The Other Veterans of World War II: Stories from Behind the Front Lines
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
The Other Veterans of World War II: Stories from Behind the Front Lines
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Jerolyn Bogear
-
By:
-
Rona Simmons
About this listen
For decades, the dramatic stories of World War II soldiers have been the stuff of memoirs, interviews, novels, documentaries, and feature films. Yet the men and women who served in less visible roles, never engaging in physical combat, have received scant attention.
Convinced that their depiction as pencil pushers, grease monkeys, or cowards was far from the truth, Rona Simmons embarked on a quest to discover the real story from the noncombat veterans themselves. She sat across from 19 veterans or their children, read their letters and journals, looked at photos, and touched their mementos: pieces of shrapnel, a Japanese sword, a porcelain tea set, a pair of wooden shoes, a marquisette wedding gown.
Compiling these veterans’ stories, Simmons follows them as they report for service, complete their training, and often ship out to stations thousands of miles from home. She shares their dreams to see combat and disappointment at receiving noncombat positions, as well as their selflessness and yearning for home. Ultimately, Simmons finds the noncombat veterans had far more in common with the front line soldiers than differences.
Simmons’s extensive research gives us a more complete picture of the war effort, bringing long-overdue appreciation for the men and women whose everyday tasks, unexpected acts of sacrifice, and faith and humor contributed mightily to the ultimate outcome of World War II.
The book is published by The Kent State University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.
"I am especially proud of this work.... The very purpose of it is at the heart of our greatest need—unity." (Terry Kay, author of To Dance With the White Dog)
©2020 The Kent State University Press (P)2022 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
Countdown 1945
- The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World
- By: Chris Wallace, Mitch Weiss
- Narrated by: Chris Wallace
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,208
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,881
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,867
April 12, 1945: After years of bloody conflict in Europe and the Pacific, America is stunned by news of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death. In an instant, Vice President Harry Truman, who has been kept out of war planning and knows nothing of the top-secret Manhattan Project to develop the world’s first atomic bomb, must assume command of a nation at war on multiple continents—and confront one of the most consequential decisions in history. Countdown 1945 tells the gripping true story of the turbulent days, weeks, and months to follow.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Chris Wallace killed it!
- By Gaming Pancakes on 06-11-20
By: Chris Wallace, and others
-
Code Girls
- The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
- By: Liza Mundy
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,589
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,202
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,186
Recruited by the US Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than 10,000 women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of codebreaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Just released, about 80% through this story
- By Roobah on 10-11-17
By: Liza Mundy
-
The Rifle
- Combat Stories from America's Last WWII Veterans, Told Through an M1 Garand
- By: Andrew Biggio
- Narrated by: Shawn Compton
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 675
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 614
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 611
The Rifle is the inspirational story of a 28-year-old US Marine, Andrew Biggio, who returned home from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, full of questions about the price of war. He found answers from those who survived the costliest war of all - WWII veterans. It began when Biggio bought a 1945 M1 Garand Rifle, the most common rifle used in WWII. When Biggio showed the gun to his neighbor, WWII veteran Corporal Joseph Drago, it unlocked memories Drago had kept unspoken for 50 years.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A must read
- By david cohen on 06-03-21
By: Andrew Biggio
-
The Last Zero Fighter
- By: Dan King
- Narrated by: Drew Bott
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 40
Firsthand accounts from interviews conducted in Japan with five WWII Japanese Naval aviators. All are veterans of the pivotal battles of the Pacific War including; USS Panay, Nanking, Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Rabaul, Port Darwin, Indian Ocean Raid, Ceylon, Midway, Guadalcanal, Marshall Islands, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the kamikaze in the Philippines, the home defense and the dropping of the atomic bomb. Includes an introduction to the Japanese pilot training system for both officers and enlisted men.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating and humanizing story
- By courtney mckean on 07-03-23
By: Dan King
-
The Generals
- Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, and the Winning of World War II
- By: Winston Groom
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,542
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,398
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,396
Celebrated historian Winston Groom tells the intertwined and uniquely American tales of George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and George Marshall - from the World War I battle that shaped them to their greatest achievement: leading the allies to victory in World War II.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Nothing new here
- By Mike From Mesa on 01-13-16
By: Winston Groom
-
Biggest Brother
- The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers
- By: Larry Alexander
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 86
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 83
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 83
They were Easy Company, 101st Army Airborne - the World War II fighting unit legendary for their bravery against nearly insurmountable odds and their loyalty to one another in the face of death. Every soldier in this band of brothers looked to one man for leadership, devotion to duty, and the embodiment of courage: Major Dick Winters. This is the riveting story of an ordinary man who became an extraordinary hero.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent!
- By Vera Family on 09-24-21
By: Larry Alexander
-
Countdown 1945
- The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World
- By: Chris Wallace, Mitch Weiss
- Narrated by: Chris Wallace
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,208
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,881
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,867
April 12, 1945: After years of bloody conflict in Europe and the Pacific, America is stunned by news of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death. In an instant, Vice President Harry Truman, who has been kept out of war planning and knows nothing of the top-secret Manhattan Project to develop the world’s first atomic bomb, must assume command of a nation at war on multiple continents—and confront one of the most consequential decisions in history. Countdown 1945 tells the gripping true story of the turbulent days, weeks, and months to follow.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Chris Wallace killed it!
- By Gaming Pancakes on 06-11-20
By: Chris Wallace, and others
-
Code Girls
- The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
- By: Liza Mundy
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,589
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,202
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,186
Recruited by the US Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than 10,000 women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of codebreaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Just released, about 80% through this story
- By Roobah on 10-11-17
By: Liza Mundy
-
The Rifle
- Combat Stories from America's Last WWII Veterans, Told Through an M1 Garand
- By: Andrew Biggio
- Narrated by: Shawn Compton
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 675
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 614
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 611
The Rifle is the inspirational story of a 28-year-old US Marine, Andrew Biggio, who returned home from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, full of questions about the price of war. He found answers from those who survived the costliest war of all - WWII veterans. It began when Biggio bought a 1945 M1 Garand Rifle, the most common rifle used in WWII. When Biggio showed the gun to his neighbor, WWII veteran Corporal Joseph Drago, it unlocked memories Drago had kept unspoken for 50 years.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A must read
- By david cohen on 06-03-21
By: Andrew Biggio
-
The Last Zero Fighter
- By: Dan King
- Narrated by: Drew Bott
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 40
Firsthand accounts from interviews conducted in Japan with five WWII Japanese Naval aviators. All are veterans of the pivotal battles of the Pacific War including; USS Panay, Nanking, Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Rabaul, Port Darwin, Indian Ocean Raid, Ceylon, Midway, Guadalcanal, Marshall Islands, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the kamikaze in the Philippines, the home defense and the dropping of the atomic bomb. Includes an introduction to the Japanese pilot training system for both officers and enlisted men.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating and humanizing story
- By courtney mckean on 07-03-23
By: Dan King
-
The Generals
- Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, and the Winning of World War II
- By: Winston Groom
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,542
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,398
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,396
Celebrated historian Winston Groom tells the intertwined and uniquely American tales of George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and George Marshall - from the World War I battle that shaped them to their greatest achievement: leading the allies to victory in World War II.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Nothing new here
- By Mike From Mesa on 01-13-16
By: Winston Groom
-
Biggest Brother
- The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers
- By: Larry Alexander
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 86
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 83
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 83
They were Easy Company, 101st Army Airborne - the World War II fighting unit legendary for their bravery against nearly insurmountable odds and their loyalty to one another in the face of death. Every soldier in this band of brothers looked to one man for leadership, devotion to duty, and the embodiment of courage: Major Dick Winters. This is the riveting story of an ordinary man who became an extraordinary hero.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent!
