Hell's Angels

The True Story of the 303rd Bomb Group in World War II

De: Jay A. Stout

Narrado por: Robertson Dean

The true story of World War 2’s legendary Hell’s Angels—the 8th Air Force’s 303rd Bomb Group.

Although the United States declared war against Germany in December 1941, a successful assault on Nazi-occupied Europe could not happen until Germany’s industrial and military might were crippled. The first target was the Luftwaffe—the most powerful and battle-hardened air force in the world. The United States Army Air Forces joined with Great Britain’s already-engaged 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—Hell’s Angels.

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. The dramatic and terrible air battles they fought against Germany ultimately changed the course of the war.

©2015 Jay A. Stout (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“[An] epic tale of the World War II aerial campaign over Europe...Hell's Angels is a gripping and awe-inspiring book.”—Nathaniel Fick, author of One Bullet Away

“It's all there—the boredom, the devotion, the horror and even the humor in an industrial war fought on a global scale that we'll never see again. Unit histories just do not get any better.”—Barrett Tillman, author of Whirlwind and Forgotten Fifteenth.

“Jay Stout is a triple-threat aviation historian—an experienced combat aviator, a meticulous researcher and a compelling story teller. His uncanny eye for authentic detail allows Hell’s Angels to be the incredible story of the 303rd Bomb Group and the bombing campaign that crippled Nazi Germany. Stout makes a hard-ridden topic seem fresh and new again. Highly recommended.”—Walter J. Boyne, Author/Historian

Captivating

When the story begins, it seems like a dry retelling of stats and missions, but then Mr. Stout, through Robertson Dean’s engaging storytelling, begins to flesh out the true story. The personalities take shape, the fear is real, as is the death and destruction, the weather is felt rather than read! Just captivating, through-and-through! Worth the time!

well researched

few remember the sacrifice of the AAF During WW II. Even fewer realize that more airmen died in WW II than ground troops. this book is well researched and documented.

I can't believe they did this!

I just learned that Jimmy Stewart's first film after returning home from the air war over Europe was It's a Wonderful Life. I learned that just as I was finishing Hell's Angels. With our current understanding of PTSD, it's a wonder to me how any of the airmen who went up mission after mission could come back and build so much of the nation we enjoy today. The book was as relentless as the combat. Because of it I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Greatest Generation.

A good listen.

A chronicle of events the war as relayed by the people whom participated. As such the story is often fragmented and difficult to follow hence the four star rating I give it. I still consider this a worthy listen just to hear the various stories of the men who fought.

great book

I wasn't sure about this book when I started listening to it. It would be easy for a book.like this to be boring.
I found that this book was very fascinating. I enjoyed hearing about the crews and mechanics as well as the B17

awesome book

awesome book that you must and listen to. amazing story that will leave you in awe

Pretty Much Amazing!

Wow! Just finished Hell's Angels this morning. What a great book, especially if you're an aviation history fan. It's almost like Mr. Stout used the 303rd as a mechanism for describing, in general, what life in the 8th air force, and what bomber operations were like. So, you get the 303rd's history but end up much better educated about what the air war was like for all of the 8th air force personnel.

Here are things I really appreciated:

- The author does a really nice job of chronologically following the group's history. However, this isn't a dry recounting of events - it's got a lot of life.
- There are a huge number of compelling first person accounts. The author clearly did a ton of research.
- Sometimes I read aviation history and it's clear that some authors don't have a strong grasp of the facts and of flight concepts (e.g. one book talks about how Rickenbacker turned his plane by pulling the stick left and applying right rudder - really?). However, I didn't encounter anything in this book that seemed questionable. I think that, perhaps, this comes from the fact that the author is a pilot.
- There are technical details but I didn't find them overwhelming. For example, the description of what it was like to be a ball turret gunner, and how the ball turret actually worked, was educational. On the other hand, if you aren't interested in it, that material was over in about 15 minutes. Also, these technical items don't all come at once; Stout manages to weave them in at appropriate points during the overall chronological narrative.
- Narrator was perfect - he was clear and applied just the right amount of accent to the characters through the book. He, also, got the pronunciation right (which I can't say for all aviation history narrators)

Here are some things that aren't necessarily failings so much as ideas / a wish list for a future Stout work:
- It would be nice to hear similar (perhaps shorter) perspectives from 8th AF units that flew B24s and other hardware
- It would be nice to hear similar perspectives from fighter pilots
- I guess I would have liked a bit more detail about what flying the B17 was like from the pilot's perspective (i.e. to a pilot, what was different about flying a 17 than flying a 24? What were things they had to be careful of? What did they really like?)
- What about a similar work from groups in other theaters?

Anyhow, I loved this audiobook. I really started to dread the end as we got into late 1944 and I knew it was coming. Highly recommend!

Top Notch

This was both a well done and most informative book. The author is to be commended for his dedication to detail, and the tragic and eventful events he was able to put into this book. For me, the greatest revelation was the civilian murders of downed airmen, and that disturbed me. There has been a lot of criticism of the Allied bombing campaign. If the German populace were not affected by it, why would they murder downed airmen?? It needed to be done!

Good Listen

The book does get a little dry at times, but essentially it is a great history book not a bad story book. The author does a good job arranging the information into a short stories with all the facts and natural ambiguity that exists in the record. The stories make their points and draw a picture of what the war was like as a bomber. I enjoyed the narration as well.

Wonderful Account of a Time Now Long Gone

A thorough and derailed history of men and machines but told in way that it is never dry or dreary. If you are interested in the way young men lived during these terrible times, you could do worse than listening to this wonderful account of what it was like to be a warrior in the skies over Europe, 1942-45.