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Damn Lucky

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I received this as an ARC through Netgalley. Damn Lucky is a memoir about one pilots journey from flight school in WWII to after the after war. Lucky sure lived up to his name, surviving 25 flight missions over Germany. I loved how even though there were details and facts about the planes, it was not overwhelming by any means. I felt very privileged to be able to read a first hand account of Lucky's experience during WWII. Not many of the greatest generation left and not many that want to talk about it.. If you're interested in WWII fiction and non fiction and want to read a first hand experience, pick up Damn Lucky by Kevin Maurer, you will not be disappointed.

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If you are interested in World War II history this is the book for you. The author did a tremendous amount fo research on lucky as they talked about these dangerous missions. Wow cant believe how many they did and how many did not return or go POW. We have so much to be thankful for in this country for the men and woman who gave it all for our freedom. Thank you for writing this book!

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This is a true story of a WWII Pilot who survived 25 flights, before heading back home to the US. The story of John "Lucky" Luckadoo is a very interesting and important wartime story, delving into what WWII pilots had to endure. I couldn’t imagine the stress that being a bomber pilot.

Thank You to NetGalley for my advanced copy to read and review.

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This is the most interesting and well written war memoir that I have read to date. The layers of the story blend well. You feel the humility and bravery of a soldier, the purpose and resolution of a Division, and the strategy of the war machine. The style of writing is so crisp -- it reads like a relative telling you a story. I am amazed at the strength of this generation -- the commitment, the dedication, the ability to go and do even when the outcome was so uncertain. The words at the end really touched my heart and stick with me. Lucky's comments have changed my outlook on our present national instability. I recommend this memoir to readers of all genres. The book tells a story, but the story reaches inside you to help you determine what you are made of, and it has you reaching out to be part of something bigger than yourself.

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As an oral historian, I recognize the volume of work that went into crafting this narrative of John "Lucky" Luckadoo. Thank you to all involved in capturing this story and making it available. We get an insiders view to the attitude and opinion of pre-World War II America, watching the conflict from a distance. Then we follow Lucky through training, deployment, missions, leadership, grief, and returning stateside. But the story doesn't end there, as the author includes the post-war challenges of returning pilots and their future careers.

Lucky's story and experiences must not be forgotten. This is a valuable read to understand what this Greatest Generation underwent and sacrified for us. Students may be shocked to read of ordinary men being put in overwhelming circumstances, being responsible for others' lives, being shot-at, seeing friends' planes be shot-down, knowing that life and death in war seems completely random at times. I also appreciated Lucky recounting some of his struggles to form friendships with his fellow officers and his willingness to fall behind in mission number rather than be assigned to a position where he has no training.

Highly recommend, especially for middle and high school students to put themselves in the pilots seat of the B-17 Bomber during WWII missions.

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John “Lucky” Luckadoo wanted to be a fighter pilot after the attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II. However, at 6'3" he was too tall to fit into the cockpit of the fighter planes, and he ended up flying a B-17 bomber from the countryside of England to German targets on the continent. As a crewmember of a bomber, all you had to do was complete 25 missions in order to be sent back home and assigned something else. Unfortunately, this was at a time when just getting to 10 missions meant you'd already beaten the odds.

This is a very absorbing read of one man's experience as a bomber pilot in the European theater of WWII. It's not written like a standard history but is a much more personal account of one man's experience. I often wondered just how accurate the details were - and it's <i>quite</i> detailed - but that detailed viewpoint also brings more of a 'you-are-there' feeling. You feel the anxiety of flying through antiaircraft flak as it peppers the plane Lucky is flying, tearing holes in it and sometimes the human crew. You feel the stress of the German fighters who challenge the massive formations of bombers. And it all makes it a rather difficult to put down book sometimes. However, the less formal writing isn't without its flaws, and I was a little annoyed at some references (like Chapter 12, which is October 1943 and it says "It looked like the fighters were aiming for the bombers like Japanese kamikazes." Kamikazes didn't happen until a year later.). Still, it was a fun and excellent read. (I received an advance electronic copy via NetGalley.)

