The Wrong Stuff
The Adventures and Misadventures of an 8th Air Force Aviator
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Narrated by:
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James Killavey
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By:
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Truman Smith
About this listen
Between April and July 1944, Truman Smith flew 35 bombing missions over France and Germany. He was only 20 years old. Although barely adults, Smith and his peers worried about cramming a lifetime's worth of experience into every free night, each knowing he probably would not survive the next bombing mission. Written with blunt honesty, wry humor, and insight, The Wrong Stuff is Smith's gripping memoir of that time. In a new preface, the author comments with equal honesty and humor on the impact this book has had on his life.
©1996 Truman and Margot Smith Trust (P)2014 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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This insightful chronicle takes listeners inside the experiences of America's fighter pilots and bomber crews, an incredible assortment of men who, in nearly four years of warfare all over the globe, suffered over 120,000 casualties, with over 40,000 killed. Their stories span the Earth, into every corner of the combat theaters in both Europe and the Pacific. And the aircraft explored are as varied, tough, and legendary as the men who flew them.
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Twelve O'Clock High Unabridged
- By Chiefkent on 05-23-17
By: John C. McManus
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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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Tail-End Charley
- Stories from an American Fighter Pilot in World War II
- By: James E. Brown
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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On his 19th birthday, James E. Brown tries to fake to his flight instructor that he has flown before. On his 21st birthday, Brown is on his way home after logging 85 missions in a P-47 fighter over Italy, France, and Germany. Brown's stories surrounding his training and combat experiences in World War II reveal brushes with death, continuous peril and, ultimately, a coming of age for a young man whose freshman year in college becomes instead a heroic engagement with one of the fiercest enemies his country has ever encountered.
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Good read !
- By kevin on 06-19-18
By: James E. Brown
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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
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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
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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.
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Required Reading
- By Lyle on 11-22-11
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Warriors at 500 Knots
- Intense Stories of Valiant Crews Flying the Legendary F-4 Phantom II in the Vietnam Air War.
- By: Robert F Kirk
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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As the ground war struggled for success in Vietnam, it became intensely clear that the skies had to be owned by the allies for victory to have a chance. It was the F-4 and its pilots that made that possible. The author, a Phantom pilot himself, details intense stories of undaunted and valiant American pilots with their legendary fierce Phantom. These are personal stories of intrepid courage and self-sacrifice to get the mission done - whatever the cost.
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Great Material
- By Mark Murphy on 12-31-14
By: Robert F Kirk
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War for the Hell of It
- A Fighter Pilot's View of Vietnam
- By: Ed Cobleigh
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In War for the Hell of It, Cobleigh shares his perspectives in a deeply personal account of a fighter pilot's life, one filled with moral ambiguity and military absurdities offset by the undeniable thrill of flying a fighter plane. With well-crafted prose that puts you into his Phantom's cockpit, Cobleigh vividly recounts the unexplainable loss of his wingman, the useless missions he flew, the need to trust his reflexes, eyesight, aggressiveness, and his survival instincts in the heat of combat.
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Best book on the USAF air war in Vietnam.
- By S. Mersereau on 08-26-16
By: Ed Cobleigh
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The First Heroes
- The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raid
- By: Craig Nelson
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 17 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Immediately after Japan's December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt sought to restore the honor of the United States with a dramatic act of vengeance: a retaliatory bombing raid on Tokyo itself. In those early days of World War II, America was ill-prepared for any sort of warfare. But FDR was not to be dissuaded, and at his bidding a squadron of scarcely trained army fliers, led by the famous daredevil Jimmy Doolittle, set forth on what everyone regarded as a suicide mission.
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Heroic Attempt
- By William on 07-20-04
By: Craig Nelson
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Man Who Flew The Memphis Belle
- By: Robert Morgan, Ron Powers
- Narrated by: uncredited
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
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As a young man growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, Robert Morgan was a fast-driving party boy - a hell-raiser. But when his mother committed suicide upon learning she had inoperable brain cancer, Morgan's life changed dramatically. He was no longer a carefree playboy; he was a man searching for meaning. He found that meaning at the controls of an airplane, and in the flak-and fighter-filled skies over Occupied France and Nazi Germany.
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Abridged Version = Butchered
- By Kyle on 01-03-17
By: Robert Morgan, and others
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Wingman #1
- Wingman
- By: Mack Maloney
- Narrated by: Terence Aselford
- Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins
- Abridged
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Disarmed and leaderless, the United States is united no longer! Evil Russian warlords have reduced the Capitol to a smoking pile of radioactive rubble. While the destitute citizens are frozen in a state of panic, one man steps forward to seek retribution. He is a brilliant ace fighter pilot: Hawk Hunter, a lone warrior on a mission to keep alive the indomitable spirit of a forgotten dream called "America".
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Interesting
- By Audiobook Addict on 02-14-11
By: Mack Maloney
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Malta Spitfire
- The Diary of a Fighter Pilot
- By: George Beurling
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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25,000 feet above Malta -- that is where the Spitfires intercepted the Messerschmitts, Macchis and Reggianes as they swept eastwards in their droves, screening the big Junkers with their bomb loads as they pummeled the island beneath -- the most bombed patch of ground in the world.
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Excellent story!
- By MStewart on 02-01-24
By: George Beurling
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To the Limit
- An Air Cav Huey Pilot in Vietnam
- By: Tom A. Johnson
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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From June 1967 to June 1968, Tom Johnson accumulated an astonishing 1,600 flying hours piloting the UH-1 "Iroquois" - better known as the "Huey" - as part of the famous First Air Cavalry Division. His battalion was one of the most decorated units of the Vietnam War, and helped redefine modern warfare. Johnson's riveting memoir takes us into key battles and rescue missions, including those for Hue and Khe Sanh. In harrowing detail, he tells of being shot down in the battle of A Shau Valley, of surviving enemy attacks during the Tet Offensive, and of a death-defying nighttime river rescue.
