Castles in the Air

by Martin W. Bowman

Castles in the Air is a re-issue of one of the classic titles of military literature. It recounts the story of the B-17 Flying Fortress crews of the US 8th Air Force—the men and the planes that provided the main punch in the daylight strategic bombing offensive against Nazi Germany from 1942–45. This revealing book recreates, in the words of surviving aircrew members, the tension and terror of their sorties deep into enemy air space. There is a wealth of personal narrative and first-hand information.

This new edition has been re-written and updated by the author, Martin W. Bowman. Many new and previously unpublished photographs accompany the text. Martin W. Bowman has written fifty-six books on the US and UK military aviation. He lives in Norwich, England, and has traveled around the world compiling the painstaking research for which his books are noted.

Genres: History, World War II

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Martin W. Bowman is one of Britain's leading aviation authors, with over 100 published books on the Second World War and post-war aviation history, and several on the landscape of East Anglia. He has also established an international reputation for his superb imagery and aerial photography. He has a passion for flying in military aircraft. He lives in Norwich, Norfolk.

Reviews

[Daniel]

After extensive B-17 raids into Germany, Churchill said, "Hitler built "Fortress Europe" but he forgot to put a roof on it!"

[Drkmac]

My dad, who only reads nonfiction, recommended this for me after I watched Masters of the Air. Amazing stories of bravery, luck, and tragedy. However, for a mostly fiction reader, there was no narrative or perspective. It is just a collection of facts and anecdotes which made it a bit of a slog for me.

[Leonard]

A good book that tells about the crewmen and their adventures in flight during WWII.