Marked for Death
The First War in the Air
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Narrated by:
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Gildart Jackson
About this listen
A dramatic and fascinating account of aerial combat during World War I, revealing the terrible risks taken by the men who fought and died in the world's first war in the air.
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: of flimsy planes and unprotected pilots; of burning, screaming 19-year-olds falling to their deaths; of pilots blinded by the entrails of their observers.
James Hamilton-Paterson also reveals how four years of war produced profound changes both in the aircraft themselves, and in military attitudes and strategy. By 1918 it was widely accepted that domination of the air above the battlefield was crucial to military success, a realization that would change the nature of warfare forever.
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Story
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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The Unsubstantial Air
- American Fliers in the First World War
- By: Samuel Hynes
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The Unsubstantial Air is the gripping story of the Americans who fought and died in the aerial battles of World War I. Much more than a traditional military history, it is an account of the excitement of becoming a pilot and flying in combat over the Western Front, told through the voices of the aviators themselves. A World War II pilot himself, the memoirist and critic Samuel Hynes revives the adventurous young men who inspired his own generation to take to the sky.
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Great info poorly arranged
- By Joseph P. on 05-22-15
By: Samuel Hynes
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Lords of the Sky
- Fighter Pilots and Air Combat, from the Red Baron to the F-16
- By: Dan Hampton
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The New York Times best-selling author of Viper Pilot and retired USAF F-16 legend Dan Hampton offers the first comprehensive popular history of combat aviation - a unique, entertaining, and action-packed look at the aces of the air and their machines, from the Red Baron and his triplane in World War I to today's technologically expert flying warriors in supersonic jets.
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Great history, but ending goes off-topic
- By Lugal on 07-31-14
By: Dan Hampton
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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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The Silver Waterfall
- How America Won the War in the Pacific at Midway
- By: Brendan Simms, Steven McGregor
- Narrated by: David DeVries
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The Battle of Midway was, on paper, an improbable victory for the smaller, less experienced American navy and air force, so much so that it was quickly described as “a miracle.” This new history demonstrates that luck, let alone miracles, had little to do with it. In The Silver Waterfall, Brendan Simms and Steven McGregor show how the efforts of America’s peacetime navy combined with creative innovations made by designers and industrialists were largely responsible for the victory.
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Read "The Silver Waterfall"
- By Tiffany Gemas on 06-17-22
By: Brendan Simms, and others
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Wings on My Sleeve
- By: Eric 'Winkle' Brown
- Narrated by: Cameron Stewart
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The autobiography of one of the greatest pilots in history. In 1939 Eric Brown was on a University of Edinburgh exchange course in Germany, and the first he knew of the war was when the Gestapo came to arrest him. They released him, not realising he was a pilot in the RAF volunteer reserve - and the rest is history. Eric Brown joined the Fleet Air Arm and went on to be the greatest test pilot in history, flying more different aircraft types than anyone else.
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Fascinating memoir
- By Jean on 07-05-16
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Forgotten Fifteenth
- The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler's War Machine
- By: Barrett Tillman
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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November 1943 to May 1945. The US Army Air Forces waged an unprecedentedly dogged and violent campaign against Hitler's vital oil production and industrial plants on theThird Reich's southern flank. Flying from southern Italy, far from the limelight enjoyed by the Eighth Air Force in England, the Fifteenth Air Force engaged in high-risk missions spanning most of the European continent. The story of the Fifteenth Air Force deserves a prideful place in the annals of American gallantry.
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Well written ...; felt like I was a door gunner.
- By David C. Miller on 12-08-21
By: Barrett Tillman
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Terror of the Autumn Skies
- The True Story of Frank Luke, America's Rogue Ace of World War I
- By: Blaine Pardoe
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Frank Luke, Jr., was an unlikely pilot. In the Great War, when fliers were still "knights of the air", Luke was an ungallant loner, a kid from Arizona who collected tarantulas, shot buzzards, and boxed miners. But during two torrid weeks in September 1918, he was the deadliest man on the Western Front. In only 10 missions, he destroyed 14 heavily defended German balloons and four airplanes, a rampage unequalled even by the dreaded von Richtofen, and the second highest American tally of the entire war.
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Terror of the Autumn skies
- By K. Nelson on 11-25-19
By: Blaine Pardoe
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Lucky 666
- The Impossible Mission
- By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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From the authors of the New York Times best-selling The Heart of Everything That Is and Halsey's Typhoon comes the dramatic untold story of a daredevil bomber pilot and his misfit crew who fly their lone B-17 into the teeth of the Japanese Empire in 1943, engage in the longest dogfight in history, and change the momentum of the war in the Pacific - but not without making the ultimate sacrifice.
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A WWII Pacific Tale
- By A. L. DeWitt on 11-15-16
By: Bob Drury, and others
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The German Aces Speak
- World War II Through the Eyes of Four of the Luftwaffe's Most Important Commanders
- By: Anne-Marie Lewis, Jon Guttman, Brigadier General Robin Olds USAF - Ret., and others
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Few perspectives epitomize the sheer drama and sacrifice of combat more perfectly than those of the fighter pilots of World War II. As romanticized as any soldier in history, the World War II fighter pilot was viewed as larger than life: a dashing soul waging war amongst the clouds. In the 65-plus years since the Allied victory, stories of these pilots' heroics have never been in short supply. But what about their adversaries - the highly skilled German aviators who pushed the Allies to the very brink of defeat?
