The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany

I am a retired Army Aviator...this book brought back many memories for me. Written with great insight. The reader is excellent

As a political conservative I was somewhat concerned about the book's central figure, George McGovern and the direction the book might go. However, my brother-in-law was also a B24 pilot based in England during WW2 and since he, like most veterans, spoke little of their war experiences and I was curious to learn more about what they went through.
I now think this book should be required reading in all high school history. Today we have no idea of what the "Greatest Generation" went through and gave so that we can enjoy the freedoms and blessings we take for granted today.

One of the best books about war and air combat. Puts you right there in the pilot's seat on many bomb runs.

This made me appreciate what my father accomplished by becoming a pilot. He had not finished high school when he signed up. He doesn't talk about his experiences and I am hoping I will get him to tell me more about his experiences by gaining background information from this book. He was shot down on his 23rd mission and was to go home after 25. He set his bomber down in a field that turned out to be in Switzerland. His entire crew returned to the US and had reunions until a few years ago when most were too elderly to travel. Dad is 88 and still going strong.

There were several moments in the book that moved me. Relating the stories of the many reasons why the men didn't get to return home. The extreme cold and discomfort the men had to live with while in the plane. The heart stopping stories of having to fly through flack. How young many of the pilots were. The empty bunks.

Interesting tidbits, but not a gripping story. Would've liked more page-turning adventures, anecdotes, events. Essentially a recap of George McGovern's stint as a USAF bomber pilot.

I have to admit to being a little skeptical since the author claimed to be close friends with McGovern, the protagonist of the story and so there has to have been some needed objectivity lost. But the overall story isn't controversial by nature so I guess that's okay. If McGovern had made any serious blunders as a pilot or an officer, it would have surely come out before this book was ever written considering his political career.

The story developed well and I liked the background on each character and getting a look at their training, etc.

The narrator has a fine voice, and good cadence but I didn't think it really fit this book very well, but I suppose that's going to be subjective to each listener. (Just click on the audio sample to judge for yourself.)

I have read several of Stephen Ambrose books and I would say this is the worst. There was no drama, I only listened on to hear some great tale. They flew they dropped their bombs and some returned, that sums it up. It was nice to hear about the Tuskeegee airman supplying bomber support, but all in all this was dry.

Just a snicker above boring. Passable as a testimonial to his old friend George but otherwise wouldn't inspire a B rated war movie.

This is an interesting, but not particularly enlightening, book. Ambrose obviously idolizes McGovern. While I admire and am thankful for the sacrifices of the servicemen of WWII, the fact is that they were not all universally selfless and exemplary human beings. There were cowards, cheats, and evil men even in the Army Air Force. You will get no hint of that in this book - everyone was an unmitigated hero, every decision by leadership was fair and wise, no crewmember made foolish and deadly mistakes.

At no point do any of the claims of former pilots or crew get the scrutiny a true work of research would have required. The 60 year old memories of the brave servicemen often ring more of apocrypha than truth - a bit of flak piercing a map right at the home base of the crew comes to mind.

There is a mention in passing about the high causalities from frostbite aboard the bombers, but no criticism or discussion of the political decisions that ignored the risk to the young men who lived with the dangerous and frightening situation daily. Ball gunners were subject to horrendously uncomfortable working conditions but did not have a particularly high success rate in protecting their planes, according to other, less awestruck, authors.

Ambrose did us a service by giving us the story of a single crew. This is the type of book that humanizes war and we all need to understand that it is men, women, sisters, fathers, sons and wives who fight and die in wars.

The narrator was competent and for a different book would probably be excellent. But he conveys none of the youthful enthusiasm of the airmen then, nor the wistful recollections of the same men today. He presents the book in a straightforward and direct style that is not in keeping with the writing.

The first person accounts and the historic details of the time period

How it was told not in a novel type way but in a historic way

since this is not a novel but a historic documentry there was no main character

yes and then listened to it again it was that factual I learned a lot from it.

although it mentiones George McGovern it is not just about him but about the whole 8th airforce good read if you like history