one of the most harrowing confinements in a non-enemy country, only to lose the support of his own country at the war's end. In some instances, Morris ventures to take a hard look and give in-depth analysis of the strategic bombing policy during the war succinctly pointing out its flaws and the circumstances that caused the curtailment of bombing raids on oil refineries.

Few ever asked what happened to the displaced persons rescued from Hitler's death camps. Many, turning a blind eye to them, failed to recognize their pitiful plight. Morris hits hard on the subject and through the medium of story telling gives an informative account and narrative on this seldom-researched area.

Follow the story of the lesser-known "Hell's Angels, the B-17 that for so long was relegated to the shadows of the more famous Memphis Belle, and vicariously share the trek of an American POW on an Austrian road who by chance witnessed the horror that befell an Hungarian Jew forced laborer. Decades later that chance meeting would result in one of the most famous WWII images--a picture drawn by the American, which would grace Holocaust Museums and synagogues around the world.

Only through meticulous research and the strong desire to ferret out the lesser-known stories and heroes of WWII can one achieve what Morris has achieved with this book. One moment the reader is commiserating with the interned crews in Sweden and Switzerland, and the next moment that reader is flying through the flak-riddled skies on a bombing run aside a dedicated ball turret gunner.

Morris's book is a classic that will keep a reader spell bound as it pays tribute to the carefully-chosen heroes he introduces as he tells their unforgettable stories. In the re-telling, he salutes all our WWII heroes.

Marilyn Walton
Author of Rhapsody in Junk--A Daughter's Return to Germany to Finish Her Father's Story

Flying at 26,000', walking on flack, goggles fogging, the IP, the run, turn to rtb. The flack, the fighters, the hits, exploding planes. Bail out. Capture. Rob Morris tells it all from the interviews of survivors of the brutal days as POW's.
These stories are only a few that could be told but Rob to got to the heart of them. A Jewish crew member flying on a mission over Schweifurt, Gus Mencow was with the group that lost 228 B-17's. On and on as only Rob could pull it together.
A fantastic collection of stories of valor.
Thanks Rob for a memorable book.
Least we forget.