Shot at and Missed: Recollections of a World War II Bombardier

"Jack R. Myers recounts his experiences as a B-17 bombardier during World War II. Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1944 at age twenty, Myers began flying missions with the U.S. Fifteenth Air Force. He learned firsthand the exhilaration - and terror - of being shot at and missed." "Based in Italy, the Fifteenth Air Force flew strategic bombing raids over southern Germany, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, and Czechoslovakia. Myers offers an insider's view of these missions over southern and central Europe. The reader goes with him into the highly exposed Plexiglas nose of the Flying Fortress, flying with him through the flak-filled skies of Europe and peering with him through his Norden bombsight at Axis targets. In precise detail, Myers also describes his crewmembers' responsibilities throughout the complex bombing procedure." "In addition to descriptions of aerial combat, Myers offers accounts of his wartime experiences outside the realm of combat. To escape the horrors of war and preserve their sanity, Myers and his crewmates clowned around with one another and romanced Italian women. These interludes helped them cope with the devastating loss of many fellow crewmen. On average, a heavy bomber crewman survived only sixteen bombing missions. Myers survived his allotted thirty-five missions before being honorably discharged in 1945." Shot and Missed features thirty-six illustrations, including historical and personal photographs, maps, and schematics of the Norden bombsight.


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