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In 1972 Senator George McGovern of South Dakota was the nominee of the Democratic Party
for President of the United States. To a large degree, McGovern's candidacy was based upon
opposition to the war raging in South Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Richard Nixon, the
incumbent President, had been elected in 1968 with a promise to end the war. Four years
later that promise was unfulfilled. McGovern's antiwar campaign brought strong opposition
from many veterans and the organizations to which they belonged. When McGovern appeared
before such groups, his reception was less than enthusiastic. That veterans viewed Senator
McGovern with such disdain was ironic. In truth, he was one of them. In 1944 and 1945
Senator McGovern flew 35 missions as a B-24 bomber pilot over Europe. But for the military
policy limiting missions, the number would have been larger.
Renowned historian and author Stephen Ambrose is a 30-year friend of Senator McGovern. THE
WILD BLUE: The B-24s Over Germany was originally a project commenced by a different
author. Ambrose took on the project at McGovern's request and expanded the story to
include other men with whom he served. In numerous books, Stephen Ambrose has covered the
war in Europe from the land. In THE WILD BLUE the contribution of the B-24 bomber and its
crew is added to the saga. It is a story of courage and heroism that only a writer as
skilled as Ambrose could bring to light. It reminds us once again of the contributions
from the men and women who served in World War II; their efforts saved America and the
World from tyranny.
There were more B-24 airplanes built than any other aircraft in American history. The
Liberator Production Pool of Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, Ford Motor, Douglas
Aircraft, and North American Aviation constructed over 18,000 planes. The B-24 was
operational only during World War II. In a modern era of computer jets and weaponry, it
must be remembered that the B-24 was a bare boned, totally unrefined flying machine. It
lacked heat despite outside air temperatures that could reach as cold as 50 degrees below
zero. Pilots maneuvered the plane by brute strength and, because the B-24 lacked
windshield wipers, often navigated by sticking their heads out the window. The plane
existed and was flown for one purpose only, to carry 500 and 1,000 pound bombs to be
dropped on enemy targets. For that role, the Army Air Force needed thousands of men at a
time when only a handful knew anything about flying. THE WILD BLUE is the story of those
men and how they became the margin of victory in World War II.
The pilots and crews of the B-24 were America. They came from every state and region of
the country, they were all volunteers and they represented all walks of life. Almost none
of them had ever been in an airplane and indeed most of them had never seen aircraft. The
Dakota Queen, piloted by 22-year-old George McGovern, would eventually fly 35 missions
over Germany and southern Europe. For his efforts he would be awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross. However, many of his comrades would not be so blessed. Casualties for B-24
crews were extremely high --- over half of the crews and planes never returned from their
missions.
Through interviews and reminiscences, Stephen Ambrose has followed the crews of the B-24
from their college campuses and small-town lives to their training camps and, ultimately,
to their bases in Europe and their bombing missions. Describing the experience, Senator
McGovern says, "Piloting a B-24 in combat with eight other guys, sometimes nine other
guys, took every ounce of physical energy I had, every bit of mental abilities I had, and
literally every shred of spiritual resource that I had." For McGovern's crew, and for
millions of men and women during World War II, it was an effort made willingly.
Stephen Ambrose has spent a great portion of his professional writing life sharing the
saga of the combat soldier of World War II. In addition to being a remarkable
writer, he has the skill to draw from his subjects anecdotes that serve to humanize what
it meant to be part of the effort to destroy tyranny. No event in history can equal the
second World War, and the men and women who fought and died in that effort can never
receive the gratitude they deserve. We can only be grateful that men like George McGovern
and writers like Stephen Ambrose continue to remind us of the contributions made by the
generation that kept America free.
--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
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