Black Thursday cover art

Black Thursday

The Story of the Schweinfurt Raid

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Black Thursday

By: Martin Caidin
Narrated by: David Colacci
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About this listen

On Thursday, October 14, 1943, 291 B-17 Flying Fortresses set out for a strategic bombing raid on the factories in Schweinfurt.

Sixty of those planes never returned and 650 men were lost during the course of that mission.

It was the greatest failure that the United States Air Force had ever suffered and became known as "Black Thursday".

Martin Caidin's Black Thursday: The Story of the Schweinfurt Raid is a brilliant account of that day that should never be forgotten.

This audiobook uncovers in thrilling detail the build-up to that fateful raid as the ground crew prepare the aircraft and the aviators are briefed on their mission ahead.

By consulting with first-hand accounts and interviewing survivors Caidin's audiobook takes the listener to the heart of the action as the planes burst into battle in the skies above Western Europe.

©1960 Martin Caidin (P)2018 Tantor Air Forces Armed Forces Military US Air Force War Transportation Aviation

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All stars
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An appropriate tribute to all involved in that terrible encounter, along with a review of what it actually achieved and consequences.

Detailed and comprehensive review.

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A very detailed and engaging account of mission 115 on October 14th. Great production values and narration. Would thoroughly recommend 👍😃

Very detailed account of the mission

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Loved this book, truly a gem of a find. Well narrated, sourced and researched.
A brilliant description of a single mission, heart breaking in places but needs to be listened to, to understand what these men had to go through.

Fantastic listen

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This is an enjoyable listen. Although I was not totally enamoured by the reading the quality of the prose made it forgivable. The description of the aircraft is an audio walkthrough that brings to life the shear claustrophobic atmosphere of being in the plane on a mission. The combat descriptions are both exciting and depressing . The bravery of these young men is outstanding and counterpoints the often extremely brave and sometimes accidental ways in which their young lives are tragically ended. This has been one of the best Second World War books about air warfare that I have listened to.

The descriptions of the aircraft and aerial combat are superb

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Great narration, very well researched and clearly presented. Not many confusing military details to remember. There is description of gory wounds, brains, horrific injuries and sudden deaths. Aircraft fans are catered for with good technical explanations of allied and German aircraft, tactics, fighting qualities of both sides and armaments. The TV series (Masters of the air) is a good primer but this book really gets into the nitty gritty of life in a bomber squadron.
The narration on the briefing of aircrew before the Schweinfurt raid is very well done. The increasing tension within the crews, maintenance teams and officers planning the raid is palpable.
It’s shocking to learn of the number of deaths in the daylight raids so be warned.
The courage and bravery of the bomber crews is conveyed well along with what actually happened in the aircraft during the intense air battles.
Truly remarkable book.

What horror they lived through.

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Captivating all the way through. Wonderfully narrated, I could not stop listening to it. Excellent

Superb

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Interesting and quite detailed. I can't reward it with the highest rate because the introduction was a bit too poetic and I am not impressed with the narrator either. But in general, it was good listening.

Flying men and flying fortresses story

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Interesting subject but author tended to skip over a lot of combat segments. Too much waffle before the mission and not enough actual memory of the flyers involved.

Interstate

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