- By Vera Family on 09-24-21
By: Larry Alexander
-
The Long Gray Line
- The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966
- By: Rick Atkinson
- Narrated by: Adam Barr, Rick Atkinson
- Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 110
A classic of its kind, The Long Gray Line is the 25-year saga of the West Point class of 1966. With a novelist's eye for detail, Rick Atkinson illuminates this powerful story through the lives of three classmates and the women they loved - from the boisterous cadet years, to the fires of Vietnam, to the hard peace and internal struggles that followed the war.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
His First Book-It Stands With All the Others
- By Richard Bretzing on 07-22-21
By: Rick Atkinson
-
All Blood Runs Red
- The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard-Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy
- By: Phil Keith, Tom Clavin
- Narrated by: James Shippy
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 368
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 326
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 325
Eugene Bullard lived one of the most fascinating lives of the 20th century. The son of a former slave and an indigenous Creek woman, Bullard fled home at the age of 11 to escape the racial hostility of his Georgia community. When his journey led him to Europe, he garnered worldwide fame as a boxer, and later as the first African-American fighter pilot in history. After the war, Bullard returned to Paris a celebrated hero. But little did he know that the dramatic, globe-spanning arc of his life had just begun.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating
- By Daniel on 08-23-20
By: Phil Keith, and others
-
Jayhawk
- Love, Loss, Liberation and Terror over the Pacific
- By: Jay A. Stout, George L. Cooper
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 57
Born in the Philippines to an American father and a Filipina mother, George Cooper is one of the few surviving veteran pilots who saw action over such fearsome targets as Rabaul and Wewak. Not just another flag-waving story of air combat, Jayhawk describes the war as it really was - a conflict with far-reaching tentacles that gripped and tore at not only the combatants, but also their families, friends, and the way they lived their lives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An absolute must for any student of the Pacific Air War
- By Ginger on 10-07-20
By: Jay A. Stout, and others
-
Enola Gay
- Mission to Hiroshima
- By: Gordon Thomas, Max Morgan-Witts
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 73
Painstakingly researched, the story behind the decision to send the Enola Gay to bomb Hiroshima is told through firsthand sources. From diplomatic moves behind the scenes to Japanese actions and the US Army Air Force's call to action, no detail is left untold. Touching on the early days of the Manhattan Project and the first inkling of an atomic bomb, investigative journalist Gordon Thomas and his writing partner Max Morgan-Witts, take WWII enthusiasts through the training of the crew of the Enola Gay and the challenges faced by pilot Paul Tibbets.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Poor reader
- By Dee on 04-17-22
By: Gordon Thomas, and others
-
The Wild Blue
- The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Jeffrey DeMunn
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 877
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 780
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 780
The very young men who flew the B24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds were an exemplary band of brothers. In The Wild Blue, Stephen Ambrose recounts their extraordinary brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship. Stephen Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and chose those few who would undertake the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Required Reading
- By Lyle on 11-22-11
-
No Surrender
- A Father, a Son, and an Extraordinary Act of Heroism That Continues to Live on Today
- By: Christopher Edmonds, Douglas Century
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 244
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 220
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 219
Part contemporary detective story, part World War II historical narrative, No Surrender is the inspiring true story of Roddie Edmonds, a Knoxville-born enlistee who risked his life during the final days of World War II to save others from murderous Nazis, and the lasting effects his actions had on thousands of lives - then and now.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Personal and impactful
- By Rodney on 10-10-19
By: Christopher Edmonds, and others
-
X Troop
- The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II
- By: Leah Garrett
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 84
June 1942. The shadow of the Third Reich has fallen across the European continent. In desperation, Winston Churchill and his chief of staff form an unusual plan: a new commando unit made up of Jewish refugees who have escaped to Britain. The resulting volunteers are a motley group of intellectuals, artists, and athletes, most from Germany and Austria. Many have been interned as enemy aliens and have lost their families, their homes - their whole worlds. They will stop at nothing to defeat the Nazis.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very amazing and moving story!
- By Jonathan D. Feldman on 09-18-21
By: Leah Garrett
-
Hit the Target
- Eight Men Who Led the Eighth Air Force to Victory over the Luftwaffe
- By: Bill Yenne
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
Less than a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US Army formed its first air force designated to operate overseas, the Eighth. Within four months they had set up base in England. Three months later they were bombing German targets in occupied Europe. The Eighth was the first bomber command on either side to commit to strategic daylight bombing. It was a major change in tactics - and the men of the Eighth paid the price in both lives and blood.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Lots of history, kinda boring.