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Great historical nonfiction read! Highly recommend it to fans of the genre and those looking to expand their reading circle. Purchasing for library.

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Damn Lucky takes modern readers and plunges them into John "Lucky" Luckadoo and his friend's lives as they leave Tennessee and head off to war. Told through first-hand accounts and interviews, Maurer's book humanizes the tales many have seen in the movies or grown up with being handed down through the family. Yes, people are people and not everything they did was glamorous, but it happened. This is a must-have for personal history, military, and aircraft crew tales lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

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Review of Damn Lucky, by Kevin Maurer
Chances were, John Luckadoo wouldn’t make it back. “Lucky” needed to complete 25 bombing runs before going home or taking another assignment. Most bomber crew members only accomplished ten missions before being wounded, shot down, or killed.
Lucky’s original crew completed the required number of missions before he did, so he had to make his last few flights as the senior man with an unfamiliar crew. This made the odds of Lucky completing all 25 missions even steeper.
Lucky’s memoir, written by Kevin Maurer, explores the relationship dynamics of B-17 bomber crews, as well as Lucky’s personal fears and loss of faith.
Lucky and his boyhood friend dreamed of being fighter pilots. His friend enlisted first, joining the Canadian RAF before America’s official involvement in World War II. Lucky enlisted after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and then almost washed out in his quest to become a pilot. On the brink of failure, Lucky got the backing of a patient instructor, and Lucky found the confidence to complete the qualification requirements. This instructor would again figure prominently in Lucky’s life.
Lucky dealt with a cowardly leader who thrust him into harm’s way, and experienced red tape that stymied him in the progress toward his goals. Lucky also experienced devastating loss, and so avoided becoming too close to the men he worked with.
At times, the text has more tell than show, conveying facts and setting up for snippets of dialogue. But if you enjoy military memoirs, you’ll like Lucky’s story.
Now available for pre-order on Amazon.

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Damn Lucky: One Man's Courage During the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History
by Kevin Maurer

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is the incredible true story of John "Lucky" Luckadoo, who survived 25 missions as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot in WWII. The book is written from first-hand accounts and interviews the author had with 99-year old Lucky.

Right after Pearl Harbor, 18-year-old Tennesseans Lucky and his best friend, Leroy “Sully” Sullivan, are determined to answer the call to duty by becoming fighter pilots. While the United States required two years of college, the Royal Canadian Air Force only requires parental consent for those under 21. Lucky’s father refuses to give consent, but Sully’s mother says she will sign if he feels it is the right thing for him to do. Sully is off to war, and Lucky attends college, signing up as soon as he is able.

As part of the 100th Bombardment Group, Lucky and his team conducted high-altitude bombings. The statistical chances for a heavy bomber crew to be lost on a mission were 1 in 10. A 25-mission tour of duty means that once a flyer completes 10 missions, they are literally on borrowed time. The group earned the nickname Bloody Hundredth because when they lost, they lost big.

Lucky’s detailed accounts of his missions are harrowing, and it is amazing that any flyer reached 25 missions. Lucky describes flying through a storm of jagged metal shrapnel from the anti-aircraft flak guns, evading bombardment from the fighter jets as well as avoiding the steel cables the enemy trailed through American plane formations in order to fowl props or cut off the wings. All this, while dealing with high-altitude loss of oxygen and below zero freezing temperatures. On one mission, a hole in the plane caused the cold air to rush in at Lucky’s feet, which were frozen stiff. When it came time to land, Lucky had to use his hands to lift his black and blistered feet in order to stand on the brake.

In his afterword to the book, Lucky states his hope that this book honors the men that served with him, telling the truth about what it took to climb into the cold blue and fight for their lives over and over again. It may be difficult to read, but it is an amazing portrayal of the courage, selflessness and sacrifice demonstrated by these brave men.

