Product Description

The Mighty Eighth were a key part of Allied attempts to bomb Hitler's Germany into submission and were at the forefront of the war against the Third Reich. Their reputation for bravery and tenacity was won in countless daylight raids over the skies of occupied Europe and in the savage character of World War II airfighting. Christopher Anderson, drawing on images from private collections and rare archives, now presents an exciting pictorial history of the unit and an important study on the uniforms and equipment of this elite formation. This book includes more than 100 rare and unusual photographs, accompanied by detailed and informative captions on the men, uniforms, equipment and insignia of the 8th Air Force.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #503422 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 72 pages

From the Publisher
G.I.: The Illustrated History of the American Soldier, His Uniform, and His Equipment

About the Author
Christopher J. Anderson is the Senior Editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History. He has written many articles on military history, and is the author of The U.S. Army Today (1-85367-269-6), Patton's Third Army (1-85367-290-4), Hell on Wheels (1-85367-378-1), and The Fall of Fortress Europe (1-85367-379-X) in the G.I. Series.

Customer Reviews

8th Air Force Photo Book!
MEN OF THE MIGHTY EIGHTH is one of the volumes in "The G.I. Series" which is an illustrated history of the U.S. soldier, his uniform and his equipment. As such, it depicts and describes men of the 8th AF in various locales, wearing various uniforms and sometimes handling various pieces of equipment.

Christopher Anderson's book runs to 72 pages. After a brief four-page summary of the 8th AF's wartime career, the remainder of the book showcases 106 black & white and 13 color photographs presented in no particular order. Among the photos included are various bomber and fighter crews posing around B-17s, P-51s, etc., aircrews enjoying "a cuppa" or something stronger, barracks shots, mission briefings, award ceremonies, famous officers (Spaatz, Gentile, Leon Johnson, etc.), visiting celebrities (Bob Hope, Glenn Miller) and so on. The accompanying captions point out different uniform/equipment details.

While not an essential purchase, Anderson's book has at least two things going for it: a varied selection of 8th AF shots, many previously not seen, and a reasonable price tag ($16.95). Eighth Air Force completists will want to scoop this up.