Angels Zero: P-47 Close Air Support in Europe

by Robert V. Brulle

Robert V. Brulle, who flew seventy ground support missions with the 366th Fighter Group, links his daily experiences in the cockpit not only with the battles in which he participated but also with events in the wider European theater. Combining anecdotes from his personal diary, research in US and German records, and interviews with participants from both sides, Brulle details a combat career that began just after D-Day, when he flew column cover for Allied troops as they chased the German military out of France. He then describes the brutal, six-week Hürtgen Forest campaign, during which his fighter group lost 15 pilots and 18 aircraft. He also tells how the otherwise bitterly fought Battle of the Bulge provided the 366th with an opportunity to successfully engage 60 Luftwaffe airplanes in a dogfight directly over their airfield.

Angels Zero combines both personal and historical detail to vividly re-create a lesser-known aspect of the air war in Europe.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published August 17, 2000

Reviews

[Jack Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done. Proud of the men who this book was written for with the stories and details.

The numbers summarized in the Epilogue was startling. Mr Grille didn't pull any punches and let the truth be told.
JM

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruelle's book Angels Zero is a riveting account of his wartime career. It is a fast paced account that packs a great deal of information in a short amount of space. This memoir doesn't use flowery prose but it is directly told in a way that draws the reader into the narrative. Brulle's wartime combat career was right after D-Day (within a week)and throughout the European campaign until V-E Day. His insights into events bring a different take to the Battle of the Bulge and Hurtgen Forest. This is a book to be read twice to get everything out of the book. After reading Ninth Air Force in World War Twoby Kenn C. RustBrulle's book brings out many of the events recounted by Rust and help understand the 9th Air force better.