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To Command the Sky
- The Battle for Air Superiority Over Germany, 1942-1944
- Narrated by: Patrick Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
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To Command the Sky
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Publisher's summary
To Command the Sky is a scholarly record of the fight for domination of the skies over Western Europe during World War II. It also explains the technical details of the tactics used to defeat the Luftwaffe. This book is important for serious students of World War II or military aviation.
The book is published by The University of Alabama Press.
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- Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 56
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 46
Holding the Line chronicles the carrier war in Korea from the first day of the war to the last, focusing on frontline combat while also describing the technical development of aircraft and shipboard operations and how these all affected the broader strategic situation on the Korean Peninsula.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Get to the point
- By J.Brock on 12-30-19
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Whirlwind
- The Air War Against Japan, 1942-1945
- By: Barrett Tillman
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 128
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 75
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Story4 out of 5 stars 79
Whirlwind is the only book to examine in depth the human drama behind the most important bombing campaign in history. While the air war against Nazi Germany has been covered in-depth by many books, Barrett Tillman, a renowned authority on military aircraft and the air war in the Pacific, is the first to tackle the air war against Japan. For decades, historians and politicians have debated whether or not Japan was on the verge of surrender in August 1945---before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Good, but ultimately disappointing
- By Michael on 10-16-10
By: Barrett Tillman
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Hell to Pay
- Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947
- By: D. M. Giangreco
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 85
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 68
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Story4 out of 5 stars 70
U.S. planning for the invasion and military occupation of Imperial Japan began two years before the dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hell to Pay brings to light the political and military ramifications of the enormous casualties and loss of material projected by both sides in the climatic struggle to bring the Pacific War to a conclusion through a brutal series of battles on Japanese soil.
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4 out of 5 stars
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This is a good piece of history.
- By David on 08-09-14
By: D. M. Giangreco
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The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe
- The U.S. Army Air Forces Against Germany in World War II
- By: Jay A. Stout
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 465
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 423
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 416
In this dramatic story of World War II, Jay A. Stout describes how the US built an air force of 2.3 million men after starting with 45,000 and defeated the world's best air force. In order to defeat Germany in World War II, the Allies needed to destroy the Third Reich's industry and invade its territory, but before they could effectively do either, they had to defeat the Luftwaffe, whose state-of-the-art aircraft and experienced pilots protected German industry and would batter any attempted invasion.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A must read for WWII buffs
- By david on 07-27-17
By: Jay A. Stout
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Engineers of Victory
- The Problem Solvers Who Turned the Tide in the Second World War
- By: Paul Kennedy
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 155
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 131
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Story4 out of 5 stars 133
Paul Kennedy, award-winning author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers and one of today’s most renowned historians, now provides a new and unique look at how World War II was won. Engineers of Victory is a fascinating nuts-and-bolts account of the strategic factors that led to Allied victory. Kennedy reveals how the leaders’ grand strategy was carried out by the ordinary soldiers, scientists, engineers, and businessmen responsible for realizing their commanders’ visions of success.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Misleading title
- By Thomas on 04-10-14
By: Paul Kennedy
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Bloody Sixteen
- The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 During the Vietnam War
- By: Peter Fey
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 24
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Story5 out of 5 stars 24
Strategy and reality collide in Peter Fey's gripping history of aircraft carrier USS Oriskany's three deployments to Vietnam with Carrier Air Wing 16 (CVW-16). Its tours coincided with the most dangerous phases of Operation Rolling Thunder, the ill-fated bombing campaign against North Vietnam, and accounted for a quarter of all the naval aircraft lost during Rolling Thunder. The Johnson administration's policy of gradually applied force meant that Oriskany arrived on station just as previous restrictions were lifted and bombing raids increased.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Listen!
- By MeathookWX on 09-21-18
By: Peter Fey
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Rising Sun Victorious
- Alternate Histories of the Pacific War
- By: Peter G. Tsouras
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 39
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Story4 out of 5 stars 33
In war, victory can be held hostage to seemingly insignificant incidents - chance events, opportunities seized or cast aside - that can derail the most brilliant military strategies and change the course of history. What if the Japanese had conquered India and driven out the British? What if the strategic link between the United States and Australia had been severed? What if Vice Admiral Nagumo had launched a third attack on Pearl Harbor? What if the US Navy's gamble at Midway had backfired?
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3 out of 5 stars
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victorious
- By Amazon Customer on 05-17-16
By: Peter G. Tsouras
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Lancaster
- The Second World War’s Greatest Bomber
- By: Leo McKinstry
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
A comprehensive history of Britain's greatest bomber plane. The Spitfire and the Lancaster were the two RAF weapons of victory in the Second World War, but the glamour of the fighter has tended to overshadow the performance of the heavy bomber. Yet without the Lancaster, Britain would never have been able to take the fight to the German homeland. Highlights the scale of the bomber's achievements, including the famous Dambusters attacks. With its vast bomb bay, ease of handling and surprising speed, the mighty Lancaster transformed the effectiveness of the Bomber Command.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Personal connection to a book section
- By Paul on 01-21-19
By: Leo McKinstry
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Third Reich Victorious
- Alternate Histories of World War II
- By: Peter G. Tsouras
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 96
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 86
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Story4 out of 5 stars 86
This book is a stimulating and entirely plausible insight into how Hitler and his generals might have defeated the Allies, and a convincing sideways look at the Third Reich's bid at world domination in World War II. What would have happened if, for example, the Germans captured the whole of the BEF at Dunkirk? Or if the RAF had been defeated in the Battle of Britain?
