In Defense of Freedom; Stories of Courage and Sacrifice of World War II Army Air Forces Flyers

Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2015. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xx, 461, [7] pages. Inscribed by the author on the title page. Inscription reads: "To Jerry with best wishes--Wolfgang W. E. Samuel, 5/25/2015." Includes Terms and Abbreviations, Acknowledgments, Foreword by James F. Tent, Introduction, Thoughts about Sacrifice and a Terrible War--The Cost of Victory, Notes, Interviews and Photographs, Bibliography, and Index. The 27 stories in this book serve as a graphic reminder of the selfless heroism of America's World War II Army Air Forces flyers, and how necessary they were to achieve Allied victory. The stories in this unique book are about airmen who went face to face with their adversaries, who saw their buddies die, who crashed planes, and who became prisoners of war. Many later went on to become the backbone of the postwar Air Force, serving in Korea and Vietnam and during the Cold War. Wolfgang W.E. Samuel (born February 2, 1935) is a German-born American author and a veteran of the United States Air Force. Born in Germany, ten-year-old Samuel, along with his mother and sister, ran from his home town of Sagan (now aga in Poland) in 1945 as the Red Army approached. As a Flüchtling (refugee), he underwent privation and resettlement in the post-war years. His mother was raped repeatedly, and his grandfather was killed by German communists. He describes how he and his mother eventually settled near a U.S. airbase in western Germany, where his mother met and married an American serviceman. After the family emigrated to the United States, Samuel attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business in 1960, and subsequently the National War College. He flew combat during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three times and multiple Air Medals. He served in the United States Air Force for 30 years, retiring with the rank of colonel in 1985. As of 2015, Samuel has published eight books. The first, German Boy: A Child in War, is a memoir detailing the war years and his post-war life as a refugee, and features a foreword by historian Stephen Ambrose. His second book, I Always Wanted to Fly: America's Cold War Airmen, is a compilation of oral histories of American aviators of the Cold War era. The War of Our Childhood: Memories of World War II, another oral history compilation, tells of twenty-seven Germans who experienced the war as children. American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets, is an account of the efforts made by the United States military to acquire German military technology. Glory Days: The Untold Story of the Men Who Flew the B-66 Destroyer into the Face of Fear recounts some of the adventures of the often unsung crews of the B-66, RB-66 and EB-66 aircraft. Watson's Whizzer's: Operation Lusty and the Race for Nazi Aviation Technology documents the United States' efforts to obtain German aeronautical breakthroughs at the end of World War II. His most recent work is In Defense of Freedom that describes the sacrifices of America's World War II Army Air Force flyers and their contributions to the Allied victory.

The twenty-seven stories in this book serve as a graphic reminder of the selfless heroism of America's World War II Army Air Forces flyers and how necessary they were to achieve Allied victory. Wolfgang Samuel and the pilots he interviewed reveal the peril these men faced to achieve a daunting task, impossible without their bravery. And their sacrifices were stunning--American bomber crews suffered the highest casualties (KIA, MIA, POW, wounded) of all American armed services in World War II. The stories preserved in this book bear that grave danger out. A member of a heavy bomber crew in the 8th Air Force in the period from mid-1942 to spring 1944 was less likely to survive than a US Marine fighting on Iwo Jima or Okinawa. Young Ken Chilstrom led a flight of eight A-36 fighter bombers on a low-level foray in Italy. Only he and two others came home. Bob Hoover thought he could take on the entire German air force, but on his first mission he was shot down, nearly perished, and suffered the remainder of the war in a prisoner-of-war camp. Wolfgang Samuel's new book is all about men like Ken, Bob, and the many friends they lost, who saw World War II through to the end and gave freedom to so many others. Other pilot-authors hold the new book in high esteem. "From Doolittle's Raiders to low-level Thunderbolt pilots to the men who braved flak and fighters in their B-17s, Wolf Samuel effectively conveys the courage of America's World War II flyers," said Tom Jones, a veteran astronaut, Air Force pilot and author of "Sky Walking: An Astronaut's Memoir." "Told in their own words, their gripping stories of air combat remind us of the price our fellow citizens paid to secure our freedom. Wolf's book is both a tribute to the 'greatest generation' and a call to service to today's Americans."

"In Defense of Freedom is an immensely valuable book as well as an exciting and entertaining read," said Dave "Bio" Baranek, a former Navy TOPGUN instructor and the author of "Topgun Days." "Colonel Samuel once again delivers the goods, selecting meaningful episodes from our nation's rich military aviation history and presenting them with his usual storytelling skill. He weaves the strategic situation and personal touches, and he blends technical descriptions with heart-pounding action. The reader comes away informed, entertained, and with great respect for those who have helped keep this country free." Wolfgang W. E. Samuel and the pilots he interviewed reveal the peril these men faced to achieve a daunting task, impossible without their bravery.

And their sacrifices were stunning — American bomber crews suffered the highest casualties (KIA, MIA, POW, wounded) of all American armed services in World War II. The stories preserved in this book bear that grave danger out. A member of a heavy bomber crew in the 8th Air Force in the period from mid-1942 to spring 1944 was less likely to survive than a Marine fighting on Iwo Jima or Okinawa.