The Wrong Stuff: The Adventures and Misadventures of an 8th Air Force Aviator

click here for more details, find new or used items	T. Smith Our price £14.50 (£10.12) New from £7.00 Used from £7.00 Pages: 358 (Paperback) ISBN: 0806134224 Pub: University of Oklahoma Press Pub date: 2002-12-31 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 178111

Reader Reviews:

Definately NOT the wrong stuff (0/0 people found this helpful)

I read the book in a few days having read other accounts by British and German air combatants from the period. Truman was faithful to his book and it reads well. I felt the tension and emotion from the book but cannot ever imagine what it was like to see what he saw and experienced. I guess that seeing the largest aerial war machine ever assembled must have been both beautiful and terrible at the same time. The book is based around his mission log and each mission gets a few pages describing what happened on each. The book also has a section of b/w pictures showing what the subject is/was all about. Unlike other air warfare books, the style is not 'stuffy' and uses the language well to get across how he felt. I enjoyed it immensely - thoroughly recommended.

An excellent account of what it was truly like to be there (0/0 people found this helpful)

I read this book, finally, in mid-September, and I am very glad I did. As an historian of the subject (B-17s), this is a very moving, touching account of something which is all too often either glorified or ignored. Truman is a friend, and I would like to thank him (once again) for writing this book, so that people like me, two generations on, can understand a little of what was done for us.

The book takes a very informal style, and this suits the fact that Truman is telling his own story. There is a wealth of information in the book, but also it is a very coherant and touching story. I recommend this book highly, especially to anyone who doesn't know anything about the subject, as it will provide an excellent introduction.

Jenne

I liked this book without meaning to. (0/0 people found this helpful)

I bought this book because it has a chapter ("Jake") dedicated to my great uncle Jake who grew up and still lives in Smitty's hometown, Ponca City, Oklahoma. I thought it would be a boring, detailed WWII story, so after I read the chapter on uncle Jake, I put it away. I picked it back up and starting reading it one night when I could not sleep, thinking that it surely would put me to sleep. Wrong! I was so engrossed with seeing Smitty through his bombing missions. I felt that the generation gap vanished, and could feel the emotions that a 20 year old Smitty was dealing with, and remembering how simple my life was at 20 years old. Thank you Smitty and uncle Jake for your service.

A Great Read - Hard to Put Down Once You Start. (0/0 people found this helpful)

The title was a worry when I ordered it but on the strength of the readers' comments, I pressed on. I am glad I did.

This is a great book - the author is not a great wordsmith but you can feel his fear (and the fun) in every page even in his simple prose.

The reality of the days comes through in every mission - random death was ever present on every mission - yet they went out without demanding anything other than the gratitude of their country.

The author is not sufficiently honoured by the title, but he is well honoured by his deeds and his breezy recall of their context.

Must read for WW2 aviation buffs (0/0 people found this helpful)

Truman Smith did more than just tell a story, he was able to relay the raw emotions of a combat pilot of WW2. For anyone who is interested in what it felt like to be there this is a must read book.

Similar Products

B-17's Over Berlin: Personal Stories from the 95th Bomb Group (H) (Memories of War)

8th Air Force: American Heavy Bomber Groups in England, 1942-1945

Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer: B-17's Over Germany ("Aviation Week" Books)

An Ace of the Eighth

Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot

Categories

Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories: