Back From 44
The Sacrifice and Courage of a Few
by Nick Cressy
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Pub Date 11 Nov 2014 | Archive Date 28 Mar 2020
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Description
Back from 44 - The Sacrifice and Courage of a Few. Nick Bentas, Staff Sergeant US Army Air Force, finds Marauder, trying to return to base, he remembers the different times in his life that led him up to this point.
From enlistment to basic training to saying goodbye to his new wife, he remembers his deadly missions around France Germany and the wider Mediterranean.
Experience how it was first hand to encounter enemy flak and fighter attacks, while dealing with the emotional impact of losing close friends.
Back From 44 is an in-depth look into the bravery and sacrifice of ordinary men who did extraordinary things during WWII.
Advance Praise
Oct 2018 “Fliploud” review for Back From 44 - The Sacrifice and Courage of a Few. “It creates a vivid picture of the perils and daily grind of aircrews on bombers during WW2.”
GoodreadsJohn's review Apr 30, 2016
really liked itbookshelves: history-air-warfare, kindle, e-book Read from April 30 to May 12, 2016
“As I get older and realize there are too many books that I have to read before my time is up. Having said that, I was ready to ditch this book half way through. I am glad I didn't, this book will kick you right in the balls. Kudos to the author and highly recommended.”
""I want you to know I was very impressed with your book ""Back from 44."" The fiction part of your book was far less fiction than you might think. The ""conversations"" between individuals in the book may have a figment of your imagination, but those conversations might have very well been discussed at the time. What was discussed was exactly the sort of things we did actually discuss.""
320th Bomb Group, 441st Squadron crewmember, January 2015
Geoff LawsonGoodreads5.0 out of 5 stars12Jun18 - Published Amazon.com
“Any student of aerial warfare would like this book. Taken from the war diary of Nick Bentas, it creates a vivid picture of the perils and daily grind of aircrews on bombers during WW2.” "
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781387920945 |
| PRICE | US$3.00 (USD) |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 234509
An interesting account of life in USAF, on bombers in WW2. Told using first person narration, it's a vivid account of the war in the air, as well as life on the base. Written well, authentic dialogue, reminiscent of diary/journal entries.
Lest us forget.
Thanks to the author and Netgalley for this review copy.
Kevin M, Reviewer
If you pick this book up and thumb through it you really shouldn’t put it down! What at first sight seems simply a quite well-written account of a citizen airman, Nick Bentas, in the USAAF in late 1944 turns out to be so much more. The narrative, written by Nick Bentas’s nephew, is engaging and provides a compelling account of the life of an air gunner/flight engineer in the European Theatre of Operations, based on a contemporary diary. However, as the story unfolds it is revealed as so very much more. It is difficult to say more without spoiling the reading experience of readers. Suffice to say that the final pages of this book, with Bentas in a crippled B26 bomber struggling to return to his home base, highlight the price paid by the Allies to win the Second World War in a way that most accounts struggle to convey.
Highly recommended - a most intensely moving book.
Account D, Reviewer
i really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great historical read and the characters were great. I would look forward to more from the author.
Educator 589712
This book provides great insight into the war from the sky. It isn’t a perspective I read much about so it was definitely refreshing to read. I would recommend this book for older teens and older. So it is a bit too much for my grade level but still an excellent book!
John P, Reviewer
This is the only publication of author Nick Cressy. Back from 44 – the Sacrifice and Courage of a Few: A Story of Heroism in the Skies over Western Europe was published in 2014.The author is the nephew of the airman who wrote the source journal. This is the 12th book I completed reading in 2023.
Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! I categorize this book as G. This is the journal of Nick Bentas, Staff Sergeant US Army Air Force. During WWII, he was part of the 320th Bomb Group based at Dijon- Longvic airfield in France. In the journal, he reminisces about his months in training as a Flight Engineer on a B-26. He talks about deployment to Sardinia, Corsica, and finally, France. He describes some of their missions. He also talks about how the crew became a tight group of friends. All of them were missing family back in the States.
I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 220-page WWII-era history. The book provides a first-hand look at the lives of a B-26 crew. There were moments of joy and sorrow. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a rating of 4.3 (rounded to 4) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).
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