- By Annie on 11-12-23
By: Bill Yenne
-
Hawkeye
- The Enthralling Autobiography of the Top-Scoring Israel Air Force Ace of Aces
- By: Brigadier General Giora Even-Epstein
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 62
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 62
For more than 30 years, Giora Even-Epstein flew fighters for the Israel Air Force, achieving recognition as a highly skilled military aviator and the highest-scoring jet-mounted ace with the most number of confirmed victories in the French Mirage. Having overcome numerous hurdles just to learn how to fly, he went on to compile a record of Arab MiGs and Sukhoi kills that bettered any other combat aviators' tally in the entire world. This fast-moving autobiography details his experiences particularly in the intense conflicts of 1967, the Six Day War, and 1973, the Yom Kippur War.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not a writer
- By Checco on 11-26-21
-
The Flying Tigers
- The Untold Story of the American Pilots Who Waged a Secret War Against Japan
- By: Sam Kleiner
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 510
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 453
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 450
Sam Kleiner’s The Flying Tigers uncovers the hidden story of the group of young American men and women who crossed the Pacific before Pearl Harbor to risk their lives defending China. Led by legendary army pilot Claire Chennault, these men left behind an America still at peace in the summer of 1941 using false identities to travel across the Pacific to a run-down airbase in the jungles of Burma.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
This really happened.
- By Jason on 07-26-20
By: Sam Kleiner
-
Escape from Paris
- A True Story of Love and Resistance in Wartime France
- By: Stephen Harding
- Narrated by: Maxwell Hamilton
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Based on official American, French, and German documents, histories, personal memoirs, and the author's interviews with several of the story's key participants, Escape from Paris crosses the traditional lines of World War II history with tense drama of air combat over Europe, the intrigue of occupied Paris, and courageous American and Allied pilots and French resistance fighters pitted against Nazi thugs. All of this set in one of the world's most beautiful and captivating cities.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Listen
- By MDowns on 03-07-20
By: Stephen Harding
-
The Force
- The Legendary Special Ops Unit and WWII's Mission Impossible
- By: Saul David
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 78
In December of 1943, as Nazi forces sprawled around the world and the future of civilization hung in the balance, a group of highly trained US and Canadian soldiers from humble backgrounds was asked to do the impossible: capture a crucial Nazi stronghold perched atop stunningly steep cliffs. The men were a rough-and-ready group, assembled from towns nested in North America's most unforgiving terrain, where many of them had struggled through the Great Depression relying on canny survival skills and the fearlessness of youth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
well Done
- By Barbara on 11-18-19
By: Saul David
Related to this topic
-
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot
- By: Starr Smith, Walter Cronkite
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Of all the celebrities who served their country during World War II - and they were legion - Jimmy Stewart was unique. On December 7, when the attack on Pearl Harbor woke so many others to the reality of war, Stewart was already in uniform - as a private on guard duty south of San Francisco at the Army Air Corps Moffet Field. Seeing war on the horizon, Jimmy Stewart, at the height of his fame after Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and his Oscar-winning turn in The Philadelphia Story in 1940, had enlisted several months earlier.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
After-action intelligence report
- By David on 04-20-18
By: Starr Smith, and others
-
Invisible Heroes of World War II
- Extraordinary Wartime Stories of Ordinary People
- By: Jerry Borrowman
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 211
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 210
Invisible Heroes of World War II documents 10 fascinating true stories of a diverse group of soldiers and noncombatants from all over the world, including African Americans, women, and Native Americans, who fought with the Allies during World War II. These heroes made significant contributions in the war effort, and sometimes gave their lives for freedom and liberty, often without much recognition or fanfare. All served with valor and distinction as part of the massive Allied forces who fought to free the world from tyranny and oppression.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
EXCELLENT AND INSPIRING!
- By B. ADAMS on 12-22-20
By: Jerry Borrowman
-
Dead Reckoning
- The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor
- By: Dick Lehr
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 269
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 235
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 234
“AIR RAID, PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NOT DRILL.” At 7:58 a.m. on December 7, 1941, an officer at the Ford Island Command Center frantically typed what would become one of the most famous radio dispatches in history as the Japanese navy launched a surprise aerial assault on the American navy stationed in Hawaii. In a little over two hours, the Japanese killed more than 2,400 Americans and propelled the US’s entry into World War II. Dead Reckoning is the story of the mission to avenge that devastating strike.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Half Soap Opera, target audience 20 something male
- By Donald L. Hogan on 03-20-21
By: Dick Lehr
-
Jayhawk
- Love, Loss, Liberation and Terror over the Pacific
- By: Jay A. Stout, George L. Cooper
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 57
Born in the Philippines to an American father and a Filipina mother, George Cooper is one of the few surviving veteran pilots who saw action over such fearsome targets as Rabaul and Wewak. Not just another flag-waving story of air combat, Jayhawk describes the war as it really was - a conflict with far-reaching tentacles that gripped and tore at not only the combatants, but also their families, friends, and the way they lived their lives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An absolute must for any student of the Pacific Air War
- By Ginger on 10-07-20
By: Jay A. Stout, and others
-
Luck of the Draw
- My Story of the Air War in Europe
- By: Frank Murphy, Chloe Melas, Elizabeth Murphy
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Murphy, Jonas Moore, Chloe Melas
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 52
Beginning on August 17, 1942, American heavy bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force took off for combat in the hostile skies over occupied Europe. The final price was staggering. 4,300 B-17s and B-24s failed to return; nearly 21,000 men were taken prisoner or interned in a neutral country, and a further 17,650 made the ultimate sacrifice. Luck of the Draw is more than a war story. It’s the incredible, inspiring story of Frank Murphy, one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group, who cheated death for months in a German POW camp.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Personal Accounting that the Narrator Destroyed
- By David Sajben on 03-09-23
By: Frank Murphy, and others
-
The Women with Silver Wings
- The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
- By: Katherine Sharp Landdeck
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 236
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 211
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 211
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Cornelia Fort was already in the air. At 22, Fort had escaped Nashville’s debutante scene for a fresh start as a flight instructor in Hawaii. She and her student were in the middle of a lesson when the bombs began to fall, and they barely made it back to ground. Still, when the US Army Air Forces put out a call for women pilots to aid the war effort, Fort was one of the first to respond. She became one of just over 1,100 women from across the nation to make it through the Army’s rigorous selection process and earn her silver wings.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
To Remember
- By erica skipton on 05-11-20
-
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot
- By: Starr Smith, Walter Cronkite
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Of all the celebrities who served their country during World War II - and they were legion - Jimmy Stewart was unique. On December 7, when the attack on Pearl Harbor woke so many others to the reality of war, Stewart was already in uniform - as a private on guard duty south of San Francisco at the Army Air Corps Moffet Field. Seeing war on the horizon, Jimmy Stewart, at the height of his fame after Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and his Oscar-winning turn in The Philadelphia Story in 1940, had enlisted several months earlier.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
After-action intelligence report
- By David on 04-20-18
By: Starr Smith, and others
-
Invisible Heroes of World War II
- Extraordinary Wartime Stories of Ordinary People
- By: Jerry Borrowman
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 211
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 210
Invisible Heroes of World War II documents 10 fascinating true stories of a diverse group of soldiers and noncombatants from all over the world, including African Americans, women, and Native Americans, who fought with the Allies during World War II. These heroes made significant contributions in the war effort, and sometimes gave their lives for freedom and liberty, often without much recognition or fanfare. All served with valor and distinction as part of the massive Allied forces who fought to free the world from tyranny and oppression.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
EXCELLENT AND INSPIRING!
