ARA Review by jgalvin911 of Shot Down

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jgalvin911
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ARA Review by jgalvin911 of Shot Down

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[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Shot Down.]
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5 out of 5 stars
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It was a pleasure to read this extensive, detailed history of the complexities of WWII and the crew of the Susan Ruth B-17 Bomber. Steve Snyder does an intricate job of research and investigation into every available channel to provide the true story of the crew of the ship, as well as many of the other USAF troops, civilians, volunteers, and resistance members that endured the atrocities and hardship of this history-changing war.


This account is something that everyone should read, especially young people who are no longer being exposed to the older history that tells why we are the free nation we are today.


It can be suspenseful in many sections and though nonfiction, reads like fiction in many areas. The detail is extensive as in the dates, addresses of bases, acronyms for every title within, Belgium names and cities, the factions of the wartime groups operating in all the countries, whether German or Allied. The letters from pilot Howard Snyder to his wife Ruth provide a very personal account of his thoughts and feelings regarding the day to day activities of the Thurleigh-based crews and their triumphs, frustrations and challenges.


Growing up in the sixties, we were schooled on this war but no textbook can capture the detail of the grit and courage these men had for their mission there. I was surprised to find that many had little fear of what they had to do (until the dogfight of the Susan Ruth) and were even anxious and excited to fly their missions. I also had no idea of the casualties at the English airfields either before or upon return from missions, that had nothing to do with fighting the enemy in the air. The fact that he was able to include German pilot Hans Berger is a testament to the thoroughness of this book campaign.


There were many facts I had no knowledge of including the Proper names and self-imposed responsibilities of the resistance whose members in various countries saved airmen who eventually liberated their countries from German occupation and a dim future. The suspense of the progression of the true story reads like a NY Times best-selling thriller rather than a factual, nonfiction account of a wartime biography.


As I read the battle accounts and the descriptions of the stalags, I can recall watching Hogan's Heroes as a child thinking how brave and "lucky" the Stalag 13 prisoners were. An Austrian gentleman who lived two doors down from us who had gotten his family out of the country, had told me at one time that it wasn't a comedy; the things that were displayed were real and meant everything to the war effort. This was evident in the details of Howard Snyder's accounts of the underground activities that thwarted the German war progression. What was especially astounding for me was the sheer numbers of the loss of life, equipment, planes, and towns.


The bombing of strategic targets rather than cities was something I'd heard of but had not known the intricacies and dangers of how they were accomplished. The movies we've seen based on these accounts are all too familiar, but the prelude and explanation of them in this account opens a whole other understanding of their origins.


I highly recommend this book, to not only history buffs and nonfiction fans, but to the generations who seem to have lost their way with our basic history foundations. If I were an educator, this book would be required reading. Well done, Steve Snyder, I am a huge fan of your family and this account. Bravo for a 5/5 rating for Shot Down!

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