A Tail Gunner's Tale

by Gerald E. McDowell

Book by McDowell, Gerald E.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Wynn Willard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of things get lost in the mist of history, and this book gets across the range of not-obvious emotional, administrative, and technical issues involved in attempting to fly 25 missions without getting killed trying. It's a straightforward telling by a guy who could put most any of today's 21-year-olds to shame. My scoutmaster was also a B-17 tail gunner--the only one of a crew of 10 to survive his plane shot down--and unlike the author he was lucky enough not to be captured, if you can call being shot out of an airplane lucky.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandfather was a B-17 tail gunner in the 359th and wrote his memoirs about his time in. Reading McDowell's book is like reading my grandfather's all over again.