Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of The Berlin Airlift-June 1948-May 1949

Last major big effort by "The Greatest Generation," I served as a U. S. Navy Radar air traffic controller, with a controller who was in Berlin. John never talked of the experience, sure had a tough task, they all did. Realy struggled holding the tears for the first three chapters. What a response by our country. Wonder if we could respond again with the effectiveness? MUST READ, for any who have doubts concerning the strength potential in our National reservoir. Not neglecting the sharing of energy, for those we had been fighting just four years before. World changing event. Again President Harry Truman, proved his strength, and potential for the future of our great Nation. Well written, Great research, and with many view points showing the World impact. All that served around the World deserve a "WELL DONE."

Richard Reeves writes an historical account that reads like a novel. You can really see everything with his ability to form pictures with his words. Reading this is like listening to my father and his old brown boot army buddies; I felt like I was back there years ago listening to these men tell of their problems and triumphs. He has captured their spirit and stories, in his descriptions of Clay, of the stoppages of trains and convoys into Berlin as the crisis grew. Even glide ratios are given and technical details are made interesting and blended into the narrative The book is amazingly complete; no where else have I read the stories of the `lost wives' club, how the families of the pilots and ground personnel ordered into service had to leave their wives and families and the problems they experienced. It is so good to have recorded the stories of the enlisted men, which so many historians overlook. There is much written about Lt. Gail Halvorsen who became renowned as the candy bomber. As someone who flew into Templehof in the 70's and stayed in Berlin; I can attest to the fact that no where else in Europe were Americans more loved and respected than in Berlin. Everyone had personal stories that they loved to tell The stories of the problems and triumphs are all told; including the crashes and loss of life. The airlift was not all wonderful; the frustrations are presented, the bone weariness and low morale are described as well as the elation of a mission accomplished. This is an unbelievable true story that should not be forgotten and this book has presented its' history in a well done chronicle worth reading.

To Richard Reeves, the Berlin Airlift was more that an eleven month heroic effort to supply the beleaguered Berliners; it was the true beginning of the Cold War, the pre-launch for the ultimate unification of Germany, and the beginning of the modern air cargo transport business. Reeves skillfully weaves together airmens' tales, Berliners recollections and the histories of the likes of Harry Truman, Ernest Bevan, Willy Brandt, Lucius Clay, William Tunner and others to give the reader a complete, satisfying and often wry recounting of heroism, extraordinary generosity and human kindness. This is a wonderful book for World War II history and aviation buffs alike.

Great read! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in World War II/Cold War history or aviation history. The book is easy to read and fun as well -- it really reads like a novel. Plus, as an American, it is great to read about our armed forces doing the impossible -- keeping a city alive through only air support. The human side was also really touching as the pilots making the airlifts -- now called "angels in uniform" by the Berliners -- were many of the same pilots who made the devastating bombing runs just a few years before.

This is an excellent book. As Tom Brokaw suggests on the dust cover, it is highly readable. It is also important history that has been covered in quite a few other books, but, remarkably, there seem to be many people who are unfamiliar with that history or prone to confuse it with the much later building of the Berlin Wall. The author is able to mingle important events with some very engaging miniportraits of participants at all levels in the crisis. The German residents of Berlin are given voices, and the German airplane loaders and mechanics are real people here. His book is also unlike other works by American writers by giving more space and detail to the British/Commonwealth contribution to the airlift. I feel I am a good test of the book's merits because I lived in Berlin during the blockade as an American dependent and joined many others in watching the American planes land at Tempelhof and the occasional British Sunderland land on Wansee. I have also read many other books on this topic. Without taking anything away from a fine piece of work, I would suggest that there are a few places where the proofreading left a little to be desired. For example, the General Clay I remember lived around the corner from us in a district called Dahlem, not Darmstadt as the author suggests at two points. Overall, a fine contribution to the literature.