The author suggests the website www.100thbg.com for further reading.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

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I am grateful that Lucky spent time with the author so that we can know what life was like during this time. It is important that these memories are saved for history.

A family member of mine flew as a navigator in B-17s in Europe a little later than did Lucky, but from his own accounts, this book is quite accurate--not only in the combat sections, but also in the initial training parts, as well as what these men did before and after missions. Besides giving the historical facts of that time, the author humanized what these men went through and how the experiences molded them into what they became after they came home.

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I like history, and I like accounts of individuals, either autobiographical or third-person.

I'm sorry, but I don't like this book. Its great flaw is that the main "character" has no personality. None. We never feel like we know him. He's just a guy in the book who does stuff. The book would be improved greatly if we heard actual dialogue. Many biography writers do that, letting us know that of course there are no recordings, but the conversations are reconstructed from witnesses and recollections.

And this may seem petty, but it really is a serious flaw. We read the name "Lucky" way, way too much. The author badly needs to get on friendly terms with good ol' pronouns. At least 2/3 of the "Luckys" ought to be replaced by "he", "his", and "him."

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I have just finished reading Damn Lucky by Kevin Maurer.

This is a true story of a WWII Pilot who survived 25 flights, before heading back home to the US.

The story of John "Lucky" Luckadoo, is told through the writing of Kevin Maurer.

The book is of a very interesting and important wartime story, delving into what WWII pilots must endure. It is simply written and told well.

Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Author Kevin Maurer for my advanced copy to read and review.

#netgalley

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An amazing story of a young man who joined the Army Air Corps and participated in some incredibly dangerous operations, including the daylight "precision" bombings in Germany. The losses of the Eighth Air Force were staggering -- the big bombers were vulnerable and many times entire crews were lost with overall casualty rates of 60-70%.

In an afterword, John Luckadoo comes across like many WWII veterans -- he did not talk about his war for years. Eventually a desire to recognize the achievements of his fellow warriors but also to call out strategic command errors that cost lives led him to put together a memoir.

The incredible drama of the story overcomes writing that at times is trite and repetitive. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

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“Damn Lucky” is one of the best World War Two veterans’ stories I have read! Bomber pilot, John “Lucky” Luckadoo, Major, USAF (Ret.) was one of many bomber pilots of B-17s whose bravery helped end the war with Germany, in 1943! His military account, from the bombing of Pearl Harbor, inspiring him and others enlisting to become pilots, to his retirement from the USAF after the post war years, is incredible, and inspiring! This no nonsense account of his missions, flying over France and Germany, during the Air Force’ s infancy, shows the perseverance and bravery, piloting the huge bombers, with minimal experience and against incredible odds, to fulfill missions, which he survives when many of his crewmen are not that ” lucky”! An inspiring read from beginning to end!

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Damn Lucky tells the true story of “Lucky” Luckadoo who flew some of the deadliest missions of World War II during the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history. Lucky served with the 100th Bomber Group during the early days of the bombing of France and Germany from England. His story starts with his quest to join the Royal Air Force with his best friend before the war, through 25 missions in combat over Germany to the one mission—a raid over Bremen—where Luckadoo felt like his luck had run out. The statistical chances for a heavy Bomber crew in Europe to be lost on a mission were 1-in-10. At a 25-mission tour of duty, statistically, once a flyer made it to 10 missions they were literally on borrowed time. Anyone who served a full tour and survived was remarkably lucky. Drawn from Lucky’s firsthand accounts, acclaimed war correspondent and bestselling author Kevin Maurer delves into this extraordinary tale, uncovering astonishing accounts of bravery during an epic clash in the skies over Nazi Germany.

