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Start giftingHell's Angels
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Learn moreThe true story of World War 2’s legendary Hell’s Angels—the 8th Air Force’s 303rd Bomb Group.
Although the United States declared war against Germany in December 1941, a successful assault on Nazi-occupied Europe could not happen until Germany’s industrial and military might were crippled. The first target was the Luftwaffe—the most powerful and battle-hardened air force in the world. The United States Army Air Forces joined with Great Britain’s already-engaged Royal Air Force to launch a strategic air campaign that ultimately brought the Luftwaffe to its knees. One of the standout units of this campaign was the legendary 303rd Bomb Group—Hell’s Angels.
This is the 303rd’s story, as told by the men who made it what it was. Taking their name from their B-17 of the same name, they became one of the most distinguished and important air combat units in history. The dramatic and terrible air battles they fought against Germany ultimately changed the course of the war.
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Jay A. Stout is a retired fighter pilot who works as a senior aviation analyst for one of the world’s preeminent defense corporations. During his twenty-year military career he logged a remarkable 4,700 flight hours, including thirty-seven combat missions during Operation Desert Storm. His writing has been read on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and he has been widely hosted as an aviation and military expert on various television and radio news shows including Fox, NPR, and Al Jazeera. He is the author of Unsung Eagles: True Stories of America’s Citizen Airmen in the Skies of World War II; Fighter Group: The 352nd “Blue-Nosed Bastards” in World War II; The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe: The U.S. Army Air Forces Against Germany in World War II; Slaughter at Goliad: The Mexican Massacre of 400 Texas Volunteers; Hammer from Above: Marine Air Combat Over Iraq; To Be a U.S. Naval Aviator; Fortress Ploesti: The Campaign to Destroy Hitler’s Oil Supply; The First Hellcat Ace; and Hornets Over Kuwait.
Reviews
Praise for Hell’s Angels“[An] epic tale of the World War II aerial campaign over Europe...Hell's Angels is a gripping and awe-inspiring book.”—Nathaniel Fick, author of One Bullet Away
“It's all there—the boredom, the devotion, the horror and even the humor in an industrial war fought on a global scale that we'll never see again. Unit histories just do not get any better.”—Barrett Tillman, author of Whirlwind and Forgotten Fifteenth.
“Jay Stout is a triple-threat aviation historian—an experienced combat aviator, a meticulous researcher and a compelling story teller. His uncanny eye for authentic detail allows Hell’s Angels to be the incredible story of the 303rd Bomb Group and the bombing campaign that crippled Nazi Germany. Stout makes a hard-ridden topic seem fresh and new again. Highly recommended.”—Walter J. Boyne, Author/Historian
“Jay Stout’s reputation as a hard-hitting, authoritative, yet easy-to-read aviation author is upheld with this book. Readers looking for new insights and material will not be disappointed. Highly recommended.”—Donald Caldwell, author of JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe
“A well-researched, beautifully written, and deeply evocative paean to the 303rd Heavy Bombardment Group—and all the young American heavy-bomber crewmen who, from 1942 to 1945, went out, facing a high probability of death or imprisonment, to grind the German industrial base to dust.”—Eric Hammel, Author of The Road to Big Week
“Jay Stout has done a masterful job. The life and death struggles are told using the mission records, personal writings and experiences of one of the Eighth Air Force's most successful bombardment groups. All who wish a complete understanding of the role played by the Eighth Air Force and the strategic bombing of Germany should read this book.”—Keith Ferris, Artist and Military Aviation Historian Expand reviews