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The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle

Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot

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Paperback
$16.00 US
6.02"W x 9.01"H x 0.95"D   | 16 oz | 32 per carton
On sale Jul 05, 2011 | 416 Pages | 978-0-451-23352-3
The riveting firsthand account of World War II pilot Robert Morgan, his crew, and the legendary Memphis Belle—written with Ron Powers, cowriter of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flags of Our Fathers.

A powerful chronicle of loyalty, love, and heroism under fire, this is the unforgettable memoir of a member of the Greatest Generation who fought in America’s greatest battles—and of the war one man waged both in and out of the skies. High-spirited, young Robert Morgan was transformed from a fast-living, privileged playboy who grew up hobnobbing with the Vanderbilts into a steel-nerved pilot forged in the cauldron of World War II’s most dangerous and desperate aerial encounters. This is the triumphant tale of that transformation—and of the airplane and crew that never failed to bring him back home.
“As the most celebrated American bomber pilot of World War II, Robert Morgan has a remarkable story to tell, and he tells it candidly and lucidly in amazingly recalled detail.”—Brig. Gen. Henry C. Huglin, USAF, Ret.

“Bring[s] a new perspective to World War II literature...Exciting”—Library Journal

“Fans of military memoirs will like the first-person straight talk and action…Morgan’s personal life…is presented with ease and relative candor.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“This book unashamedly sports a Greatest Generation aura as it sings a love song to the B-17 that aviation buffs at least should find irresistible.  It also provides an invaluable participant’s view of a major aspect of the U.S. experience of World War II—the strategic bombing campaign—and as such is definitely a book that needed to be written while the best man could still write it.”—Booklist
Col. Robert Morgan, USAFR, Ret., was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf Clusters. An avid flyer, he lived with his wife, Linda, in Asheville, North Carolina until his death in 2004. View titles by Robert Morgan
Ron Powers is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. He is the author of White Town Drowsing and Dangerous Water: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain. He lives in Vermont. View titles by Ron Powers

About

The riveting firsthand account of World War II pilot Robert Morgan, his crew, and the legendary Memphis Belle—written with Ron Powers, cowriter of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flags of Our Fathers.

A powerful chronicle of loyalty, love, and heroism under fire, this is the unforgettable memoir of a member of the Greatest Generation who fought in America’s greatest battles—and of the war one man waged both in and out of the skies. High-spirited, young Robert Morgan was transformed from a fast-living, privileged playboy who grew up hobnobbing with the Vanderbilts into a steel-nerved pilot forged in the cauldron of World War II’s most dangerous and desperate aerial encounters. This is the triumphant tale of that transformation—and of the airplane and crew that never failed to bring him back home.

Praise

“As the most celebrated American bomber pilot of World War II, Robert Morgan has a remarkable story to tell, and he tells it candidly and lucidly in amazingly recalled detail.”—Brig. Gen. Henry C. Huglin, USAF, Ret.

“Bring[s] a new perspective to World War II literature...Exciting”—Library Journal

“Fans of military memoirs will like the first-person straight talk and action…Morgan’s personal life…is presented with ease and relative candor.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“This book unashamedly sports a Greatest Generation aura as it sings a love song to the B-17 that aviation buffs at least should find irresistible.  It also provides an invaluable participant’s view of a major aspect of the U.S. experience of World War II—the strategic bombing campaign—and as such is definitely a book that needed to be written while the best man could still write it.”—Booklist

Author

Col. Robert Morgan, USAFR, Ret., was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf Clusters. An avid flyer, he lived with his wife, Linda, in Asheville, North Carolina until his death in 2004. View titles by Robert Morgan
Ron Powers is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. He is the author of White Town Drowsing and Dangerous Water: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain. He lives in Vermont. View titles by Ron Powers