This was an amazing story. I learned a lot about B-17 bombers and how they worked. The author did an amazing amount of research. An Afterword from 99 year old Lucky Luckadoo was very interesting with his reminiscing about the flights and the friends he made and the ones he lost in battle. This is a different look at World War II, from the sky, and well worth the read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read it. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in WWII accounts.

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One of the most thrilling books I've read this year has described the View of a Pilot in one of the darkest times of mankind, with the light of Hope and Freedom, and the compassion and trust of Soldiers and those on duty. I really enjoyed this book, and I'd recommend taking this great adventure as there is so much that can be learned about World War 2 history, the unsung heroes of the war, as well as what their fears and dreams were during this period.

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Many, many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this memoir.

“We were young citizen-soldiers, terribly naïve and gullible about what we would be confronted with in the air war over Europe and the profound effect it would have upon every fiber of our being for the rest of our lives.”

During WWII, the skies over Europe were a terrible and deadly place to serve during the Second World War. American bomber crews in particular suffered high losses because their bombing raids took place in broad daylight.

I do not think there is anything equivalent today to what the men who flew daylight bombing raids over Europe during WWII endured. They
climbed into a tin can and flew for hours in bone-chilling temperatures only to find German fighters and deadly flak waiting for them. Early on, they did not have Allied fighter planes, “little friends,” that could accompany them. They relied on the firepower of their Flying Fortresses’ guns and a lot of prayer. They watched friends and comrades shot down. Fortresses fell from the sky or exploded with such force that they seemed to disintegrate in mid-air, many with crew still trapped inside. Those who made it back to English soil knew only one thing: that until they completed the required 25 missions, they would be flying into the same hell day after day, never knowing if that was the day their ticket would be punched by flak or by the Luftwaffe.

John “Lucky” Luckadoo was first a B-17 co-pilot and later a pilot in the 100th Bomb Group, a group that would suffer some of the worst losses of the air war over Europe. In October 1943, over a three-day period, the 100th lost 87 Flying Fortresses and almost 900 men. Lucky flew through it all. His memoir is not only a tribute to those who were lost and those who accomplished their missions and came home, but it also tells of the terrible mental and emotional toll that such missions had on the crews who flew them. Lucky recounts the terrible attacks on their formations by German fighter planes, such as the Focke-Wulf 190s and Messerschmitt 109s, how they seemed to slice right through the tightly arranged B-17s, how he watched other B-17s begin to crash while his crew tried to count how many parachutes floated from the doomed bomber. He watched friends die, saw entire crews obliterated in explosions, and later sat through debriefings listening to how many 100th Bomb group planes and crews didn’t make it back.

“No memorial service. No closure. The casualties were too numerous to stop and mourn everyone, leaving those still fighting to continue onward.”

I think every American should have to read an account of a B-17 crewman in the air war over Europe. What these men did was so important to the war, to Allied Victory, and to the freedom of every person lucky enough to grow up in this country. People need to understand the toll that victory took on the men who carried out those missions. They need to know what those men sacrificed for this country and its people. Lucky’s memoir is an excellent account of this. I think the part that struck me the most is the Afterword written by Lucky himself. He talks of the terrible things going on in this country today, of how divided we are, and asks us to remember that we are Americans first and to not squander the sacrifices made by his generation. I couldn’t agree with him more.

After reading his Afterword, I did wish that he had written the memoir himself, from his own first personal point of view. I think it would have been even more gripping and impactful. There were a few minor things I questioned, like why the loss of his first B-17 was mentioned as an afterthought and not something discussed when it happened, and I wondered about some of the stories of other planes and crews that, until that point had never been mentioned before and were not mentioned again. Their accounts almost seemed out of place, but perhaps they were included by request of John Luckadoo. However, these are very minor things, and overall, I very much enjoyed reading about Lucky's service. I am glad this account has been recorded and that we will have it as a part of our history, so that we can always remember what Lucky and his generation did for us.