- By B. ADAMS on 12-22-20
By: Jerry Borrowman
-
Dead Reckoning
- The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor
- By: Dick Lehr
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 269
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 235
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 234
“AIR RAID, PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NOT DRILL.” At 7:58 a.m. on December 7, 1941, an officer at the Ford Island Command Center frantically typed what would become one of the most famous radio dispatches in history as the Japanese navy launched a surprise aerial assault on the American navy stationed in Hawaii. In a little over two hours, the Japanese killed more than 2,400 Americans and propelled the US’s entry into World War II. Dead Reckoning is the story of the mission to avenge that devastating strike.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Half Soap Opera, target audience 20 something male
- By Donald L. Hogan on 03-20-21
By: Dick Lehr
-
Jayhawk
- Love, Loss, Liberation and Terror over the Pacific
- By: Jay A. Stout, George L. Cooper
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 57
Born in the Philippines to an American father and a Filipina mother, George Cooper is one of the few surviving veteran pilots who saw action over such fearsome targets as Rabaul and Wewak. Not just another flag-waving story of air combat, Jayhawk describes the war as it really was - a conflict with far-reaching tentacles that gripped and tore at not only the combatants, but also their families, friends, and the way they lived their lives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An absolute must for any student of the Pacific Air War
- By Ginger on 10-07-20
By: Jay A. Stout, and others
-
Luck of the Draw
- My Story of the Air War in Europe
- By: Frank Murphy, Chloe Melas, Elizabeth Murphy
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Murphy, Jonas Moore, Chloe Melas
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 52
Beginning on August 17, 1942, American heavy bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force took off for combat in the hostile skies over occupied Europe. The final price was staggering. 4,300 B-17s and B-24s failed to return; nearly 21,000 men were taken prisoner or interned in a neutral country, and a further 17,650 made the ultimate sacrifice. Luck of the Draw is more than a war story. It’s the incredible, inspiring story of Frank Murphy, one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group, who cheated death for months in a German POW camp.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Personal Accounting that the Narrator Destroyed
- By David Sajben on 03-09-23
By: Frank Murphy, and others
-
The Women with Silver Wings
- The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
- By: Katherine Sharp Landdeck
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 236
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 211
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 211
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Cornelia Fort was already in the air. At 22, Fort had escaped Nashville’s debutante scene for a fresh start as a flight instructor in Hawaii. She and her student were in the middle of a lesson when the bombs began to fall, and they barely made it back to ground. Still, when the US Army Air Forces put out a call for women pilots to aid the war effort, Fort was one of the first to respond. She became one of just over 1,100 women from across the nation to make it through the Army’s rigorous selection process and earn her silver wings.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
To Remember
- By erica skipton on 05-11-20
-
An Album of Memories
- Personal Histories from the Greatest Generation
- By: Tom Brokaw
- Narrated by: Tom Brokaw, a full cast
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33
In this beautiful American family album of stories from the Greatest Generation, the history of life as it was lived during the Depression and World War II comes alive and is preserved in people’s own words.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A heart touching story
- By Randall on 07-03-16
By: Tom Brokaw
-
Escape from Paris
- A True Story of Love and Resistance in Wartime France
- By: Stephen Harding
- Narrated by: Maxwell Hamilton
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Based on official American, French, and German documents, histories, personal memoirs, and the author's interviews with several of the story's key participants, Escape from Paris crosses the traditional lines of World War II history with tense drama of air combat over Europe, the intrigue of occupied Paris, and courageous American and Allied pilots and French resistance fighters pitted against Nazi thugs. All of this set in one of the world's most beautiful and captivating cities.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Listen
- By MDowns on 03-07-20
By: Stephen Harding
-
Forgotten
- The Untold Story of D-day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War
- By: Linda Hervieux
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 287
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 257
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 255
In the early hours of June 6, 1944, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a unit of African American soldiers, landed on the beaches of France. Their orders were to man a curtain of armed balloons meant to deter enemy aircraft. One member of the 320th would be nominated for the Medal of Honor, an award he would never receive because the nation's highest decoration was not given to black soldiers in World War II.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
What I did not know
- By Elvis C. on 08-07-18
By: Linda Hervieux
-
Inferno
- By: Joe Pappalardo
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 39
Joe Pappalardo's Inferno tells the true story of the men who flew the deadliest missions of World War II, and an unlikely hero who received the Medal of Honor in the midst of the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great listen I
- By Amazon Customer on 06-21-21
By: Joe Pappalardo
-
Soaring to Glory
- A Tuskegee Airman's Firsthand Account of World War II
- By: Philip Handleman, Lt. Col. Harry T. Stewart Jr.
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 105
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 87
He had to sit in a segregated rail car on the journey to army basic training in Mississippi in 1943. But two years later, the 20-year-old African American from New York was at the controls of a P-51, prowling for Luftwaffe aircraft at 5,000 feet over the Austrian countryside. This is the remarkable true story of Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr., one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. Award-winning aviation writer Philip Handleman re-creates the harrowing action and heart-pounding drama of Stewart's combat missions....
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointed these extraordinary Men...
- By Damian on 04-20-20
By: Philip Handleman, and others
-
A Tomb Called Iwo Jima
- Firsthand Accounts from Japanese Survivors
- By: Dan King
- Narrated by: Drew Bott
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 73
Firsthand accounts from Japanese WW II soldiers, sailors, and pilots who fought in the battle for Iwo Jima and survived. Some were evacuated before the Marines landed, and others were taken as prisoners of war. The Japanese army and navy combatants are given a voice to share their experiences in the battle that coined the phrase "uncommon valor was a common virtue".
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Surprising and shocking. It explains a lot.
- By Maggie on 07-18-20
By: Dan King
-
The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line
- Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of World War II
- By: Major General Mari K. Eder US Army (Ret.)
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunn
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 228
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 198
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 197
For fans of Radium Girls and history and WWII buffs, The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line takes you inside the lives and experiences of 15 unknown women heroes from the Greatest Generation, the women who served, fought, struggled, and made things happen during WWII - in and out of uniform, for theirs is a legacy destined to embolden generations of women to come.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Ending very poorly done
- By Jacqueline Bailey on 10-03-21
-
The Long Gray Line
- The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966
- By: Rick Atkinson
- Narrated by: Adam Barr, Rick Atkinson
- Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 110
A classic of its kind, The Long Gray Line is the 25-year saga of the West Point class of 1966. With a novelist's eye for detail, Rick Atkinson illuminates this powerful story through the lives of three classmates and the women they loved - from the boisterous cadet years, to the fires of Vietnam, to the hard peace and internal struggles that followed the war.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
His First Book-It Stands With All the Others
- By Richard Bretzing on 07-22-21
By: Rick Atkinson
-
The Wild Blue
- The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Jeffrey DeMunn
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 877
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 780
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 780
The very young men who flew the B24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds were an exemplary band of brothers. In The Wild Blue, Stephen Ambrose recounts their extraordinary brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship. Stephen Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and chose those few who would undertake the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Required Reading
- By Lyle on 11-22-11
-
Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts
- The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 102
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 63
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 64
In this extraordinary audiobook, Robert D. Kaplan lets listeners experience up close the American military worldwide in the air, at sea, and on the ground. Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts provides a riveting ground-level portrait of the Global War on Terrorism on several continents.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Tedious is the Best Description
- By Samuel on 02-15-11
By: Robert D. Kaplan
-
And If I Perish
- Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II
- By: Evelyn M. Monahan, Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 21 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 99
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 99
In World War II, 59,000 women voluntarily risked their lives for their country as US Army nurses. For more than half a century these women's experiences remained untold, almost without reference in books, historical societies, or military archives. After years of research and hundreds of hours of interviews, Evelyn M. Monahan and Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee have created a dramatic narrative that at last brings to light the critical role that women played throughout the war.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Mind blown! I learned so much!
- By Christine Ciana Calabrese on 05-08-22
By: Evelyn M. Monahan, and others
-
Hit the Target
- Eight Men Who Led the Eighth Air Force to Victory over the Luftwaffe
- By: Bill Yenne
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
Less than a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US Army formed its first air force designated to operate overseas, the Eighth. Within four months they had set up base in England. Three months later they were bombing German targets in occupied Europe. The Eighth was the first bomber command on either side to commit to strategic daylight bombing. It was a major change in tactics - and the men of the Eighth paid the price in both lives and blood.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Lots of history, kinda boring.
- By Annie on 11-12-23
By: Bill Yenne
What listeners say about The Other Veterans of World War II: Stories from Behind the Front Lines
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joy
- 02-24-24
Riveting Stories
One listen is not going to be enough! You’re going to want to listen again and again and highlight the hard copy too! This book is well written, well researched, well read, thought provoking and informative. From the prologue to the epilogue, Simmons displays the perfect balance of what was happening in the world and what happened with these 19 heroes, who would never call themselves such. A must read for Americans of all ages. Let’s not forget these men and women who gave their lives for our country. Thank you Rona Simmons for telling us their stories.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!