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Above the Reich

By: Colin Heaton, Anne-Marie Lewis
Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews, Mark Bramhall, Arthur Morey, Pete Bradbury, Dominic Hoffman, Fred Sanders, Patricia Santomasso, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Barrett Leddy
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Publisher's Summary

Sensational eyewitness accounts from the most heroic and legendary American aviators of World War II, never before published as a book

They are voices lost to time. Beginning in the late 1970s, five veteran airmen sat for private interviews. Decades after the guns fell silent, they recounted in vivid detail the most dangerous missions that made the difference in the war. Ed Haydon dueled with the deadliest of German aces - and forced him to the ground. Robert Johnson racked up 27 kills in his P-47 Thunderbolt, but nearly lost his life when his plane was shot to ribbons and his guns jammed. Cigar-chomping Curtis LeMay was the Air Corps general who devised the bomber tactics that pummeled Germany's war machine. Robin Olds was a West Point football hero who became one of the most dogged, aggressive fighter pilots in the European theater, relentlessly pursuing Germans in his P-38 Lightning. And Jimmy Doolittle became the most celebrated American airman of the war - maybe even of all time - after he led the audacious raid to bomb Tokyo. Today these heroes are long gone, but now, in this incredible volume, they tell their stories in their own words.

©2021 Colin Heaton and Anne-Marie Lewis (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Readers with military background in general, and interest in and knowledge of the war in particular, will welcome and applaud this revealing history. Readers encountering information about the war for the first time may have their eyeballs pop out on springs.... The text pulls you along like an action/adventure novel, owing to the vivid voices of these five men and the obstacles they had to overcome. At the same time, it feels like you’re sitting in the same room with them hearing the stories firsthand." (New York Journal of Books)

"Colin Heaton has once again produced a series of first-person accounts from the men who made aviation history...an invaluable addition to military history." (Adam Makos, New York Times best-selling author of A Higher Call and Spearhead)

"Among the top tier of World War II histories." (Jay A. Stout, author of Hell's Angels)

What listeners say about Above the Reich

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Very solid interviews and stories

I was a bit reluctant to get into this one. But once I did, it flowed very well. It has some of the best American pilots re-count their exploits down to them leaving the force. A very good rounded book.

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Great insight

Overall the book was extremely well read by all narrators, I do like how they changed for each person.

Majority of the stories were interesting, especially the first few although at times for the last two pilots, I found it a little boring and more going into politics then actual air battles.

Overall a great insight to these pilot’s lives and I’m glad I did listen to this book. But again, sometimes they went on a little bit, especially the last two pilots. No offence:)

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Outstanding

Brilliant, just brilliant. Very hard to stop listening to these first hand accounts. Highly recommended.

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Amazing collection of honest 1st person accounts.

What a great book! The way the interviews were voiced by different narrators, the gripping, sometimes brutal, accounts of action and the honest unvarnished thoughts and opinions of these great pilots, leaders and men. I laughed. I cried. I almost felt like I was there, listening to them in person. One of the best books on war in the air from a pilot's, leader's and veteran's perspective. This is how Audiobooks should be done. Truly superb.

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