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Reviews |
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“Most of the books on the USAAF have centered on the ‘glamour’ units, the fighters and bombers. Somewhere along the way someone determined that the
operations of troop carrier units were not glamorous and thus not
worthy of discussion. To the contrary, such operations paint a rich picture of
USAAF operations that at times were much more important to the
success of the Allies during the war than the shooting down of
enemy planes or dropping bombs. “Of all the combat units that made major contributions to the Allied
victory in World War II, one story remains largely undiscovered.
Until recently the record of USAAF Troop Carrier has been
overlooked and sometimes misunderstood. This has now been remedied by the new book, Into
The Valley, the definitive history of Troop Carrier. This book is one of the essential volumes in anyone’s
shelf of key books on World War II: A must.” “Into The Valley is a lively
blend of personal recollections and visual images set in proper
context by the selective use of well-crafted historical narrative. Written largely by the men who participated in the American
version of warfare in the ‘third dimension,’ it will take its
place as the definitive compendium of the USAAF’s Troop Carrier
Command experience. The
addition of statistical and textual appendices will make the book
a standard reference for scholars.” “By far the best all-encompassing history of the combined operations
and endeavors of Troop Carrier and Airborne during World War II .
. . the story I want my children and grandchildren to read and
have.” “For the very first time, Col. Charles H. Young tells the complete and
heroic story of the USAAF’s combat Troop Carrier Command. The
deeds of tow pilots, air crew members, glider pilots, airborne
glider infantry and paratroopers are skillfully blended into this
remarkable saga that has until now remained one of the best kept
secrets of World War II. For those who proudly wore the Troop Carrier Command badge,
it is a must-have book. For
historians and WW II buffs, this will be an eye-opener . . . . A collector’s item worth twice the price!” “Young’s book delivers the goods—scores of unvarnished accounts by
veterans, accompanied by historical essays, interesting
photographs, and useful maps. This is a lively and informative work about an important
aspect of World War II air power history.” “Whether your job was to leap from the door of a C-47 lurching through the sky, or to ride a careening CG-4A down into a tiny field, the Airborne soldier soon came to appreciate the bravery and skill of the men at the controls. This is the powerful story of the other half of the Airborne team . . . the Troop Carrier Command. “The personal accounts and experiences, the attention to operational
details and the flow of the TCC’s history are handled
beautifully; the many photographs are excellent.
This is a super piece of work . . . .” “Into The
Valley is an outstanding synthesis of accounts about pilots
who flew troop carrier aircraft and the airborne soldiers who were
transported into battle by them. It is a well researched book based on primary sources with
a mix of interviews and personal experiences of the author.
The airborne community is fortunate that Col. Young kept a
record of his actions as they occurred, for he is a pioneer of
airborne warfare.” “Col. Charles Young has used comments from his
personal diary and woven in the eye-witness accounts of his airmen
with those of his ‘one-way’ riders, and with the planners of
the various operations, and even with civilians in occupied Europe
who participated in these events, including the ‘underground.’ Col. Young was in position to provide a view of the big
picture from the top echelon down . . . .” “When
I finished reading Into The Valley, I thanked God that I had been
assigned to the B-26 Marauders instead of the Troop Carriers. I have had
to reappraise my B-26 Marauder combat tour and, even for the most rough
missions that were undertaken, find those missions diminished by the
combat and environmental exposure and the tremendous work of the Troop
Carriers. If you read Into The Valley and are not chilled to the
bone by the accounts set forth, you have not been there. If you want to
learn about a major facet of air warfare, Into The Valley will
lead you down the road.” “This is a magnificent job of book making.
The ability to hold all these different sorts of materials
together in a coherent account shows that the author and editor
possess rare talent. And,
all the photos are a treasure . . .
It is positively startling how many of these photos came
out so clearly reproduced in this book.” “I’ve always believed that my cohorts and I did some important flying during the war. People kept telling us so, and Lord knows we were frightened enough to make it seem so. But until reading the book, Into The Valley, I had no idea of the scope or the magnitude of our operations, and their effect on the outcome of World War II.” “The herculean literary efforts of the Youngs—Charles H. and Charles D.—will make thousands of grandchildren
very proud of their grandpas and grandmas.” “Into
The Valley is a gem. I
congratulate you on the thoroughness of your effort and the superb
collection of photographs. You
have contributed to military history the definitive book on Troop
Carrier’s role in World War II.” |
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