If you would like to learn more about the 100th Bomb Group, please visit: https://www.100thbg.com/

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My goodness. As a frequent reader of World War Two history, it is fortunate that many veterans in recent years have decided to write their memoirs. It is not often to read such an amazing account like this well-written and astonishing story.

Mr. Luckadoo tells a story that many Americans of his generation can tell, but his story is rather extraordinary, He becomes a flyer and ends up flying B-17 bombers over the skies of Europe early in the war, when 25 missions was a target for completion that few ended up able to dream of achieving due to the vagaries of so many factors.

The account here is fantastic. I found myself really feeling the terror and tension of the flights described as "Lucky", his obvious nickname goes through the war.

Since this is written by Kevin Maurer and not the pilot, I kept thinking the title referred to either the pilot becoming a POW, or dying on his last mission, but came to realize perhaps the man might make it through, I won't destroy the wonderful tension in the narrative that its built up, but certainly this is not a book without horrible and sad stories, As, of course, the air war killed so many young American boys. As the point is made, there was a strange deal to insulate the veterans as they went along cheating death, which was not to get involved with the new crews, But we learn in this account why that was a helpful piece of armor with a tragic death.

This is a really well-written book, and the account that is told to the reader is truly suspenseful and exciting, It is also sad as we learn that the Lucky man is still haunted bu the tragedies and losses of so many, '

An extraordinary account, and well-worth reading. Highly recommended,

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Despite what they say, they are/were “The Greatest Generation”. This is the story of another one of those heroes. Thank goodness there are writers still digging out their stories so that “we may never forget” their sacrifices and heroism.
This book is DAMN LUCKY by author KEVIN MAURER. The subject of this true story is John “Lucky” Luckadoo from Chattanooga, Tennessee. An important secondary character is Leroy “Sully” Sullivan from the same town. They were best friends and grew up together. When WWII broke out, they both wanted to become fighter pilots. It was not to be.
Sully joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a fighter pilot. Lucky entered the United States Army Air Corps as a B-17 bomber pilot. Both ended up in England not far from each other. It took a while before they realized how near they were to each other. They spent a very memorable weekend in London in 1943. Lucky met Sully’s girlfriend Lady Peggy who owned a private club in London, and polo horses.
The Eighth Air Force was the U.S. overall command unit for American air forces in Europe. Among its early leaders were Generals Curtis LeMay, Billy Mitchell and Jimmy Doolittle, icons of the world of military aviation before, during and after the war.
It was decided by the American and British commanders that American bombers would conduct high altitude, daylight, “precision” bombing. The British would do nighttime saturation bombing. U.S. bomber personnel had to fly 25 missions before they could return to the United States. Their life expectancy was about 10 raids. Losses were extremely heavy at times. Everybody wanted so-called “milk runs” over less heavily defended targets.
During the course of the story, the reader gets to feel the terror of flying over targets with German fighter planes and German antiaircraft cannon fire all around the bombers. The American bombers had an aid called the Norden Bombsight that allowed the bombardier to control the final approach to a target. Unfortunately, it was NOT as accurate as it was claimed to be. Lucky’s missions took him over submarine bases in France, V-1 rocket sites, the city of Berlin and more. The reader is right there in the planes with Lucky and his crews. The British thought they were “Overpaid, oversexed and over here!”
Not only is this a war story, it is also the story of the men who were on the frontlines and their families at home. Some of the men that flew with or commanded Lucky were great people. Others were unfit to command but that is what war does. Even after the war, Lucky had issues with the Air Force but managed to overcome them. He met his future wife in Bryan, Texas. She was the daughter of an American Ambassador. Her father never approved the marriage of his daughter to a pilot. She was destined for bigger fish.
The author was fortunate to be able to actually talk to Lucky when he was nearing 100 years old. He also used other sources, which he documents at the end of the story.
If you are a fan of biographies, war stories, history and/or human interest, then this is a book for you. If I could, I would give this book more than five stars. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!

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