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Huey pilot's perspective of the 67-68 Vietnam war.
- By Jim on 10-15-18
By: Tom A. Johnson
What listeners say about The Wrong Stuff
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mary
- 12-16-14
Revelation
What did you love best about The Wrong Stuff?
Getting a first hand view of what actually happened.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wrong Stuff?
Their having to make a forced landing..and surviving.
What about James Killavey’s performance did you like?
He did an excellent job. Will be looking for more by him.
Any additional comments?
Never realized the extremely high morality rate and that, until late in the war. the missions were flown without fighter escorts! And how young they were..true American heroes.
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84 people found this helpful
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- Jerry Morelock
- 03-17-15
Enthralling--A Unique WW2 Military Memoir
I've never read a WW2 memoir quite like this, at least by a pilot. Humor, pathos, irreverence, deep introspection--it's all here and often in the same paragraph, and sometimes almost in the same sentence. Smith includes several details we've often wondered about but other authors neglect, like just how one handles "nature's call" in a B-17 at thirty-thousand feet.
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64 people found this helpful
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- Manti
- 03-23-15
A wonderful book!
What made the experience of listening to The Wrong Stuff the most enjoyable?
This was a wonderful book about the European air war during WW II. It is, in turns, funny, tragic and terrifying. It is written from the perspective of a young twenty years old pilot and others like him. We should always be thankful for their courage and resolve. There will never be another generation like theirs.....God bless them every one.
What other book might you compare The Wrong Stuff to and why?
Unbroken only thing that comes close. Bravery under extreme adversity.
Have you listened to any of James Killavey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes I have. I thought the reading was quite good, and while the majority of reviewers so far seem to agree with me, there are a few surprisingly nasty comments about him. I don’t know why. ..Haters? Personal taste? Ya got me. In any case, the way to find out if you will like the narration is simple…listen to the sample. The book is great and the reader, in my opinion does it justice. Don't let me or the few disgruntled ones decide for you..Listen to the sample and judge for yourself. That's what it's there for.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, too long. Took me a few days.
Any additional comments?
I've been listening to audiobooks for many years. This is one of the best.
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61 people found this helpful
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- Stella
- 07-15-15
Excellent
What made the experience of listening to The Wrong Stuff the most enjoyable?
Well read and well written. Powerful first person account.
What does James Killavey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Sounded like the author talking to me. Well done.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Both in various places.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Marcia Vandalsem
- 03-27-15
Sorry this book didnt make the cut for me.
Frankly I couldn't get into the book at all. I actually stopped 5 chapters in.
the Narrator was more like a sports announcer.
I wouldnt recommend this book unless maybe your a war and or plane buff.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jeff Nelson
- 01-29-18
One of the best memoirs of WW2 aviation
I was hooked from the beginning. The author recounted his harrowing experience in a humorous way and with a keen observational wit.
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- Scott R Broadfield
- 09-24-15
Great book
Great insight into the air war over Europe. Narrator cadence distracting, story is worth it.
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- Jack C
- 03-22-22
One of the best books on life as a WW2 B17 Bomber
One of my all time favorite books about WW2. Brilliantly narrated, sad and funny in equal measure. Puts you in the seat of one of the most dangerous jobs of the war - daytime bomber pilot.
The maturity and bravery of these 20 year old pilots navigating across Europe is mind boggling.
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- Patrick
- 12-23-14
Do yourself a great favor. Rich, captivating entertainment
What did you love best about The Wrong Stuff?
Eyewitness history from the different world of 70 years ago, which reads like a modern engrossing novel. Hilarious, absolutely real, grim, satirical, poignant; you can feel the pervasive fear and fatigue and bewilderment experienceid by the flyers in their narrow cramped and frozen spaces. You are reminded of "Catch 22" and yet it's so much better for being real.
What did you like best about this story?
Having a ringside seat to one of the most massive and significant endeavors of human history, from the perspective of a boy from Oklahoma who was amazed by what he was living through.
What about James Killavey’s performance did you like?
The narrators delivery style is perfect for the author's dry wit. We are truly fortunate that the author has created this book, I believe it would take a special person to read this and do it justice; Killavey has done just that. The author described the blacksmith's forge which was the air war above Germany in 1944, the narrator was the blacksmith's hammer.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I am truly concerned that I might have missed this book or that it might not have been created in the first place. Fortunately, it went from the authentic hero's mind to the printed page, but with so many to choose from I might have missed this nugget. But in particular, the author pointed out that the individual who receives a physical wound gets a medal, and yet he wondered about wounds to the mind and the scars you cannot see.
Any additional comments?
There are airplanes and bombs and targets in this book, there are great events and great tragedy, however, the value and the richness of the book is the description of what went on in True's mind and the behaviour of his comrades, it is a very personal account and is timeless.
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96 people found this helpful
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- Joe
- 03-27-15
Couldn't stop once I got into it.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Wonderful, true account of our heroic boys...and they were just boys...during World War 2.Makes you appreciate a bit more what we have today because of them.
What other book might you compare The Wrong Stuff to and why?
Unbroken. Different kind of heroism but heroism nonetheless.
What does James Killavey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Read the story well. Some emotion when needed but did not overdo it. I like that.Some narrators seem to think their performance should be like a stage play and it becomes all about them. Those I don't like. However, this is a personal preference. To make sure you like him, listen to the sample. It's long enough to let you know if you will like his reading, as I did, or not.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Title sounds like a great one for a movie.
Any additional comments?
It usually takes me a week to ten days to finish listening to a book this long. This one took 2 1/2 days. Just couldn't stop once I got into it. It was that good.
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50 people found this helpful