To Kingdom Come: An Epic Saga of Survival in the Air War Over Germany

by Robert J. Mrazek Narrated by David Drummond

Overview

On September 6, 1943, three hundred and thirty-eight B-17 "Flying Fortresses" of the American Eighth Air Force took off from England, bound for Stuttgart, Germany, to bomb Nazi weapons factories.



Dense clouds obscured the targets, and one commander's critical decision to circle three times over the city-and its deadly flak-would prove disastrous. Forty-five planes went down that day, and hundreds of men were lost or missing.



Focusing on first-person accounts of six of the B-17 airmen, award-winning author Robert J. Mrazek vividly re-creates the fierce air battle and reveals the astonishing valor of the airmen who survived being shot down-and the tragic fate of those who did not.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

With power and passion, Robert J. Mrazek tells the story of one of the most calamitous American bombing missions of World War II....Mrazek writes about the ill-fated Stuttgart Raid as though he had gone into the heart of the Reich with the audacious American bomber crews...a great book with 'hold on to your seat' suspense.”—Donald L. Miller, author of Masters of the Air

“Mrazek has uncovered the moment of profound exigency for the bomber crews, when the course and consequence of the air war converged and rendered it in vivid clarity.”—Hugh Ambrose, New York Times bestselling author of The Pacific

“[A] work of cinematic sweep and pace.”—Richard Frank, author of Downfall and Guadalcanal

“Through superb historical research and powerful narrative writing, the author brings back to life a pivotal, heartbreaking episode.”—Tami Biddle, Professor, U.S. Army War College, and author of Rhetoric and Reality in Air Warfare

Library Journal

Novelist and former U.S. congressman Mrazek, whose A Dawn Like Thunder (2009) is also available from Tantor Audio, presents another admirable addition to the field of works covering the strategic bombing campaign over Nazi Europe. We often think of the immense losses of aircraft in every mission of 1942 and 1943, but we tend to forget that inside every B-17 were ten men—brothers and sons, husbands and fathers—each with plans and dreams, hoping against hope to survive the required number of missions. Mrazek's well-told and splendidly researched account of the Stuttgart raid is bolstered by narrator David Drummond's appealing and razor-sharp performance. Highly recommended for anyone interested in World War II and military history. ["Recommended for World War II history buffs and all who want to read about real heroes," read the review of the NAL Caliber: Penguin Group hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 3/10/11.—Ed.]—Scott R. DiMarco, Mansfield Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171037567
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/09/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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