Air Apaches Audiobook By Jay A. Stout cover art

Air Apaches

The True Story of the 345th Bomb Group and Its Low, Fast, and Deadly Missions in World War II

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Air Apaches

By: Jay A. Stout
Narrated by: Robertson Dean
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About this listen

The American 345th Bomb Group - the Air Apaches - was legendary in the war against Japan. The first fully trained and fully equipped group sent to the South Pacific, the 345th racked up a devastating score against the enemy. Armed to the teeth with machine guns and fragmentation bombs, and flying their B-25s at impossibly low altitudes - often below 50 feet - the pilots and air crews strafed and bombed enemy installations and shipping with a fury that helped cripple Japan. One of the sharpest tools in the US arsenal, the 345th performed essential missions during Gen. Douglas MacArthur's campaigns in New Guinea and the Philippines, earning an impressive four Distinguished Unit Citations. This was punishingly dangerous work, and the 345th lost 177 aircraft and 712 men - young men doing their duty in the spirit of the Greatest Generation. Neither was this the more gentlemanly war of Europe, with its more temperate climate, resistance networks aiding downed crews, and POW camps. Airmen shot down in the Pacific theater faced drowning in the ocean, disappearing in the jungle, or torturing and beheading by the Japanese in a war of no quarter expected, no quarter given. A compelling follow-up to Stout's Hell's Angels, Air Apaches reconstructs the missions of the 345th Bomb Group in striking detail, with laser focus on the men who manned the cockpits, navigated the B-25s, dropped the bombs, serviced the planes, and helped win the war. To tell this remarkable story, Stout worked closely with the group's surviving veterans and dug deep into firsthand accounts. The result is a compelling narrative of men at war that will keep listeners on the edge of their seats.

©2019 Jay A. Stout (P)2019 Audible, Inc.
United States World War II Transportation Aviation War Air Force Military US Air Force
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What listeners say about Air Apaches

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Excellent WWII combat aviation history!

This book traces the progression of men from their initial training in the states through their transport to the Pacific Theater on through their many bases and assorted missions.

Their stories are told in a sober manner that dignifies their combat actions without glamorizing it. Sadly, it hits home just how very many men were killed and injured during operations, often in the mere blink of an eye.

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4 people found this helpful

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Insightful

A must read for those interested in the history of Word War II, especially in Pacific, I would also recommend the book Last Lieutenant, about Iwo Jima .

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1 person found this helpful

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engaging and Powerful

a very moving story of young men at War. Beautifully told with many personal insights provided by letters, journals Etc.

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1 person found this helpful

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Great Story

A lesser known part of the Pacific War. Absolutely amazing what these men and units did. True pioneers and heroes whose exploits should be better known
Missing from the story is the Japanese side of the battles. These units were devastating but some of the battles are viewed differently.
Check out Bruce Gamble's Rabaul trilogy

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7 people found this helpful

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outstanding history of the group.

great history of the group. I own a B25 that had service history with the 41st bomb group... 7th Air Force. The 345 group is the single most famous of all the B25 groups. this book is a great history

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

This is an exciting book on the lives of the men who were in the Air Apaches. It offers a view of the war in the Pacific from the eyes of different people and no two people have the same exact experience so it is at no point back and white.

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Good not overly outstanding

The real downfall of this book was, chapters would end leaving; the listener with what happened to the rest of the information about a person or situation in that could have finished in a satisfactory manner.
I've listened to other books written by this author and have never heard these types of, or quick endings which left one hanging with WTF just happened.

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Brings Family History to light

I grew up listening to my dad's stories of the Air Apaches, and looking through his worn out album of the group. It brought tears to my eye listening to the story of his plane "Gremlins Holiday" being shot down, and the rescue under fire.

Well done, and great way to honor the men of the 345th, who fought a forgotten war, in a forgotten part of the world. But their actions set up the eventual defeat of the Japanese Empire.

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1 person found this helpful

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fantastic book

great stories from WWII about the exploits and legend of the 345th Bomb Wing. worth every second!

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I was surprised

I started it then had a hard time starting again because it is so much detail history. After I got used to the style, I seriously enjoyed it. So glad I read it through to the end.

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