You start though back in Michigan with a young boy who was always getting into things. Lack of a better term. He got out of most problems because his father was a judge and for the most part probably would have been okay except his father died. That leaving a hole he was still lost now even more and by 1942 he was given a choice, enlist or jail? Well, he enlisted in the Army Air Corp. after training he is sent to England as a replacement for a gunner on a crew and on his very first mission after his heroic deeds that day he is put in for the citation. Really though from the beginning most people are upset that he was put in for it. What got me though was that he did not ask for the medal.
Anyway, after five missions he is no longer flying either because of his attitude or his wanting to take advantage of his medal or just his superiors just upset that an average man was given the Medal of Honor again the person receiving the medal or any citation is not the one putting in for it the superiors are unless one General puts in for another but still needs to go above them. Yet he later demoted from Staff sergeant to private and then left the service. He married a woman or young lady from England whose parents did not want the marriage and they would settle in upstate New York and divorce later as would his second wife.
He also would be part of different ways to come up with money or deals, but most would turn out to be wrong and in some, he would have to pay back the money. Andy Rooney Fame from Sixty minutes for some reason thought this man to be the vilest person. Really?
What I got out of this story was like all of those men that got in those planes on any given day could have been shot down. They were almost his first day except for his actions and that of the pilots. Just like the men and thousands of others back then like my father who willingly jumped out of planes as paratroopers more than once. None of these men were vile to me, they were made different, they did not sit behind a typewriter or something else. Anyway, this was a very good book especially if you are into history and WWII. Very much worth the read.

I struggled with this book. I liked the story the author was trying to convey, but struggled with all the information. The author obviously researched this book, and I loved that,but I thought it could have been better told.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well written narrative with a focus on the first enlisted man to become the recipient of the Medal of Honor. Details are provided in a manner thatit is apparent a large amount of research was involved in writing this book. The author tells the stories chronologically and seamlessly interweaves the details about another USAAF enlisted man and two German Luftwaffe airmen. The sub-story to the tales about the lives of the men delves into the facts about the history of the use of bombers and the ultimate goal to transform them into precision bombers for use in modern times. Well worth the time I spent reading it. WWII buffs will enjoy this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own voluntary, honest opinions.

Note to publisher:
I realize the copy provided is an uncorrected proof, but I would like to alert you to the need for a thorough proofreading scrub of the manuscript. Misused words, missing words, and many instances of extra words that were not deleted during the editing and revision process.

This biography captured the history of the United States use of precision bombing evolved from World War II into the 21st century. Maynard Smith had a major impact on history and the author explored his life. I feel as if this book would have been better if it had picked which subject to focus on. It was a good read, but I think that a singular focus would have made it a great read.

An interesting read about a hero in WW2. It is sad to read about how his life went after his heroic act. The author did an outstanding job of telling the story and interweaving other stories around it. This is a great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Maynard "Snuffy" Smith, staff sergeant and gunner in the Army Air Force just as the Army Air Force is developing precision day bombing over Europe. On his first bombing run, Snuffy is thrust into a life and death situation where he literally saves lives of a number of fellow airmen, the plane itself and receives the Congressional Medal Of Honor. There's just one problem, Snuffy is a scallywag. He uses his medal to get out of flying - 5 missions rather than the mandated 25 - and to attract women. The author uses Snuffy's story to trace the development of the American air war over Europe.

Inferno: The True Story of a B-17 Gunner's Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History, by Joe Pappalardo, a contributing editor at Popular Mechanics. A critically important aerial front in the WWII battles against the Nazis was the daylight forays of the US Army Air Force (USAAF) over the skies of Western Europe from 1942 until near the end of the war. Over 30,000 USAAF personnel were killed—as author Pappalardo notes “For some scale, the U.S. Marines suffered 24,500 killed in action during World War II.” Barb’s bomber-pilot-to-be father, Al Grim, caught pneumonia during training in 1942. This nearly mortal illness held him back as his initial pilot training cohort went on to be killed virtually to a man over Europe in circumstances similar to those Pappalardo describes in Inferno. (Barb’s gifted uncle, Rodney Grim, was killed during training when another young pilot rammed his plane, as poignantly described in the Grave Discovery: Discovering Grave Stones and Stories blog.)
Pappalardo uses the unlikely tale of a ne’er-do-well winner of the Medal of Honor, Maynard Harrison Smith, as a narrative device to help readers understand the horrors endured by men who were often facing near certain death. The central sections of Pappalardo’s book, describing what it was like to be flying a burning, just ready-to-snap-apart “flying fortress” while being strafed by German aces, are enough to keep you on the edge of your seat (don’t even try reading at bedtime.) The undercurrent theme of the book is precision bombing—a will-o'-the-wisp target if ever there was one. If you enjoy learning about important, but little-known topics of military history, this book is for you.

