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Above and Beyond
- The Incredible Story of Frank Luke Jr., Arizona's Medal of Honor Flying Ace of the First World War
- Narrated by: Joseph Mick
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
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Publisher's summary
Above and Beyond is the incredible true story of Frank Luke Jr., the first aviator to receive the Medal of Honor. When America entered the First World War in 1917, Luke became a fighter pilot in the newly formed US Army Air Service and was soon serving with a combat squadron in France.
Seen as a "high-strung, excitable boy," scorned by his squadron mates, and frequently at odds with his commanders, Luke soon became one of the most revered fighter aces on the Western Front. Exhibiting great audacity and skill in combat, he quickly racked up an impressive number of air-to-air victories, many of them against heavily-defended observation balloons which few pilots dared to attack.
Above and Beyond chronicles Luke's most daring mission of all on September 29, 1918, which cost him his life, and for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
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At the turn of the twentieth century two new technologies—the car and airplane—took the nation's imagination by storm as they burst, like comets, into American life. The brave souls that leaped into these dangerous contraptions and pushed them to unexplored extremes became new American heroes: the race car driver and the flying ace. No individual did more to create and intensify these raw new roles than the tall, gangly Eddie Rickenbacker, who defied death over and over with such courage and pluck that a generation of Americans came to know his face better than the president's.
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A true ace, and an example for us all.
- By Gotta Tellya on 08-20-14
By: John F. Ross
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Vanished Hero
- The Life, War and Mysterious Disappearance of America’s WWII Strafing King
- By: Jay A. Stout
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A hell-bent-for-leather fighter pilot, Elwyn G. Righetti remains one of the most unknown, yet compelling, colorful, and controversial commanders of World War II. Arriving late to the war, he led the England-based 55th Fighter Group against the Nazis during the closing months of the fight with a no-holds-barred aggressiveness that transformed the group from a middling organization of no reputation into a headline-grabbing team that had to make excuses to no one. Indeed, Righetti's boldness paid off as he quickly achieved ace status.
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Great Performance for a Great Story!
- By Carter L. on 11-03-17
By: Jay A. Stout
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Fighting the Flying Circus
- By: Eddie V. Rickenbacker
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker, originally from Ohio, was best known as one of the commanders of the 94th "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron, a crack unit of World War I pilots that included many former members of the famed Lafayette Escadrille. The 94th ended the war in France with the highest number of air victories of any American squadron.
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World War 1 ace
- By Jean on 09-25-12
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Angels in the Sky
- How a Band of Volunteer Airmen Saved the New State of Israel
- By: Robert Gandt
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Angels in the Sky is the gripping story of how an all-volunteer air force helped defeat five Arab nations and protect the fledgling Jewish state. It is the exhilarating account of a ragtag band of volunteer airmen from around the world who fought for Israel during the war of independence. They arrived from America, Canada, Britain, France, and South Africa. Almost all were World War II combat veterans. Many, but not all, were Jewish, and many knowingly violated their nations' embargoes on the shipment of arms and aircraft to Israel.
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Truly excellent story - highly recommended
- By Shimon on 03-21-19
By: Robert Gandt
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Big Week
- The Biggest Air Battle of World War II
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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During the third week of February 1944, the combined Allied air forces based in Britain and Italy launched their first round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. Their goal: to smash the main factories and production centers of the Luftwaffe while also drawing German planes into an aerial battle of attrition to neutralize the Luftwaffe as a fighting force prior to the cross-channel invasion, planned for a few months later. Officially called Operation ARGUMENT, this aerial offensive quickly became known as “Big Week,” and it was one of the turning-points of World War II.
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War in the Air: Sets stage with gripping narrative
- By Nashville Cat on 11-17-18
By: James Holland
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The Mighty Eighth
- The Air War in Europe as Told by the Men Who Fought It
- By: Gerald Astor
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 23 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Europe has fallen. Pearl Harbor is in flames. Enter: the Eighth. In 1941 the RAF fought a desperate battle of survival against the Luftwaffe over Britain. Then, from across the Atlantic, came a new generation of American pilots, gunners, and bombardiers, a new generation of flying machines called the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 Liberator, the P-47 Thunderbolt, and the P-51 Mustang fighter.
