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The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band: Sustineo Alas/I Sustain the Wings
Foreword by George T. Simon
Polic covers a small but significant period of Glenn Miller's life and music, from his enlistment in 1942 and the beginning of his Army Air Force Band in 1943, through its end in late 1945, giving an overall history of the band and a detailed recounting of the day-by-day activities of the band. With various indexes and two appendixes.
Polic covers a small but significant period of Glenn Miller's life and music, from his enlistment in 1942 and the beginning of his Army Air Force Band in 1943, through its end in late 1945, giving an overall history of the band and a detailed recounting of the day-by-day activities of the band. With various indexes and two appendixes.
1314 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1989
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November 8, 2024
1/5/24 progress report: Heavy reading, literally and figuratively. The two volumes total 1,300+ pages of 8.5 x 11 heavy paper, typewritten like an academic thesis or dissertation. And the text includes many official military reports and unit histories (well, I'm only on page 46, so I don't know if MANY will still apply by the end) . . . but in the beginning, those official documents are almost all of the book, and they often are repetitive. Still, interesting and a good look at the inner rumblings of the military.
Later note: Yes, official histories, then much research into written records and broadcasts to consolidate and also put much that was oral into writing.
2.5 stars marked up to 3 by Goodreads, and really difficult to give it a "star" rating, because this is a reference book, not a "read it through" book. It's almost a primary source . . . and perhaps a good description is a collection of primary sources gathered and bound together, plus a lot of painstaking review of broadcasts to document them (including transcribing scripts), with very little analysis from Mr. Polic, which was his intent, I expect. The only departure from this sort of material is the comment that in the 1980s an RAF navigator claimed that Glenn Miller's plane was hit by bombs being jettisoned in the English Channel as bombers returned to base.
Although dipping into this almost-raw material is interesting, a much better way to cover the same ground is Glenn Miller Declassified, by Dennis M. Spragg. Spragg's book, although nothing to "read on the beach," is much more readable and includes later material and analysis. The "Miller plane hit by jettisoned bombs" isn't Spragg's conclusion . . . his death was instead the result of a foolish flight into bad weather.
Later note: Yes, official histories, then much research into written records and broadcasts to consolidate and also put much that was oral into writing.
2.5 stars marked up to 3 by Goodreads, and really difficult to give it a "star" rating, because this is a reference book, not a "read it through" book. It's almost a primary source . . . and perhaps a good description is a collection of primary sources gathered and bound together, plus a lot of painstaking review of broadcasts to document them (including transcribing scripts), with very little analysis from Mr. Polic, which was his intent, I expect. The only departure from this sort of material is the comment that in the 1980s an RAF navigator claimed that Glenn Miller's plane was hit by bombs being jettisoned in the English Channel as bombers returned to base.
Although dipping into this almost-raw material is interesting, a much better way to cover the same ground is Glenn Miller Declassified, by Dennis M. Spragg. Spragg's book, although nothing to "read on the beach," is much more readable and includes later material and analysis. The "Miller plane hit by jettisoned bombs" isn't Spragg's conclusion . . . his death was instead the result of a foolish flight into bad weather.
Displaying 1 of 1 review