World War II Memoirs: Captain and Navigator, March 1942 -

World War II Memoirs: Captain and Navigator, March 1942 - December 1945

This is the story of a young man from Tennessee who joins the Army Air Corps in 1942 and becomes the navigator of a B-24 Liberator Bomber, flying 50 combat missions in the European theater of World War II.

Robert Rutledgeâ€™s memoir starts in 1942, as a nervous teenager waiting in a bus station to take the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadetâ€™s entrance examination. It ends in July 1944, when a confident veteran of 50 bombing missions over Europe sees the Statue of Liberty upon his return home.

In between the reader is privileged to witness this journey. Like most true heroes, Robert Rutledge tells this grand story in a modest, understated way. Historians and veterans will appreciate the many details of the military life of World War II bomber crews.

Every reader will be impressed and awed by the quiet courage of these combat crews as they set about doing their part to save the world from tyranny.

This book covers the Army Air Force's aviation training program in detail. Perceptive readers will note that this training was very dangerous by today's standards, even before these aviators reaching the combat theater of action.

For example, immediately after finishing advanced training in the B-24 the student crew is ordered to fly their Liberator Bomber solo from Kansas to Libya.

Thatâ€™s a trip half way around the world, using by todayâ€™s standards only the most primitive of navigational aids. What a challenge to present to newly winged flyers, most of whom are barely old enough to vote! Yet thousands of these young crews rose to the occasion and carried the fight to the enemy.

Rutledgeâ€™s humorous anecdotes, contrasting with his near-death ditching of his B-24 in the Mediterranean hold the readerâ€™s attention. With enemy fighters and flak taking their toll on our bombers, it is surprising the numbers of heroic airmen who survived the greatest of all wars.

The author flew combat with the 453th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bomb Group, which operated from North Africa and Italy. He is the holder of the Soldier's Medal, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Air medal, two Purple Hearts, and two Unit Citations.
Country USA
Manufacturer Gray Raven Ventures Inc
Binding Kindle Edition
IsAdultProduct
ReleaseDate 2015-04-05

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Gray Raven Ventures Inc
Binding	Kindle Edition
IsAdultProduct
ReleaseDate	2015-04-05

World War II Memoirs: Captain and Navigator, March 1942 - December 1945

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