The Mighty Eighth in WWII a Memoir

THE MIGHTY EIGHTH IN WWII A Memoir BY BRIG. GEN. J. KEMP McLAUGHLIN UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY 2006, 206 PAGES, $19.95

World War II continues to hold our interest as various books and movies concerning the conflict continue to come on the market. This autobiographical work about serving in the great Army Air Force that was based in England during those years is a fascinating account written in a homey manner, containing wonderful vignettes of people and places connected with the war. In this mighty memoir, we follow the career of a young college graduate who joins what was then known as the Army Air Force, serving in various ranks and capacities.

He is not embarrassed to write of the foibles that he encountered or sadness upon the deaths of his friends during the conflict. The trainers used in his early days were quite forgiving and known affectionately as "Maytag Messerschmitts." Sent to Florida for further training, he was assigned to Submarine Patrol, as German subs were interrupting shipping all along the East Coast of the U.S. This air group never sighted any, but nearly attacked an American sub that they did happen to spot. Caught AWOL on several occasions, he never was reported. We are told of civilians being kind to servicemen and, on one occasion, he and friends visited a fancy club, but informed a patron that they did not have reservations, who promptly gave up his own table and even lent out his date for the evening to help entertain them.

Flying to New York, he and his crew did such silly things (they mostly were still kids) as buzz the Empire State Building--watching the office workers wave back to them. Basic training in flying B-17s completed, his wing flew to Scotland from Newfoundland. It was the first nonstop flight to that destination, as others had island-hopped to Iceland on the way. Because bad weather so often plagued the latter route, this direct path became standard. Moving down to England, he was a "gofer" as he flew bigwigs such as Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, commanding general of all U.S. Air Forces in Europe. McLaughlin is candid about his likes and dislikes of those famous personages he met. Dwight Eisenhower was so disliked that the author swore he never voted for him. Gen. George Patton was another. Spaatz and especially Gen. Jimmy Doolittle were among his favorites, though. In England, the airfields became so muddy that, once planes landed, tractors had to pull them out of the muck.

Members of the U.S. Eighth Air Force had much to learn about bombing tactics as well as employing 1,200 planes on a mission, for coordination was indispensable. For instance, on an early bombing mission to the steel works at Lille, France, some aircraft flew so close in formation that the props of one sheared off the rudder on another; the latter had to turn around and luckily made it back to base. McLaughlin tells it like it was, relating how, on one mission, 100 bombers were lost while inflicting only minor damage on the enemy. On another, the bombers ran out of fuel and many had to ditch into the English Channel.

Schweinfurt, Germany, manufactured 75% of the bearings needed by the Third Reich's war machine and was a frequent target. The big bombers needed fighter escorts to ward off enemy planes but, when a mission was deep into enemy territory, the escort got only so far before turning back, lest they run out of fuel. The Luftwaffe knew this and had a field day when the escorts headed back to base.

The brass insisted on refitting the bombers with heavier guns and equipment, but encumbered by the extra weight, the planes had difficulty gaining and attaining proper altitude. Additionally, if one engine conked out, with the excess poundage, it was problematic whether the craft could continue to fly.

On one of the author's missions, his plane was hit and a motor flamed the length of the fuselage. The waist gunner had to evacuate his position and bailed out--later to be picked up and put in a POW camp until the end of the war.

McLaughlin served 21 months in England and later fought in the Korean War. He also commanded the Virginia National Guard for 30 years. This is a wonderful read and should win lots of acclaim.

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning