Masters of the Air cover art

Masters of the Air

How the Bomber Boys Broke Down the Nazi War Machine

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Masters of the Air

By: Donald L. Miller
Narrated by: Robertson Dean
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

‘Seconds after Brady’s plane was hit, the Hundredth’s entire formation was broken up and scattered by swarms of single-engine planes, and by rockets launched by twin-engine planes that flew parallel.'

Meet the Flying Fortresses of the American Eighth Air Force, Britain’s Lancaster comrades, who helped to bring down the Nazis.

Historian and World War II expert Donald Miller brings us the story of the bomber boys who brought the war to Hitler's doorstep. Unlike ground soldiers, they slept on clean beds, drank beer in local pubs and danced to the swing music of the travelling Air Force bands. But they were also an elite group of fighters who put their lives on the line in the most dangerous role of all.

Miller takes listeners from the adrenaline-filled battles in the sky, to the airbases across England, the German prison camps and onto the ground to understand the devastation faced by civilians.

Drawn from interviews, oral histories and American, British and German archives, Masters of the Air is the authoritative, deeply moving and important account of the world's first and only bomber war.

©2020 Donald L. Miller (P)2020 Penguin Audio Historical Military Military & War World War II War Air Force US Air Force Inspiring Thought-Provoking Imperialism Aviation Submarine

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Cinderella Boys cover art
Forgotten Fifteenth cover art
Lancaster cover art
Black Snow cover art
Wings of War cover art
Mosquito Men cover art
Rorke's Drift cover art
Fire and Movement cover art
Clean Sweep cover art
The 13th Valley cover art
War's End cover art
Dead Reckoning cover art
Churchill’s Few cover art
Inferno cover art
Operation Tidal Wave cover art
Winkle cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
Great story, highly recommended book which gives a good account of the American bomber boys.

Excellent book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Decided to read this before the Apple TV series of the same name is released.
While, being British, I have a few issues around the characterisation of Bomber Commands war, it’s a really good informative book.

Great informative book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book covers all aspects of the USAAF air war in WW2. It has a huge amount of detail and many personal stories to enliven the statistics and historical timeline. Well balanced in its discussion of the moral and political aspects of strategic bombing, Excellent narration.

Excellent coverage and great narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Dinitively the best coverage of the Americans european bombing war, well balanced and fair. The author has gone to great lengths to include bona fide inclusion from the highest rank to the lowest, first hand experiences in just about every circumstances during the war. The narrator reads flawlessly and in a highly listenable tone. From a British perspective I found this an excellent and informative audio book in high lighting the crucial contributions both countries played in defeating Germany from the air.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of the most exciting and informative books on the terror of the USAF Bomber air war of WW2 from the aircrew perspective to the strategies applied to shorten the war up to the eve of the Terror Weapons launched against the UK and it’s Allies.

Captivating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Never have I listen to such a detailed and great book full of intriguing stories form heroes of the world war 2.

Best book ever. Heard it 3 times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really great and engaging account of the ‘bomber boys’ and the sheer scale and impact they made during such a tragic period of our history during WWII. The level of detail the author goes into along with the narrator make this such a good listen. Highly recommend.

Amazing book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It informs you like a documentary but reads like a story.


This book is a triumph in trying to cover a group of American Bombers and their journey and evolution through ww2. This book has taken this simple heading and dissected it into many layers each with their own incredible and fascinating stories that contribute to the bigger picture. Things like the technological capabilities of the plane, or love lives and PTSD all the way to the Goverment policies and politics that would dictate the types of missions they flew and right down to personal accounts through the war.
While each topic is superb in isolation, the transition between them will mean the story is always changing and never becomes monotonous. I thought I knew my history but left this feeling wowed at every chapter.

Most importantly, I never felt this book had any bias or that it was trying to defend any sides for their respective flaws and was very brave with just sticking to the facts, especially with ugly truths like going out of their way to acknowledge Blacks were not allowed to fly in the bomber command while all other races were and explained how segregation was the cause. It also touches on the precarious relationship between blacks and the whites that served. Again it wasn’t trying to defend anyone or blame anyone it just stuck to the facts so people can make up their minds and didn’t try to brush it under the carpet.

I read this before the TV series came out and recommend this to anyone that likes any form of history, it may be a big book but it’s worth it.

Never a dull moment!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very interesting and informative. The horrors of war brought to life through these stories. Thanks to all who served.

A good listen !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
True stories of surviving men that give a better insight in historical facts. All so well told.

The content of this story is so revealing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews