The Lucky Bastard Club: A B-17 Pilot in Training and in Combat, 1943-45/Mister Fletcher's Gang/2 Books in 1 Volume

by Eugene Fletcher

Book Overview

On their first mission in a war-weary B-17 named Government Issue, half the payload jammed in the bomb bay and a shorted motor threatened to ignite the fuel transfer lines. At any moment the plane... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295972327
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Press
• Length: 510 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Truly the "Greatest Generation"

As the director of a museum I am often asked to review an historical book and such was the case of the Lucky Bastard Club. I couldn't put the book down. There has been a lot said about "the Greatest Generation" -- people who were born in the depression, served in the war and worked to make our country what it is today. People who belive in the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Pledge of Allegiance and marriage vows. Such a man is Roy Fisher who survived 35 missions in WWII. This "oral history" taken direct from his daily letters to his new bride will make you cry for this 21 year old seasoned pilot. If you like WWII history or if you are just looking for a hero who won't let you down: Roy Fisher is your man...he is truly a LUCKY BASTARD. I wish I was half as much a man. Ted Peters, Director, Heritage Farmstead Museum.

Lucky to have it

I would give this book more than five stars if I could. It is a very detailed description of life in training and in service as a B-17 pilot. I read it with great enthusiasm and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the B-17 in WWII

Useful and evocative

If you want to get a sample of what 8th Army Airforce pilots and crews went through, flying the big birds over Festung Europa then this is the book you want to get.This is, by necessity, one mans experience and one mans war, but it is in such detail that it can be forgiven its narrow scope. This work is very much information rather than data, you will not be able to dip into its index for any facts and figures you might want BUT it will give you a snapshot view of what a tour of duty might well have been like. The book reads like a diary and was, in fact, written using the authors letters home to his wife as inspiration. Luckily the fact that the author knew this letters might be read by censors keeps them from getting so familiar that an outside observer (the reader) gets uncomfortable reading them.This book is two seperate works together, one takes the reader through Mr. Fletchers training, and the second goes through his tour of duty. Together they provide an important chronology of a B-17 Bomber crews career.I thoroughly reccomend it to you.

WWII from the perspective of a B-17 pilot /pilot-in-training

This book is a WWI aviation enthusiast's dream. Mr. Fletcher describes his adventure of becoming a B-17 pilot from volunteering to flying missions in Europe. The process is fascinating and the details of the the training make the book incredibly interesting. It's very unfortunate this book is out of print. I'm guarding my copy very closely.It makes a great companion to a copy of the original film about the Memphis Belle.