Inferno: The True Story of a B-17 Gunner's Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History

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.
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