RaveLibrary JournalWith deft, grit, and no shying away from the horrifying realities of war, Bruning brings these heroes back to life, defining the struggles of morality, mortality, and glory that suffused their careers. On par with James Bradley’s Flyboys, and rich with historical information, Race of Aces reads like a novel and features interactions with figures such as Eddie Rickenbacker and Charles Lindbergh. Bruning’s suspenseful storytelling utilizes personal interviews with U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) veterans, oral histories, archives, military history agencies, and letters/diaries written by the aces themselves to flesh out life in the Southwest Pacific and the fever pitch to both survive in theatre and become the best of the best ... Eloquent and finely researched, this book will appeal to amateur historians or anyone interested in the USAAF and World War II maneuvers in the South Pacific.
Catherine Bailey
RaveLibrary JournalUsing private family archives, oral histories, and primary sources in a multitude of languages, historian Bailey...adroitly brings together the chaos, pathos, and unpredictability of life within the increasingly panicked and fanatical Nazi terror machine ... Bailey allows the primary sources to blend almost seamlessly into the story while her writing elevates the voice of German author Fey von Hassell’s recitation of her harrowing ordeal. Bailey’s exhaustively researched work addresses von Hassell’s journey from every angle while also addressing the actions, motives, and perceptions of those she encounters across both fronts of the war and in Italy ... An incredibly sweeping and readable tale, this excellent history is for readers interested in World War II and personal narratives.
Eric Lichtblau
PositiveLibrary JournalFrom parachuting onto an Austrian glacier to impersonating a Nazi officer after the OSS shot down the idea, the complete history of the mission reads like an Ian Fleming novel. The larger-than-life antics of the Gulliver unit of Hans, Franz, and Freddy in finding Austrian resisters in a bastion of Nazi support are chronicled through interviews, archives, military documents, and personal correspondence across Europe and America ... An extremely accessible read, this well-researched book will appeal to fans of espionage tales, World War II history, biographies, as well as young adult audiences.
