Inferno: The True Story of a B-17 Gunner's Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History
$31.99
- Paperback
352 pages
- Release Date
11 October 2022
Summary
There’s no higher accolade in the U.S. military than the Medal of Honor, and 472 people received it for their action during World War II. But only one was demoted right after: Maynard Harrison Smith.
Smith is one of the most unlikely heroes of the war, where he served in B-17s during the early days of the bombing of France and Germany from England. From his juvenile delinquent past in Michigan, through the war and during the decades after, Smith’s life seemed to be a series of very pu…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781250264251 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1250264251 |
| Author: | Joe Pappalardo |
| Publisher: | St Martin's Press |
| Imprint: | Saint Martin's Griffin,U.S. |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 352 |
| Release Date: | 11 October 2022 |
| Weight: | 338g |
| Dimensions: | 26mm x 136mm x 209mm |
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Critics Review
“With both his heroism and his flaws, Medal of Honor recipient ‘Snuffy Smith’ perfectly represents the dramatic and deadly campaign for control of the skies over Europe in World War II. The ornery, charming, and brave B-17 tail gunner anchors this thrilling tale of how, warts and all, we won that brilliant and bloody air war.” –Tom Clavin, New York Times bestselling author
“Mr. Pappalardo, a veteran journalist, has a nice way with words. The mission itself, targeting German submarine pens in France, is fairly routine and brilliantly described…a wonderful yarn.” –Wall Street Journal
“Inferno is written with the energy, resolve, bloody-mindedness of a B-17. This is the Greatest Generation reconsidered as a diminutive Michigan-born anti-hero who is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his amazing conduct on his first combat mission over Europe, May 1, 1943. Pappalardo’s story takes on more than Maynard’s Smith’s pell-mell and eventually surprisingly sad life. The book reconsiders the still controversial American decision to carry out daylight bomber attacks, 1943-44, that led to well-documented and shocking casualty rates. This is a thrilling and important read.” –John Batchelor, nationally syndicated radio host and author
Joe Pappalardo
Joe Pappalardo is the author of the critically acclaimed books Inferno: The True Story of a B 17 Gunner’s Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History, Sunflowers: The Secret History and Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight. Pappalardo is a former associate editor and occasional contributor at Smithsonian Air & Space, and has worked at National Defense, and American Way magazines. He is also a former editor in chief of the Dallas Observer. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News, CNBC and C-SPAN. He’s a regular guest on the nationally syndicated radio program, The John Bachelor Show.
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