Rite of Passage Book Review

Recently finished a great book about WWII bomber crews entitled Rite of Passage: A Teenager's Chronicle of Combat and Captivity in Nazi Germany, and highly recommend it to readers with an interest in WWII bomber crews and the Prisoner of War experience. Click on the hyperlinked book title for more information. Readers can get a signed copy for the same price as a traditional trade paperback in a bookstore. Would make a great birthday, Christmas or Chanukah gift for the WWII aviation buff on your list. My review follows:

"Many books have been written about bomber crew experiences in the skies over Europe in World War Two. And many have been written about the Prisoner of War experiences of those crewmen who were shot from the skies. What makes Ray Matheny's book stand out is the meticulous attention to detail and his eye for description. Matheny's book was originally popular in Germany in translation, and only recently has it become available to the American reading public. Matheny was a top turret gunner/flight engineer aboard the B-17 'Deacon's Sinners' of the Eighth Air Force's 384th Bomb Group. Graced with dollops of mechanical and technical aptitude, he is so trusted by his pilot and copilot that he becomes, in essence, a third pilot on the crew, flying the plane for hours while the pilots catch up on their sleep. He describes the interpersonal dynamics of his crew in great detail, and I found this to be fascinating. The pilot, a frustrated fighter pilot wannabe, who takes unnecessary risks with the airplane. The copilot, perhaps justly feeling that he is more qualified and at times resenting Matheny's flying time. Each man on the crew is fleshed out so that the reader can identify with him. This becomes a double-edged sword when the crew is shot down, killing most of the men. And that is where Matheny's adventure takes on a completely new twist, as a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. Matheny gives the reader an intimate glimpse of POW life, and of the long march near the end of the war that the emaciated POWs make to stay ahead of the advancing Russian Army.

The book, filled with three-dimensional, carefully drawn characters and situations, stands out in the many books I've read over the years in this genre. I cannot recommend it highly enough. A major addition to military aviation history"

Link: Ray Matheny's Wikipedia Biography

Book Review: Dewayne 'Ben' Bennett Offers Signed Copies

My friend Dewayne 'Ben' Bennett, former B-17 pilot and active historian who still leads visitors on tours down at the Pima, Arizona Air Museum, has a book for sale that I highly recommend. Ben has a great sense of humor and tells the story of how an Iowa farm boy ended up piloting a four-engine bomber over Europe. You can purchase the book on the 384th Bomb Group website or I also noticed today that Ben is offering one on eBay for a bargain.

Stories of a B-17 Bomber Pilot by Dewayne "Ben" Bennett

In Ben's own words:

"I flew combat in the 384th bombardment group in the 545th squadron out of Grafton Underwood, England. Some of these stories have added humor and some reflect the true combat situations. My name is Dewayne “Ben” Bennett and I’m the author of this little endeavor for which I’m very proud. I became known and answer to the name of “The Squawkin’ Chicken Skipper” because the name of our B-17 airplane was the “Squawkin Chicken.” Along with my crew we flew 31 combat missions over the war-torn countries of Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, and Poland. Thankfully we all survived. This little book is 6 by 9 inches, contains 93 pages and is a paperback. We will personalize it to you or a friend before we send it out. If you have any questions please send me an e-mail and I’ll answer it immediately. "

For price and availability, contact: Dewayne "Ben" Bennett (Clicking on Ben's hyperlinked name will put you in touch with him)

Ben currently has a book up for auction on eBay. He'll sign and personalize it to boot. The eBay auction is at http://cgi.ebay.com/STORIES-OF-A-B-17-PILOT_W0QQitemZ200130424838QQihZ010QQcategoryZ4717QQcmdZViewItem

Here is your chance to pick up a little piece of aviation history by a great man and a living legend.

The painting below is of Ben's plane. I featured it in a recent post.

Art Review: Ben Bennett's Squawkin' Chicken

'Last Man Standing' by Heinz Krebs, shows DeWayne Bennett's plane trying to limp home after a mission to Schweinfurt, damaged and under heavy attack. Ben brought her home.

One of my advisors this summer on my Air Corps novel is my old friend DeWayne 'Ben' Bennett.

Ben was the command pilot on the 384th Bomb Group B-17 'Squawkin' Chicken' during World War Two. He remains dedicated to preserving the history of the air war, and currently serves as a tour guide at the 390th Museum in Pima, Arizona. His memory is sharp, his humor is always a treat.

For many years the aviation art industry has flourished through the painting of famous scenes from the air war. Artists will select a scene, research it thoroughly, and then reproduced it in incredible detail. The artist will then have participants in the battle counter-sign the print, and these signed prints sell very well to historians and collectors. The price of a signed print can run hundreds of dolllars.

This painting, entitled 'Last Man Standing' is by artist Heinz Krebs. It shows Ben's 'Squawkin' Chicken' limping home after a tough raid to Schweinfurt, Germany in 1944. German fighters attack, moving in for the kill. But Ben and the crew make it back to fight another day. This print is signed by Ben and two of the German Luftwaffe pilots who served in the JG-1, the fighter group that attacked the plane. This print is still a great bargain at a little over a hundred dollars, signed by the artist, Ben, and two Luftwaffe fighter pilots. You can see it at http://www.brooksart.com/Lastmanstanding.html.

In a side note, Ben introduced me to a friend of his named Charlie Johnson, in 2000 or 2001. Charlie was a gunner who was shot down on a mission and became a POW. He became a friend of my youngest daughter, and the class learned about him and in return wrote him a thank you letter for his service as part of a history unit. Sadly, Charlie passed away shortly after this.

Ben and crew. Ben is back row, far left.