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A Good Listen with 1 problem
- By Matthew Schuller on 08-23-19
By: Gerald Astor
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Hell Above Earth
- The Incredible True Story of an American WWII Bomber Commander and the Copilot Ordered to Kill Him
- By: Stephen Frater
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Hell Above Earth tells an unforgettable story of two World War II American bomber pilots who forged an unexpected but enduring bond in the flak-filled skies over Nazi Germany. But there's a twist: one of them was related to the head of the Luftwaffe, Reich Marshal Herman Goering, and the other had secret orders from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to kill him if anything went wrong during their missions.
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A very unusual story
- By David on 10-15-12
By: Stephen Frater
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Kangaroo Squadron
- American Courage in the Darkest Days of World War II
- By: Bruce Gamble
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In early 1942, while the American military was still in disarray from the devastating attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, a single US Army squadron advanced to the far side of the world to face America's new enemy. Based in Australia with inadequate supplies and no ground support, the squadron's pilots and combat crew endured tropical diseases while confronting numerically superior Japanese forces. Yet the outfit, dubbed the Kangaroo Squadron, proved remarkably resilient and successful.
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5 star History!
- By DON COOKE on 03-13-19
By: Bruce Gamble
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Marked for Death
- The First War in the Air
- By: James Hamilton-Paterson
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Little more than 10 years after the first powered flight, aircraft were pressed into service in World War I. Nearly forgotten in the war's massive overall death toll, some 50,000 aircrew would die in the combatant nations' fledgling air forces. The romance of aviation had a remarkable grip on the public imagination, propaganda focusing on gallant air "aces" who become national heroes. The reality was horribly different. Marked for Death debunks popular myth to explore the brutal truths of wartime aviation.
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Excellent
- By Amazon Customer on 08-20-16
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The Battle of Britain
- Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 26 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The Battle of Britain paints a stirring picture of an extraordinary summer when the fate of the world hung by a thread. Historian James Holland has now written the definitive account of those months based on extensive new research from around the world, including thousands of new interviews with people on both sides of the battle.
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The battle up to The Battle of Britain
- By Chiefkent on 11-07-17
By: James Holland
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Mission
- Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe
- By: Robert Matzen, Leonard Maltin - foreward
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In March 1941 Jimmy Stewart, America's boy next door and recent Academy Award winner, left fame and fortune behind and joined the United States Army Air Corps to fulfill his family mission and serve his country. He rose from private to colonel and participated in 20 often-brutal World War II combat missions over Germany and France. In mere months the war took away his boyish looks as he faced near-death experiences and the loss of men under his command. The war finally won, he returned home with millions of other veterans to face an uncertain future.
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SKIP THIS ONE
- By G-Man on 05-13-18
By: Robert Matzen, and others
What listeners say about Above and Beyond
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Carson S.
- 01-17-18
Brief but Engrossing
Any additional comments?
While a short book, it achieves what I assume to be its main goals of telling an important story, and engaging the reader/listener. The author spends about 15 minutes on Frank Luke Jr.'s childhood, as well as some time on his entrance into flying and some relevant aspects of the war itself so that the main story does not sit alone in a vacuum.
It's very clear that as much research as possible was done, and the author mentions when facts are not known for certain or there are differing versions of the same event. Because of this, there's not much detail in the 'battle scenes' of the book - aerial victories are most "he shot down the enemy," missing the blow-by-blow accounts that a memoir would have - though I prefer this approach over the author having invented his own version of events.
Occasionally the wording of the book sounds like it's trying a bit hard to be dramatic, and the author frequently changes between referring to Frank Luke Jr. as "Frank" or "Luke" without any consistency that I could tell.
The narrator does a good job, with the audio being clear and constant volume. Occasionally a foreign word was mis-pronounced, but most were not, and comma pauses are longer than I'm comfortable with - but the sample provided is accurate to the rest of the book for buyers to decide for themselves.
