One of the last untold stories of World War II, this visceral account of the white-knuckle bombing mission that American airmen carried out on Hitler's hometown of Linz, Austria, is now being told for first time through the eyes of the men on board the planes as well as the innocent Austrians. under the bombs.
Fans of #mastersoftheair and #unbroken will be captivated by this groundbreaking true story of the aerial bombing and its aftermath, told by retired CIA officer Mike Croissant.
Foreword by Richard Overy, author of The Bombers and the Bombed
In April 1945, Linz was one of Nazi Germany's most important assets. It was a transportation hub and crucial communications center, with marshalling yards overflowing with war materiel destined for the front lines. Linz was also the city that Hitler claimed as his homeland and which he had long intended to remake as the cultural capital of Europe, filling his planned Führer Museum with world-famous works of art stolen from its conquered territories.
Inevitably, Linz was also one of the most heavily defended targets in Europe. The Fifteenth Air Force aviators were a mix of seasoned veterans and newcomers. As their mission was revealed at dawn on April 25, audible groans and muffled curses passed many lips. The reality of this mission would prove more brutal than anyone imagined.
In unheated, unpressurized B 24 Liberator and B 17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, the young men fought off elements as dangerous as anything the Germans could throw at them. When batteries of German anti-aircraft guns opened fire, the men flew into an inferno of explosive shrapnel. Planes and men fell from the sky as Austrian civilians on the ground also struggled to survive under bombs during the deadly climax of Hitler's war.
Drawing on interviews with dozens of America's remaining World War II veterans, as well as previously unpublished sources, Mike Croissant compellingly tells one of the last truly untold stories of the war: a gripping chronicle of the war , the death of Nazi Germany and the start of the war. the Cold War. It is also a timeless story of courage and terror, loss and redemption, humanity and savagery.
Visit the official Bombing Hitler's Hometown website: https://www.mikecroissant.com/bombing-hitlers-hometown
Order a copy of Bombing Hitler's Hometown: https://www.amazon.com/Bombing-Hitlers-Hometown-Untold-Bomber/dp/0806543027
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