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Paul Wagner
AUTHOR, PHOTOGRAPHER
9200 Flushing Meadows Dr. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87111-5878
Ph: (505) 856-0595, FAX: (505) 856-2149
After I retired I spent several years writing a book about my experiences as a military pilot in WWII. In writing the descriptions of our combat ordeals I use the diaries of three of my crew members in addition to my own notes and memories. Because of this I think the book has the most accurate descriptions of a bomber crew's personal combat experiences that has yet appeared in print. It is this aspect of the book that makes me think that it will be read and used for a long time. The original hard cover book, the second edition [in soft cover] have been sold out and the book is now in its third printing. Despite our efforts, neither my publisher nor I have been able to get this book into retail stores via the normal distribution channels. As a result, in order to recover some of the publication costs, we have been forced to sell the book by personal contact. To date I have sold more than 450 books and while the book comes with a money back guarantee, no one has ever claimed it so I feel confident that folks who buy it like it. The book may be ordered through a bookstore or from the publisher but the most direct way to get the book is to order it from me, from the above address, for a cost of $19.95 (I pay the postage).
"THE YOUNGEST CREW"
Paul Wagner
Lagumo Press, Cheyenne, WY (1997)
ISBN 1-878117-18-1
| This is the story of my three years in the United States Air Corps during World War II. As pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress I had eight men assigned to me as my flying crew. The title is a tribute to the fact that we believe we were the youngest bomber crew to train and to fly all their missions as a unit during the air war in Europe. |
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| The book briefly describes my early years, my enlistment in 1942 at the age of 18 to earn my pilot's wings and my learning to fly as an Aviation Cadet in the U. S. Army Air Corps. Once I had my wings, my first orders were to learn to fly the B-17 Flying Fortress, the backbone of our bombing offensive in the air war both in Europe and in the Pacific. As a Command Pilot my next duty station was Panama City, Florida where it was my responsibility to teach newly graduated pilots how to handle the B-17. |
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| Late Summer of 1944 saw my assignment to an operational training unit in Tampa, Florida where my crew was assigned. On December 27, 1944 (my 21st birthday) we flew over the north Atlantic Ocean to England. Once there we joined the 398th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force with which we flew twenty-five combat missions, all deep into Germany, as part of the final offensive in Europe. In the book are stories of my visits to the neighboring English towns, tales of trips to wartime London and reminiscences of friendships and romances. Memories of the air raids we flew and the terrors and tragedies we suffered flying in combat are described in detail. |
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| Following the cessation of hostilities in Europe we flew into Russian-occupied Germany and repatriated American flying officers who had been prisoners of war at Stalag Luft I and flew them to Laon, France. A few weeks later, we flew back to the U. S. expecting to be sent to the war in the Pacific, however, while we were waiting to be reassigned, the war ended. |
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