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Not what I hoped for
- By Michael Jacobi on 09-01-20
By: Anne-Marie Lewis, and others
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Aces Falling
- War Above the Trenches, 1918
- By: Peter Hart
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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At the beginning of 1918, the great aces seemed invincible. Flying above the battlefields of the Western Front, they cut a deadly swathe through the ranks of their enemies, as each side struggled to keep control of the air. This audiobook charts the rise and fall of the WWI aces in the context of the vast battles that were taking place in 1918. It shows the vital importance of reconnaissance, and how large formations of aircraft became the norm - bringing an end to the era of the old, heroic 'lone wolves'.
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A MUST READ for students of military aviation
- By B Taub on 03-03-20
By: Peter Hart
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When Tigers Ruled the Sky
- The Flying Tigers: American Outlaw Pilots over China in World War II
- By: Bill Yenne
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1940 Pearl Harbor had not yet happened, and America was not yet at war with Japan. But China had been trying to stave off Japanese aggression for three years - and was desperate for aircraft and trained combat pilots. General Chiang Kai-shek sent military aviation advisor Claire Chennault to Washington, where President Roosevelt was sympathetic but knew he could not intervene overtly. Instead he quietly helped Chennault put together a group of American volunteer pilots.
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A Well Written Historical Perspective
- By Donald Hill on 11-21-17
By: Bill Yenne
What listeners say about Marked for Death
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Carolyn Goddard
- 06-01-21
Pronunciation
Pronunciation of German words was at times so bad as to impede comprehension. Otherwise, it was a good reading.
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- brad b.
- 12-27-21
Wonderful
I would recommend for those who wish to understand how WWI accelerated the research and development of aircraft as well as the extreme risks taken by the pilots.
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- B Taub
- 04-13-17
Not a swashbuckler but has some interesting stuff
While this book definitely contained a number of accounts of flying with the RFC in WW1, it wasn't as lively as some other books (e.g. Open Cockpit, which is referenced in this book). It does, however, contain a number of facts about the early days of the RFC and RAF.
It is probably important to note that this book is specifically about the RFC / RAF. It touches on the air services of other countries only when necessary to complete a point. In fact, the book ends with details of how the RFC evolved into the RAF of 2015 and the author's feelings about that evolution.
As opposed to most accounts of WW1 aviation, this one is not chronological. It, instead, builds chapters around topics of interest. For example, there are chapters on the 1914 -
1918 evolutions in: aircraft design (teaching, among other things, why biplanes were favored over monoplanes - a reason different than most people think), aviation medicine, pilot lives, and armament.
I thought the narrator was quite good, picking up decent accents to represent people from various countries. It seemed that there were a few mispronunciations but I suspect these were actually just differences between the way that words are pronounced in the UK and here in the US.
So, while I prefer first person flying stories that provide facts from the time (Open Cockpit is really a great listen for anyone so interested), this was a fine book for any World War One aviation enthusiast interested in learning facts that aren't generally covered in books of this genre.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Just_Shoppin
- 11-13-20
Background AIR History of WWI
Enjoyed this book, this fills in the evolution of air warfare. Ever wonder why some planes had two wings and others three or even four? Many personal stories sourced from aviator diaries. Its not a novel with a main character and a plot. This is more of a reference educational piece in line with most historical books. Some chapters put you right in the seat of the pilots.
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- Cleavo761
- 08-03-21
Good book, but will probably bore most people.
It reads like a text book and is loaded with stats and facts of early aviation focusing mostly on its impact on WWI. it's a decent book with lots of information and stories, but i doubt most people will find it to be an entertaining and fun book unless you love airplanes and early aviation.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-29-21
Very informative
It took the glamour out of WWI flying aces, like the Red Baron, showing how dangerous early aerial battles were. Pilots were as likely to be killed by their planes as by the enemy.
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- Ellis D Vener
- 01-22-21
I thought I knew a lot about the air war in WWI. I was wrong
This magnificent book fills in a great many details about the general social political and engineering aspects of WWI. The focus is primarily on Great Britain, and secondarily on Germany and France with scant mention of the USA, and czarist Russia.
The writing is sharp and the narration witty.
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- Bowen Florsheim
- 07-04-21
EXCELLENT
Superb both story and performance. Sorry to reach the end and worth a second listen.
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- MD
- 10-16-20
This is the real air war
Excellent account of the war in the air from the earliest days in 1914 to the bitter end. Detailed, but never dull. I learned so much from this audio book...and I already thought I knew something. Highly recommended.
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- Rodney W. Schmisseur
- 06-22-24
Those gallant young men… a story well told
An amazingly thorough, thoughtful, and thrilling tale of the Air War in World War I from the British perspective. The science, the machines, the men, and the experience is wonderfully told. An absolute delight from start to finish. Well-written, excellently narrated, and engaging from start to finish.
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