Thank you Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy

28 years in the USAF and you know the story, but you never knew it like this!

Heal our country today by reading about heroes like this from our past

Fantastic!

This book is titled Inferno: the True Story of a B-17 Gunner’s Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History. Maynard Smith Sr. is the subject, but not the only one. There’s a lot about General Ira Eaker and his campaign for daylight bombing, Robert Morgan of the Memphis Belle and his second combat tour as a B-29 pilot in the Pacific, and precision bombing in Vietnam.
Captain Bill Van Norman was the public affairs officer of the 306th Bomb Group, and he saw a chance to create a hero when he read after-mission report from May 1, 1943. He fed the story of Smith’s actions to reporters, eager to promote the first enlisted man for the Medal of Honor, apparently without considering the man himself. Many men did heroic deeds without notice.
Smith was an only child who could do no wrong with his permissive parents. His father was a judge who got him out of trouble. He distained authority, and was a scoundrel who joined the army to avoid jail. He was definitely no role model. He was demoted to private after winning the MOH, and arrested several times after returning to the states.
I wonder if Capt. Van Norman regretted pushing Smith forward for the MOH. He certainly could have found a crewman just as worthy and a lot more likeable.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martins Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy of INFERNO by JOE PAPPALARDO.
On the surface, this is a biography of Maynard Smith, Senior, the first Army Air Force enlisted person to win a U.S. Medal of Honor, awarded during WWII. Secondarily, it is the story of how America’s use of mass bombing evolved into precision bombing from WWII to the Middle East in the 21st century.
Maynard Smith was born and grew up in Caro, Michigan, about 75 miles north of Detroit. His father was a respected town leader and local court judge who tried to keep Maynard out of trouble. Think “Peck’s Bad Boy”. He was married and divorced twice before he turned 31 years old.
Maynard’s troubles (including unpaid child support) finally led a successor judge to issue him an ultimatum “enlist or go to jail” in 1942. He chose the Army Air Force. After his training was completed as a machine gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, he was assigned a spot as a replacement gunner on a B-17 crew in Thurleigh, England (near Bedford, west of Cambridge). It was part of 306th Bomb Group made famous by the movie “12 O’Clock High”. On his very first mission on May 1, 1943, his plane was badly damaged and through heroic efforts by Smith and the pilots, the plane barely made it back to England. For his actions, Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor.
The author also writes about Marcel St. Louis whom Smith meets and befriends during basic training. St. Louis also ends up in England at the same base as Smith. St. Louis’ plane is shot down after a few missions and he ends up becoming a Prisoner of War in a Stalag Luft. The author also writes about the crew and pilot of the B-17 called the Memphis Belle. Its pilot eventually becomes famous for dropping the first atomic bomb on Japan.
On the German side, the author tells the stories of two German fighter pilots who became aces in the Luftwaffe. One is Joseph Wurmheller who dies in combat after more than 100 verified planes shot down. The other is Egon Mayer who devised the Luftwaffe plan of attack on B-17s, approaching from the unguarded front of the plane. There were guns on top, on the sides, underneath and at the rear of early model B-17s. But none in the nose. Eventually, Mayer too loses his life after more than 100 kills.
Maynard Smith’s career in the Army Air Force ends after only five missions because of poor personal and military performance and is demoted from Staff Sergeant to Private. He used and abused his Medal of Honor status and shirked his military duties. While in England, he meets a young British woman, Mary, and marries her. After the war, Maynard, Mary and some of her family move to the United States, settling in upstate New York, near Albany.
While serving in England, Smith is not very popular with military writers such as Andy Rooney (yes, that Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame). Rooney was then writing for Stars and Stripes. Caroline Sheen, photo/art editor of Air and Space Smithsonian called Smith “…the most despised man to get the Medal of Honor…”.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book for WWII buffs and fans of military history.
GO! BUY! READ!