Bomber Pilot Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II a Memoir of World War II: Amazon.ca: Philip Ardery: Books

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First Sentence
In the summer of 1940 I was a lawyer in active practice, twenty- six years old, two years out of Harvard Law School, and five years out of the University of Kentucky. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

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4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, Aug 30 2011

By

J. Harvey (Ottawa, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bomber Pilot Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II a Memoir of World War II (Paperback)

I have to say that I was disappointed in this book. It is one of the weakest memoirs of the air war that I have read. Mr. Ardery is not a born story-teller and writes drily, generally, and mechanically in the first 40% or so of the book, when I felt as I read that I was listening to someone speak in a monotone. His tone improved as I read on, but the reading was not a pleasure. His account is virtually devoid of humor and, at times, he sounded as if he took himself way too seriously. He seems to have gone through the war in a cocoon, with almost no relating to the world around him. Towards the end of the book he did relate some his experiences in London during the V-1 raids, though this trip was taken more as a research effort to see how the Brits were bearing up and comparing the coping skills of Americans in London at the same time. I cannot recommend this book.
I can recommend 'A Thousand Shall Fall' by Murray Peden, which is at the other end of the spectrum from 'Bomber Pilot' as a war-time memoir. Simply an excellent, entertaining and very informative read (3 times for me). Although a Canadian bomber pilot, he flew Fortresses towards the end of the war. The forewords are written by Lt. Gen. Ira Eacker, USAF (Ret.) and Robert J. Dixon, General, USAF (Ret.)

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5.0 out of 5 stars This is good stuff., Feb 18 2003

By

Brent Wigen (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bomber Pilot Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II a Memoir of World War II (Paperback)

Ardery's account of his life as a B-24 pilot is excellent. From all the training it took to simply get into the planes, to combat in the skies over the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, Ardery's account is an even-handed account of what a bomber pilot's life was like.

The chapter about Ploesti is especially fascinating. James Dugan and Carrol Stewart used Ardery as a source for their book on the subject, and the details of Ardery's part in the raid offer some really interesting stuff. Especially intruiging is the background and fate of Medal of Honor winner Lloyd Hughes, who was flying on Ardery's wing when when he perished.

This book is really good stuff; Steven Ambrose's "Wild Blue" pales in comparison. Ardery doesn't place himself on a hero pedestal, he merely tells of his experiences in a very interesting and easy-to-digest style.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A great account of the B24 Experience, Oct 10 2001

By

Michael R. Lachance (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bomber Pilot Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II a Memoir of World War II (Paperback)

This outstanding autobiographical recount of Ardery's WW2 experiences ranks amongst the top in this genre. Follow his career through flight training and initial assignments, trials, tribulations and finally, a combat assignment. Ardery, his crew, and their B24 participated in several critical and unprecedented bombing missions during the war, including the infamous Ploesti raid. His recount of flying into a virtual "wall of fire", which was the defensive flak being levelled at their bomber, is one of the most horrowing experiences written to date. In addition to this book, those interested in the B24 should definately read Thomas Childer's "Wings of Morning : The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down over Germany in World War II" which stands alone as the absolute finest piece of literature written to date on this subject.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A well written account of a bomber pilot's personal journey
This is a balanced work of historical detail and personal experience, well written and a great read.

Published on Jun 15 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Col. Ardery is a true hero in my book - wonderfully told....
Another heart rending tale of bravery and principled intergrity that reminds one why Tom Brokaw calls these guys and gals the greatest generation!! Read more

Published on Feb 4 2001 by Earth Colony