A Mighty Fortress

by Chuck Alling

A Mighty Fortress is the personal account of the Captain and crew of a lead bomber in the enormous formation raids made by the 8th Airforce during the last few months of the Second World War.It is an extraordinary tale of heroism and bravery on the part of the entire crew of just one B17 amongst hundreds - but the one B17 that meant most to them.Flying a total of 27 missions before the war came to an end in May 1945, Alling tells, with great restraint, the story of what it was like to be there, over the skies of enemy territory, constantly on the look out for German fighters; of the enormity of some of the raids they were part of and the consequences for those on the ground; of the planes around them that fell out of the sky under enemy attack, the horror and the determination to succeed. The book gives a unique insight into the lives of one crew of one plane as the War neared its end.Charles B. Alling received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters during the Second World War. He graduated from Yale University in 1947. In 1988, he retired and studied Ethics at Oxford University Graduate School in England. In 1989, he founded the Alling Institute for Ethics. The institute is affiliated with The Foundation for Leadership and Ethics in New York City of which Alling is Chairman Emeritus. Alling serves on the Board of Visitors of the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, an appointment by former Secretary of Defense, Bill Cohen. He lives in Kennebunk, Maine."In a fascinating way, Chuck Alling recalls his days as a pilot flying B-17's over Germany. He is truly a member of 'The Greatest Generation' and from his book, written from the heart, people can learn a lot about the laughs and the tears of World War II." - Former President George H. W. Bush

Genres: World War II, History, Aviation, Memoir

Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2002

Reviews

[Sandra D · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My dad served on a B-17 bomber crew during WWII but he never talked about it, so I'm interested in anything that tells me what his experience might have been like."

I wrote that paragraph when I first added this book to my list, and seeing it again just now made me roll my eyes. I mean, I read a lot of books about all different aspects of WWII and other wars and don't feel the slightest need to explain my interest in them. But whenever I read a book about B-17s and their crews, a topic so personal to me, I feel very defensive about it. It's weird. I don't understand it at all.

Anyway, this book was a good one. I picked up a lot of good insight from it.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast reading account from a B-17 pilot over Europe late during the last phase of the air war. This book lays to rest the idea I've read elsewhere that all the late war raids were milk runs and they never saw flak or fighter aircraft, this crew saw it share. Worth reading.

[Mark Loring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great war story! I may be biased, since this was written by my uncle.