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Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.544973092
EAN: 9780760328248
Edition: 1st
ISBN: 0760328242
Label: Zenith Press
Manufacturer: Zenith Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: November 15, 2006
Publisher: Zenith Press
Studio: Zenith Press
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Editorial Review:
Of all the celebrities who served their country during World War II -and they were legion -Jimmy Stewart was unique. On December 7th, when the attack on Pearl Harbor woke so many others to the reality of war, Stewart was already in uniform - as a private on guard duty south of San Francisco at the Army Air Corps Moffet Field. Seeing war on the horizon, Jimmy Stewart, at the height of his fame after Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and his Oscar-winning turn in The Phadelphia Story in 1940, had enlisted several months earlier.
Jimmy Stewart, Bomber Pilot chronicles his long journey to become a bomber pilot in combat. Author Starr Smith, the intelligence officer assigned to the movie star, recounts how Stewart's first battles were with the Air Corps high command, who insisted on keeping the naturally talented pilot out of harm's way as an instructor pilot for B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators. By 1944, however, Stewart managed to get assigned to a Liberator squadron that was deploying to England to join the mighty Eighth Air Force. Once in the thick of it, he rose to command his own squadron and flew twenty combat missions, including one to Berlin.
“My father would feel honored by this book.” —Kelly Stewart Harcourt, daughter of Jimmy Stewart
"We would have made Jimmy a group commander [equivalent to an army regiment] if the war had lasted another month." - General Jimmy Doolittle.
"An excellent biography of a distinguished airman and fine human being." - Roger Freeman, author of The Mighty Eighth: A History of the U.S. 8th Air Force.
"How wonderful it is that Starr Smith has finally directed a literary light on the personal history of Jimmy Stewart. . . . I welcomed Starr's book. It is needed and wanted. Bravo!" - Gay Talese.
"This is a very well researched and written book. . . . It fills a place in history about no mere actor but a courageous and selfless man, Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart, USAF." - General Michael E. Ryan, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
“I have met a few movie stars, but of them all, I think that Jimmy Stewart was most like those modest heroes he portrayed. Now journalist Starr Smith has raised the curtain on Stewart’s gallant service as a bomber pilot and air combat commander in World War II.” —Walter Cronkite, from the Foreword
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A true American hero
The story of a man who had it all and risked it all to do what he thought was his duty is one we can all learn from. Stewart had fame, fortune and a bright future in Hollywood. His determined efforts to fly in combat, even after being initially rejected by the Air Force, are inspiring. Reading this book makes you appreciate Jimmy Stewart the actor even more.
Rating: - Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot is a great book. It gives insight on not only Jimmy Stewarts leading abilities but also on what it took to fly and work on these flying offensive weapons of WWII. It is verry interesting and did not want to put it down. The author puts everything in perspective with interviews and accounts. I am a WWII buff and anyone with the same interest should also find this book an excellent addition to your collection. It should be of interest to Jimmy Stewart fans as well as anyone ... Read More
Rating:  - Forgettable Tome
I was given this book for Christmas (at my urging). I immediately started reading, excited to learn more about a truly wonderful person and war hero. By the time I got to the half way point I wanted to stop reading, only continuing as I was hoping it would redeem itself...It did not.
To me, Mr. Stewart's name was put on the cover simply to sell the book; it is nothing but a clip collection of excerpts from other books, disjointed commentary and other assorted oddness. I believe no research ... Read More
Rating:  - War Hero Stewart Deserved Better!
Jimmy Stewart was one of a handful of major American film stars to see combat in World War II, flying B-24 Liberators with the 8th Air Force in England. Logging 20 missions with the 445th and 453rd Bomb Groups, he won various decorations including a DFC and Croix de Guerre. Given his splendid record, details of his combat career would make for interesting reading. Unfortunately you won't get those details in this book!
First things first. Smith's book is a warm tribute to a fine human being and ... Read More
Rating:  - I Wanted to Like this Book
In reading the other reviews of this book, I found something very interesting: both the positive and negative are basically correct. This book is a near love letter to Stewart, but it also really fails to describe his military experiences. Stewart was the Pat Tillman of another era. He enlisted--enlisted--in the U.S. Army before--I repeat--before Pear Harbor. This after he was an Oscar winning movie star. The book is good at building up and describing Stewart's early career in Hollywood and his initial training. ... Read More
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