• Tail-End Charley

  • Stories from an American Fighter Pilot in World War II
  • By: James E. Brown
  • Narrated by: Bob Souer
  • Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (231 ratings)

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Tail-End Charley  By  cover art

Tail-End Charley

By: James E. Brown
Narrated by: Bob Souer
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Publisher's summary

On his 19th birthday, James E. Brown tries to fake to his flight instructor that he has flown before. On his 21st birthday, Brown is on his way home after logging 85 missions in a P-47 fighter over Italy, France, and Germany.

Brown's stories surrounding his training and combat experiences in World War II reveal brushes with death, continuous peril and, ultimately, a coming of age for a young man whose freshman year in college becomes instead a heroic engagement with one of the fiercest enemies his country has ever encountered.

Ever dutiful to the mother who tells him to "write it down, Jamie", Brown notes his experiences in the journal she provides and adds detail later to deliver a firsthand account of life as a pilot in the final months of combat within the European Theater.

Serving as Tail-End Charley - the last man out - in most of the missions he flew, Brown's job was to record results for the interrogation officers afterward. But Brown offers much more insight in this memoir. Follow his triumphs and travails with colleagues who become lifelong compatriots during an indelible period in American history.

©2017 James E. Brown (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about Tail-End Charley

Average customer ratings
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Good read !

Honest, well written and interesting. A very good read, especially if your an aviation fan or a WWII buff.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome memoir!

I loved this for different reasons than the other pilot memoirs I’ve read. Lt. Brown was not the typical type a personality that most pilots tend to exhibit. Modesty was a strong suit for him and it shows thru his story giving you a difference perspective on the day to day life of not a glamorous ace but normal pilot just trying to survive the gobs of flak and constant danger of WW2 aviation while trying to maintain his sanity all the while. Highly highly recommended for the avid historical military aviation enthusiast!

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1 person found this helpful

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The dangerous, mundane life of a WW2 fighter pilot

I guess I expected there to be a lot of dog fights in this pilot's journal. turned out to be very few. Mostly just day-to-day missions bombing railroad bridges, strafing trucks, and an occasional escort mission. The writer focused a lot on his personal relationships with fellow pilots during the war. Brings home the pain of losing friends.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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The way it was

Good story about the every day lives of World War II fighter pilots as seen from the cockpit of a P47 fighter plane. It provides a perspective of every day strafing and dive bombing which you don’t see in other books

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Captivating

I often enjoy war stories and this one is no exception. Well detailed and very well read. it reads like a diary. Enjoyable all the way through. Thanks for a great read.

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Outstanding History

This is an outstanding historical account of the men who flew the P-47 “Jug” in the Mediterranean theater of World War II. James E. Brown did a wonderful job of capturing and writing about the story of his and his friend’s training before the war and then the combat they experienced together that followed. Highly recommended for reading or listening pleasure. A very important historical record of that time.

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great book

this was really well done. I'm very interested in history and this fills in a lot of gaps and made it feel like I was there.

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A genuine book

Really loved listening the memoirs. Not just the heroic moments but the comedic experiences too. I only wished I could've see the pictures referenced. I tried to look some up but didn't have any luck.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

dry story, astonishingly devoid of energy

boring story of a boring young pilot with a boring repetitive job in one of the best airplanes of ww2. monotone narrator who seems to to have a disdain for inflection and punctuation.
several times different events are retold tandem.
I think the narrator found a way to pad his by the hour billing.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good performance, ok srory

Interesting story about P47 fliers near the end of WWIi. The narrator tried to build up suspense and I kept waiting for more action. Don't get me wrong, author and his colleagues made a great contribution and sacrifice, but a little mundane.

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