Description: "Tells the true story of 'Lucky' Luckadoo, who flew some of the deadliest missions of World War II during the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history. Lucky served with the 100th Bomber Group during the early days of the bombing of France and Germany from England. His story starts with his quest to join the Royal Air Force with his best friend before the war, through 25 missions in combat over Germany to the one mission--a raid over Bremen--where Luckadoo felt like his luck had run out. The statistical chances for a heavy Bomber crew in Europe to be lost on a mission were 1-in-10. At a 25-mission tour of duty, statistically, once a flyer made it to 10 missions they were literally on borrowed time. Anyone who served a full tour and survived was remarkably lucky"--
Brief description: KEVIN MAURER is an award-winning journalist and three-time New York Times bestselling co-author of No Easy Day, No Hero and American Radical, among others. Maurer has covered war, politics, and general interest stories for The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, and numerous other publications.
Review Quotes:
"Journalist Maurer (coauthor, No Easy Day) delivers a comprehensive account of bomber pilot John 'Lucky' Luckadoo's experiences during WWII. ... Drawing on extensive interviews with Lucky, Maurer recounts each mission in cinematic detail and vividly evokes the emotional toll taken by the air war's heavy casualties. ... This somber and well-crafted biography is a fitting tribute to its resolute subject." --Publishers Weekly
"Drawing from Luckadoo's first hand-accounts, Kevin Maurer creates a vivid and riveting story of an idealistic young man who tried to join the Royal Air Force before the war to flying dangerous missions with the Eighth Air Force's 100th Bomb Group. It culminates with a heart-stopping battle over the skies of Germany. This is a deeply absorbing reading experience, filled with memorable characters and fascinating details. With heart-stopping details, it's impossible to put down. In the end, Damn Lucky is a profound and riveting story of courage and friendship against the backdrop of the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history." --Chris Wallace, anchor of Fox News Sunday and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Countdown Bin Laden"An epic, thrillingly written, utterly immersive account of a very lucky, incredible survivor of the war in the skies to defeat Hitler. A wonderfully entertaining, fast read. Don't miss this one." --Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Longest Winter and The Liberator
"Kevin Maurer has crafted a heart-pounding narrative of the air war in Europe, framed around the incredible true story of pilot John "Lucky" Luckadoo who survived twenty five missions against the Third Reich. In Maurer's talented hands, readers will hear the thunder of flak, wince under the rattle of machinegun fire, and feel the fear that haunted the dreams of America's brave airmen. Damn Lucky is a damn fine book!" --James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Target Tokyo and Rampage
"In this action-packed flyboy saga, the reader is in the co-pilot's seat next to Lt. John "Lucky" Luckadoo as his B-17 Flying Fortress rains destruction on the Nazi Fatherland. The scenes of the deadly duels between bold American bombers and desperate German fighters are riveting and remind us of the terrible toll it took to earn victory in World War II." --Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, New York Times bestselling authors of Blood and Treasure and Lucky 666
"Damn Lucky brings to life World War II's deadliest campaign in a riveting account of aerial combat over the skies of Nazi Germany. From the freezing cockpit of a Flying Fortress to surviving flak so thick pilots joked they could land on it, Lucky Luckadoo's story of service and survival is timeless. He personifies America's greatest generation." --Mitch Weiss, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and New York Times bestselling coauthor of Countdown 1945
"Maurer, as always, makes the details of war compelling." --Kelly Kennedy, author of They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq "Few writers working today are able to marry historical fact with propulsive narrative like Kevin Maurer can." --Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Ballad