Above the Reich

Deadly Dogfights, Blistering Bombing Raids, and Other War Stories from the Greatest American Air Heroes of World War II, in Their Own Words

By: Colin Heaton, Anne-Marie Lewis

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews, Mark Bramhall, Arthur Morey, Pete Bradbury, Dominic Hoffman, Fred Sanders, Patricia Santomasso, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Barrett Leddy

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Sensational eyewitness accounts from the most heroic and legendary American aviators of World War II, never before published as a book

They are voices lost to time. Beginning in the late 1970s, five veteran airmen sat for private interviews. Decades after the guns fell silent, they recounted in vivid detail the most dangerous missions that made the difference in the war. Ed Haydon dueled with the deadliest of German aces - and forced him to the ground. Robert Johnson racked up 27 kills in his P-47 Thunderbolt, but nearly lost his life when his plane was shot to ribbons and his guns jammed. Cigar-chomping Curtis LeMay was the Air Corps general who devised the bomber tactics that pummeled Germany's war machine. Robin Olds was a West Point football hero who became one of the most dogged, aggressive fighter pilots in the European theater, relentlessly pursuing Germans in his P-38 Lightning. And Jimmy Doolittle became the most celebrated American airman of the war - maybe even of all time - after he led the audacious raid to bomb Tokyo. Today these heroes are long gone, but now, in this incredible volume, they tell their stories in their own words.

©2021 Colin Heaton and Anne-Marie Lewis (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Readers with military background in general, and interest in and knowledge of the war in particular, will welcome and applaud this revealing history. Readers encountering information about the war for the first time may have their eyeballs pop out on springs.... The text pulls you along like an action/adventure novel, owing to the vivid voices of these five men and the obstacles they had to overcome. At the same time, it feels like you’re sitting in the same room with them hearing the stories firsthand." (New York Journal of Books) 

"Colin Heaton has once again produced a series of first-person accounts from the men who made aviation history...an invaluable addition to military history." (Adam Makos, New York Times best-selling author of A Higher Call and Spearhead) 

"Among the top tier of World War II histories." (Jay A. Stout, author of Hell's Angels) 

Mostly excerpts from other books

If you have already read "Thunderbolt" or "Fighter Pilot-Robin Olds" then you have read half of this book already. The author says he conducted multiple interviews with the subjects, which may be accurate, but nothing new that is not in these other books in more detail.
On the other hand, if you have not read the above mentioned books, this will be a good collection of memories from some of the best.

love it

crazy how today's issues are just about carbon copies of yesterday's issues. God I hope we can learn from the past and not repeat it.

Candid Interviews NOT Heard in Larger Works

it isn't often that I love a book. I can be pretty critical, but I loved this. The interviews are very candid and I appreciate that. Curtis LeMay isn't everyone's cup of tea, but his interview was my favorite. He pulls no punches AT ALL! All around great book.

it's called above the Reich, why?

why is this guy rambling on about Vietnam for, not a bad book. but the plot got seriously derailed.

I loved this and the creative way it was read

I loved the actors portrayal of each character To think my hero General Curtis LeMay would use such language is shocking lol Seriously the portrayal was great! I'll listen to this again!

Amazing stories

What amazing stories told authentically with all expletives included. I loved it. This is how real men speak.
I loved their candid observations of the people they came into contact with and situations they found themselves in. A great book!

Veterans telling stories, no plot or message

This read like an oral history - time capsule from people on the inside of some major historical events. Very candid, unfiltered takes. The narration was spot-on, capturing the personalities perfectly. I think these stories provide some rare insight and real-time reactions to pivotal moments.

The counter-point is that this is very much a collection of men that are from and for a specific time in America's history. Shouldn't be a surprise - to get to the position most of them attained they should be very passionate, hard-working, single-minded individuals. But in many cases I had the feeling that while I appreciated they were on "my" side of the history I wouldn't necessarily want them roaming free on the streets or running the country. There was not a lot of nuance or grey areas. But again, I would want them on my side when it came to a fight.

FANTASTIC

This was one of the best audiobooks I have listened to. Informative, eye-opening, historical, truth..

Thorough

I like the way the story was told from pre WWII and post WWII with input from Korea, Vietnam, and politics of the area., especially Strange.

The real deal!

These authentic American men were real warriors. We’re lucky that they were fighting on our side.I only wish we had more men like this in our country today.

NOT what it claims to be

The information says "They are voices lost to time", giving the impression you'll hear recordings of the actual people telling their own stories. It isn't. I got suspicious when listening to Lt. Col. James Doolittle USAAF. The voice sounded too young. Doolittle is also not listed in the credits. So, you're hearing a narrator and not a genuine recording of the man himself. (That's a big BAD!) Ok, I'll accept that those original recordings may be of very poor quality after 70 years, but I still wanted to hear the original recordings. I wanted to hear James Doolittle's own voice! I would have been ok if they gave the original recording + a re-recorded version, to help me understand what was being said in the original (degraded) original, but this is misselling. Sadly, I'm sending this Audible book back for a refund. What a disappointment