Despite minor gripes, this was definitely a book that I didn't want to pause or put down. Chapters vary from 6-23 minutes and line up with the book chapters, making it easy to know when your next break is coming.
I was provided this audiobook at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
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- Cycletrash56
- 01-30-18
I Didn't Know!
I was provided this free review copy audio book by the author or narrator." This review is for the audio copy of: Above and Beyond: the Incredible Story of Frank Luke Jr., Arizona’s Medal of Honor Flying Ace of the First World War by Keith Warren Lloyd and narrated by Joseph Mick. I had always wondered how Luke Air Force Base came by its name. I have lived in Az for 51 years, much of it in the vicinity of the air base. This book explained it to me. This was a great history book about a great person. I really enjoyed storyline, the way it was laid out and the progression. The Narrator did a great job of reading it. His inflection, cadence, and timbre made it easy to listen to. I recommend this book and narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Benjamin
- 01-12-18
Exciting tale of a great warrior.
If you could sum up Above and Beyond in three words, what would they be?
Fun, Exciting, Tragic
What other book might you compare Above and Beyond to and why?
This is a difficult question for me because this book was outside of my usual fare. I enjoyed the book quite a bit.
What does Joseph Mick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He narrated the book very well and made it so that I could enjoy it. Very well done.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I did feel for Frank Luke when he found out about his friend.
Any additional comments?
I requested a free review copy of this audiobook and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.
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- Vicky
- 01-10-18
WWI Dragon Hunter
A gripping biographical account of the valorous service of a 21 year old American in WWI, against German Observation Balloon crews in France; Above and Beyond jumps right into the heroic life of a young officer who pursued the enemy relentlessly. The German "Drachen" (dragon) balloons were used to collect information on troop movements, and taking them out became a primary goal for Frank Luke, Jr.
The book reveals the trials and heart-rending struggles of those of German descent during the war, when their own loyalty was called into question. In just a few weeks time, Luke became the Ace of Aces, before he died in battle. The book reveals the human side of war, and how deep the struggles ran on and off the battlefields.
I requested and received a free review copy of the Audible version. The narration was performed superbly by Joseph Mick. The Audible version of the 118 page book is about a 2.5 hour read. I highly recommend Above and Beyond for readers interested in aviation, and WWI history.
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- Claire
- 02-03-18
A gripping account
This biography is well written. It briefly covers Frank's childhood and how that shaped him ass a person and then focuses on his service in the air force during WW1.
It's well written and I liked that it was specific about when it uses recorded events and when there is conjecture about what occurred.
A brave and driven young man and a tragic ending. This is well worth listening to.
The narrator did a good job, the pacing and tone work well with the material.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
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- DK
- 02-13-18
Great Material – Not Great for Audio
This is a biography of a World War I aviator and Medal of Honor recipient (posthumously.)
As an audiobook this was not good material for a performance. It was full of facts, information and lots of references to Frank Luke Jr.'s shenanigans. There was no story to perform, it was more of a laundry list of accomplishments (he was a true patriot), great for research.
If you would take a moment and select 'helpful' directly below, I would really appreciate it. Please consider following me on Audible.
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- Kingsley
- 02-12-18
Good information but stylistically lacking
Above and Beyond tells of Frank Luke Jr., a World War One aviator who was posthumously awards the Medal of Honor. The book tells of his character and upbringing, how he did not get along with most of his fellow pilots (he comes across as arrogant or overconfident, while also standoffish), and how he pushed the skills and abilities of the team beyond what was thought to be possible.
For research and information this book could be 5 -stars. It covers a piece of history that is not overdone in books - the air war of world war one - and goes into great details about the people, planes, tactics etc. It is just let down by generally humdrum, stilted, and occasionally jumbled writing. The narration doesn't help at times either, as it too is stilted in places.
The book jumps around a bit within chapters, as it runs off on tangents or telling backstories or technical details. While hugely informative, it doesn't flow great.
Narration by Joseph Mick is okay. He takes some time to warm up to the book, with the first few chapters not flowing well and there being awkward pauses throughout the sentences. But once he get going this (mostly) drops away.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
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