Hell's Angels: The True Story of the 303rd Bomb Group by Jay A. Stout

One of my favorite books on the Mighty Eighth Air Corps. Jay A. Stout's Hell's Angels: The True Story of the 303rd Bomb Group weaves together an incredible story of the Allied daylight bombing air wars of 1942-1945.

During the air battles that destroyed Nazi Germany's ability to wage war, the 303rd was exploratory in the actions of their crews and ships. The nickname, the Hell's Angels came from one of their earliest B-17s, 'Hell's Angels" (41-24577). The crew of Hell's Angels were the first to complete 25 missions in late 1943.

The June 6th, 1944 invasion could not have occurred successfully without air superiority. Of course the number one target was the German Luftwaffe and at the time they were the most powerful and battle-hardened air military branch in the world.

The Air Corps joined England also battle-hardened Royal Air Force to launch a strategic air campaign that ultimately brought the Luftwaffe to its knees. One of the standout units of this campaign was the legendary 303rd Bomb Group.

This is the 303rd's story, as told by the men who made it what it was. Taking their name from their B-17 of the same name, they became one of the most distinguished and important air combat units in history. They succeed in well over 300 combat missions, the most of any Bomb Group.

There are seriously dramatic and terrible air battles told by former crewmen who fought against Germany and in their efforts changed the course of the war. The miracle is how many survived and the incredible down side is how many young airmen were lost between 1942-1945.