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Damn Lucky: One Man's Courage During the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History

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Description

From Kevin Maurer―the 1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning coauthor of No Easy Day―comes the true story of a World War II bomber pilot who survived twenty-five missions in Damn Lucky, “an epic, thrillingly written, utterly immersive account of a very lucky, incredible survivor of the war in the skies to defeat Hitler” (New York Times bestselling author Alex Kershaw). “We were young citizen-soldiers, terribly naive and gullible about what we would be confronted with in the air war over Europe and the profound effect it would have upon every fiber of our being for the rest of our lives. We were all afraid, but it was beyond our power to quit. We volunteered for the service and, once trained and overseas, felt we had no choice but to fulfill the mission assigned. My hope is that this book honors the men with whom I served by telling the truth about what it took to climb into the cold blue and fight for our lives over and over again.” ―John “Lucky” Luckadoo, Major, USAF (Ret.) 100th Bomb Group (H) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was a world away from John Luckadoo’s hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. But when the Japanese attacked the American naval base on December 7, 1941, he didn’t hesitate to join the military. Trained as a pilot with the United States Air Force, Second Lieutenant Luckadoo was assigned to the 100th Bomb Group stationed in Thorpe Abbotts, England. Between June and October 1943, he flew B-17 Flying Fortresses over France and Germany on bombing runs devised to destroy the Nazi war machine. With a shrapnel torn Bible in his flight jacket pocket and his girlfriend’s silk stocking around his neck like a scarf as talismans, Luckadoo piloted through Luftwaffe machine-gun fire and antiaircraft flak while enduring subzero temperatures to complete twenty-five missions and his combat service. The average bomber crew rarely survived after eight to twelve missions. Knowing far too many airmen who wouldn’t be returning home, Luckadoo closed off his emotions and focused on his tasks to finish his tour of duty one moment at a time, realizing his success was more about being lucky than being skilled. Drawn from Luckadoo’s firsthand accounts, acclaimed war correspondent Kevin Maurer shares his extraordinary tale from war to peacetime, uncovering astonishing feats of bravery during the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history, and presenting an incredible portrait of a young man’s coming-of-age during the world’s most devastating war. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press; First Edition (April 19, 2022)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250274389


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 80


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.6 x 1.35 x 9.55 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #26,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #18 in Military Aviation History (Books) #37 in WWII Biographies #149 in World War II History (Books)


#18 in Military Aviation History (Books):


#37 in WWII Biographies:


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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Wednesday, Nov 27

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • The author lives in our retirement center
This man is a real hero and we enjoy our visits with him. I believe he is now 102 years old and going strong. Plan to ask him to autograph my copies.
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024 by Jim

  • awesome and sacred history
This is an exceptionally well written history of what it was like as a bomber pilot and crew in England in WWII. The courage, discipline and professionalism they displayed is unmatched in aviation history since. Today’s combat aircraft, with advanced self defense suites and precision weapons, offer pilots and crews the ability to be far greater agile and engaged in survival. These vintage pilots and crews did not…and at great sacrifice…beat the Luftwaffe. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2023 by Isherwood

  • Stunningly Detailed!
The level of detail provided throughout the book really made you feel like you were there. What Lucky and the men of the 100th Bombardment Group endured is nothing short of heroic. Absolute must read for any military or WW2 aviation fan.
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2023 by Scott Richards

  • An intresting read
It was an interesting read and painted a good picture of what it was like to be in one of those flying machines. Well worth the price of admission. Paul sends
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2023 by Papa Alpha

  • Amazing story
An eye opener for the terrible dangers these young men faced every day. My sister-in-law met John Luckadoo recently. He is 101 years old and she said the guys is Amazing. Great conversations and is willing to chat about his experiences. He signed my book.
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2023 by Jack R. Wayne

  • The Amazing Story of a Good Man
Damn Lucky is the story of John Luckadoo, a B17 Pilot from WW2 who saw combat over Europe during the hardest days of the aerial campaign. Mr. Luckadoo and his best friend wanted to enlist before the United States was pulled into what will be known as WW2. After parting ways, both end up serving in Europe. Mr. Luckadoo's stories about what it was like to fly a B17 and be part of the crew are astonishing to those of us who have never experienced something similar. This is a book that is guaranteed to keep you glued as you realize the sacrifices these young men needed to do to complete their missions and the things they had to witness while completing their missions. I am sure that Mr. Luckadoo's story will one day be a movie about this story that needs to be told. Probably what I respect most about him is that he does not feel like a hero, he was just one young man, together with many more young men who had a mission to complete and they did despite the very real risk of death. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2022 by Yoryo

  • Men of real courage!
Damn Lucky is the story of John Luckadoo! He was a B-17 pilot flying missions over Germany from mid 1943 to early 1944. That time frame was particularly harrowing for pilots of the Eighth Air Force. The German Luftwaffe was comprised of battle-hardened professional pilots who pressed their attacks on the B-17 Bomber crews. The B-17 losses at that time of the war were staggering! This book will make you sweat just reading it! You are in the cockpit flying through the flak and Me-109, Fw-190 attacks and enduring the hostile conditions 25 thousand ft over Germany. You experience the shock of seeing neighboring B-17s simply vanish as they are struck by enemy fire. The courage it took to complete 25 missions as a B-17 bomber crew is a true testimony to what that generation of men were all about. This is a book that tells it like it was......and don't forget.... these guys were in their early twenties and taking on great responsibilities. That is something that today's generation probably couldn't even fathom. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2022 by Alexander Brighenti

  • Fearless Airmen
Once you start reading this book you cannot put it down. A very riveting true story of a brave WW II Bomber Pilot and his Crew that flew bombing missions over Germany.
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2023 by Jr

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