Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot

by Starr Smith

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076032199X
• ISBN13: 9780760321997
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Zenith Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A True American Hero who served his country with humility

I am glad I didn't pay attention to some of the reviewers of this book. Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. The author used a lot of back ground information to give credence to what General Stewart accomplished during WWII, which I found very useful. He also mentions at times how he was involved with the war. In my opinion, this is an outstanding piece of work about the rarely mentioned military life of a true American hero. I am just sad I never knew about this part of his life before. This man never mentioned or bragged about his distinguished military career. He was just proud to have served his country. He makes me proud to be an American and proud of this great country.

Humility comes before Honor-Stewart had both

Smith does a nice job recounting the days the Jimmy Stewart spent in the military during WWII. I found it very detailed oriented and less filled with anecdotes than I would have thought all these years removed from WWII. I knew a bit about Stewart's involvement in the Army Air Corps, which became the Air Force, but this book really filled in the details of his time during the war. Guys like Jimmy Stewart are a far cry from the phonies like Alec Baldwin who threaten to go back to Canada but wind up sticking around the USA to sap of of our money with second rate films. I think you will be amazed to find out all that Stewart had to do in order to become the hero he was. He was not drafted as a previous review claims, rather he inlisted against the will of the studio. He also had to endure undesired special treatment because no one wanted to put him in harms way. Eventually his desire to train for and see active duty prevailed and some forty odd years later this film star retired as Gen. Stewart, donating all of his retirement money back to the Air Force. This is a great book about an American hero. Like many of his day, Glen Miller, Ronald Reagan. Stewart did not wait he willingly enlisted!

Great book!

This is a very well written book about a true American hero. Jimmy Stewart has long been a great hero and idol to me. This is an awesome account of one of the worlds most awesome people. I highly recommend this not only for Jimmy Stewart fans, but for everyone. But anyone who reads this will be a Jimmy Stewart fan!

In War Like On Screen

This book is almost a love letter to Jimmy Stewart. And it may well be that the love is justified in this case. The mild "aw shucks" demeanor of an honest, average middle class individual thrust into crisis seen so often on the screen is reported here over and over by people who knew him during WW II. It's clear that he was no dummy, graduate of Princeton. This book though is on his wartime career. Entering the Army early in 1941 (and seeing his salary drop from $6,000 a month to $21) he was by the end of the war a seasoned bomber pilot with 20 missions behind him, including a visit to Berlin. In part this book has to concentrate on the differences a movie star has to see (the Army didn't want him killed), but most of it is on the way Jimmy Stewart handled himself in the War. It's a view of the war seen in movies like 12 O'Clock high, but this one is a personal view as seen by one man. If even half of what the book says is true, Jimmy Stewart clearly deserved his decorations.

The Silent American Hero

This book on the military life of Jimmy Stewart is long over due. Jimmy Stewart was one person on this earth that if you had ever met him you could never forget him. Stewart was the same in real life as he was in his movies. Stewart would never talk about his WWII years in the Air Force or allow Hollywood to exploit it. Stewart once said "How can I send an Airman into combat with out knowing it myself." That was Jimmy Stewart Starr Smith in his unique way of writing has captured the real James Stewart. Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot is a must read. Stewart is a true Silent American Hero. Star Smith's Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot tells the story of Stewart's military career as it happened. If you want to know the real Jimmy Stewart this is the book you will want to read. Stewart is one of the real down to earth G I's American Airman of WWII. This is really a must read book. Robbie John Harold Robinson