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3 out of 5 stars
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A fresh look at WW2 - false but makes one wonder.
- By Eggert Eggertsson on 09-05-15
By: Peter G. Tsouras
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Who Can Hold the Sea
- The U.S. Navy in the Cold War 1945-1960
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Christopher Newton, Sharon Hornfischer
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 268
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 227
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Story5 out of 5 stars 226
This landmark account of the U.S. Navy in the Cold War, Who Can Hold the Sea combines narrative history with scenes of stirring adventure on—and under—the high seas. In 1945, at the end of World War II, the victorious Navy sends its sailors home and decommissions most of its warships. But this peaceful interlude is short-lived, as Stalin, America’s former ally, makes aggressive moves in Europe and the Far East.
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5 out of 5 stars
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James D. Hornfisher's last work
- By JWHayn4563 on 05-05-22
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Firestorm
- Allied Airpower and the Destruction of Dresden
- By: Marshall De Bruhl
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 75
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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Story4 out of 5 stars 36
On February 13 and 14, 1945, three successive waves of British and U.S. aircraft rained down thousands of tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs on the largely undefended German city of Dresden. Night and day, Dresden was engulfed in a vast sea of flame, a firestorm that generated 1,500-degree temperatures and hurricane-force winds. Thousands suffocated in underground shelters where they had fled to escape the inferno above.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Thorough, interesting discussion
- By RLV on 09-12-10
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MiG Alley
- The US Air Force in Korea, 1950-53
- By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 306
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 247
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 246
Of the many myths that emerged following the end of the Korean War, the prevailing one in the West was that of the absolute supremacy of US Air Force pilots and aircraft over their Soviet-supplied opponents. The claims of the 10:1 victory-loss ratio achieved by the US Air Force fighter pilots flying the North American F-86 Sabre against their communist adversaries, amongst other such fabrications, went unchallenged until the end of the Cold War, when Soviet records of the conflict were finally opened. From that point onwards, a very different story began to emerge.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent
- By Lorne on 11-27-19
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Chasing the Demon
- A Secret History of the Quest for the Sound Barrier, and the Band of American Aces Who Conquered It
- By: Dan Hampton
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 195
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 175
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Story4 out of 5 stars 174
In the aftermath of World War II, the United States accelerated the development of technologies that would give it an advantage over the Soviet Union. Airpower, combined with nuclear weapons, offered a formidable check on Soviet aggression. In 1947, the United States Air Force was established. Meanwhile, scientists and engineers were pioneering a revolutionary new type of aircraft which could do what no other machine had ever done: reach mach 1 - a speed faster than the movement of sound - which pilots called "the demon."
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not at all what it purports to be
- By John A Stevenson on 11-20-18
By: Dan Hampton
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Spitfire
- Portrait of a Legend
- By: Leo McKinstry
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 38
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 30
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Story5 out of 5 stars 30
The gripping saga of the plane that carried Britain through the Second World War. In June 1940, the German army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fills in the gaps.
- By Glenn on 10-22-18
By: Leo McKinstry
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Islands of Destiny
- By: John Prados
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 59
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 60
Acclaimed WWII historian and military intelligence expert John Prados offers a provocative reassessment of the Allies’ battle for the Solomon Islands - a turbulent, dramatic campaign that, he argues, was the true turning point of the Pacific conflict.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Way too much detail
- By Eric on 01-15-17
By: John Prados
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Shattered Sword
- The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway
- By: Jonathan Parshall, Anthony Tully
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 24 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,960
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,686
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,674
Many consider the Battle of Midway to have turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange's best-selling Miracle at Midway, Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement. Shattered Sword makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources. It also corrects the many errors of Mitsuo Fuchida's Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan It thus forces a major, potentially controversial reevaluation of the great battle.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Shattered Myths - These authors got it right?
- By Ol'BlueEyes on 05-13-19
By: Jonathan Parshall, and others
What listeners say about To Command the Sky
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S. H. Moore
- 10-23-20
A bit forensic but the author did a lot or research to support his thesis.
This book is a bit forensic. It doesn’t have much in the way of a story. What it does however is tell you HOW the Allied air forces conquered the Luftwaffe in air war over Europe. It’s talks about tactical and strategic evolution. Target selection. Theory vs practical application and how all those things combined applied serious pressure on Bomber Command. It also applies these things to the Luftwaffe and shows how their command decisions were absolutely fatal in the out come of the air war. Very through book and some of the figures for losses were quite shocking to me. However, I’m not a bomber guy, so take that for what it’s worth.
If you want a personal story get Death of a ball turret gunner. If you want a story version get Masters of the Air. If you want a factual break down and very through look at the air war, get this one. It’s not for everyone. But I thought it was great and really drove home the authors point that the Fighter aspect of the air war is wholly under appreciated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Steven Z.
- 09-28-16
This book was Strategic View of WW II air war
Great Book as a technical guide of the strategic air campaign. I enjoyed it. Have Fun
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M Wilson
- 04-16-17
Very informative account
A well rounded and informative account of the European fight for dominance of the air prior to DDay
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ChuckR
- 07-20-16
Study of air war
Excellent technical review of the battle for air superiority over Germany in ww2. Narrator sometimes reads without pause and causes confusion.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Chuck C.
- 07-09-15
A poorly done book
The book has a good narrator but is boring and the authors get many fact wrong.
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2 people found this helpful