B-24 Liberator Units of the Fifteenth Air Force (Osprey Combat Aircraft 21)

There are no books regarding the mighty B-24 Liberator which are not worthy of reading and this book is no exception. Excellent photos, clear and concise writing and easy to understand text . But what else could you say about the mighty 'Liberator'. Fame and fortune may have followed the B-17 and there is no doubt regarding its place in history. However the Liberator is right up there with the many brave men who flew both planes and in many instances lost their lives or were, at the very least, severely injured. We should thank the Great Architect of the Universe that such clever people were able to design and build these great planes to give us the life we have today. May I commend this book to all future readers. I don't believe you will be dissatisfied. Kind regards, Barry Hibbard, Hobart, Tasmania.

I got this book for my 86 year old father who was a waist gunner on a B-24 out of Torretta Field near Cerignola Italy in 1944. He enjoyed it a lot and still looks at the pictures now and then. While it covers a bunch of the missions of the 15th Air Force, it would take a much larger volume to cover it all. The photos are what really make it enjoyable.

The B-24 Liberator was the workhorse heavy bomber of the 15th Air Force. The 5th Bomb Wing flew the B-17, but all other wings flew the Liberator. This compact Osprey Series book details the organizational development of the 15th AF, and presents an excellent discussion of bombing missions and targets. Flight characteristics of the Liberator as well as combat flying are presented in the form of first person narratives which are skillfully interwoven into the text. The result is an interesting read from both a historical and human interest perspective. B-24 devotees, 15th Air Force history buffs, and modelers seeking accurate color plates will all find this book rewarding. In the interest of full disclosure, this reviewer is favorably prejudiced toward Robert Dorr's book because a fatal crash described in detail on pp 55-58 involved my father. Photographs of the 3 crewmembers killed in this crash Norman Kraus, Norman Apperson, and James Hindes are available on the WWII Memorial Registry website.

Cool little book. It has a fair amount of information, lots of pictures and stories to really make this an enjoyable read. It is not an all encompassing reference; however, it is fast and fun. I was pleased that the mission to Bad Vaslau, Austria on 23 April 1944 was included. Previously, I thought that the only objective of that mission was to bomb a German air base. The book included the information that there was also a fighter aircraft manufacturing facility there. This was a mission that few crews wanted; the German fighters always defended their base with passion. It was like throwing a rock at a hornets nest.This mission is important to me because my uncle was killed during the mission. He was the nose gunner on a B-24-H bomber. I enjoyed the book and recommend it. SDSerf

The author said this was not a book about B-24s as much as it is about flying B-24s, and he is dead on. If you want a book full of statistics this is not it. However, if you want the feeling of flying as part of a combat crew, you'll enjoy it. The only (minor) error I noticed was the color plate of B-24J-120-CO 44-41355 of the 461st Bomb Group, 764th Bomb Squadron. The correct number was B-24J-210-CO and the cowls on a 764th aircraft would have been painted dark green, (Okay, I like statistics too)

Most of us, even those interested in the Air War in Europe have little appreciation for the history of the 15th Air Force. This book does an excellent job of laying the groundwork for it's activation and make-up. The logistics difficulties, less-than-efficient manning and aircraft acquisition and terrible operating conditions, make a story of it's own. New, untried and controversial tactics, heavy loss of aircraft & crews, high profile missions and the incredible stories of crew heroism make this a riveting read. Ploesti is detailed in the many aspects of the mission - the many missions.This is another excellent book by Robert Dorr - well researched - which presents a great deal of information to the reader.

Considering the vast history of the B-24, Osprey has nailed a good portion of this important bomber with this book. This volume covers this infamous Ploesti Raid and the planes involved. There is one error concerning the Color Plate descriptions at the end of the book. Plate 29 on page 95 talks about the Strawberry Bitch. The text says it is a survivor of the Ploseti Raid. This is incorrect. She was not even delivered to the 15th AF until the end of August 1943. Other than this error, it is a great book for anyone interested in the B-24. Highly recommended.

My Dad was in the 15th Army Air Force. Gleaned information from the book regarding some of my Dad's missions during 1944. The book added to my knowledge of what Dad went through.

Gibt einen guten Überblick über Entstehung und Einsätze der 15. AF von Italien aus. Viele sehr anschauliche Schilderungen von Einsätzen/Begebenheiten aus Sicht von daran Beteiligten. Der deutsche Abwehr Einsatz, besser dessen Wirkung/Auswirkung, wird nur sehr kurz abgehandelt, aber das ist vertretbar. Die "Flugzeugträgereigenschaft" Italiens kommt gut zum Ausdruck, desgleichen die Wirkung der 15. AF auf alle Ziele in Rumänien (auch der verlustreiche 1. Einsatz), auf dem Balkan und gegen das "Reichsgebiet".Ganz ausgezeichnet ist das Flugzeug selber, im Bezug auf die Einsatzbedingungen der Besatzungen nämlich, beschrieben!!!Wie immer guter Text, ausreichend und gute Bilder; gute Farbtafeln.Auch hier sage ich: voll empfehlenswert!