Into the Inferno: The Story of a B-17 Gunner Over Nazi-occupied Europe [Hardcover]

Into the Inferno is more than just another war story. Its an intriguing tale of best friendsone fighting at 25,000 feet above German flak guns and the other in the steaming jungles of the Pacificand of the unforgettable girl they left behind. A page turner to the very end.  Travis L. Ayres, author of The Bomber BoysThe temperature was 40 degrees below zero when fighter planes screamed out of the clouds, puncturing the fuselage with a spray of machinegun fire and sending the bomber beside them into a death spin. This was followed by intense flak, as a hundred cannons on the ground tried to blow them out of the sky.When they finally made it back to the base, another enemy awaited them: homesickness, crushing boredom, relentless cold, and more mud than they could imagine.Bert Ibelle was a 19-year-old freshman at Dartmouth College when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps to fly dozens of bomber missions over Nazi-occupied Europe and win the Purple Heart. His buddy, Fran Brighenti, served as an infantry marksman on the opposite side of the globe, slogging through the steaming jungles of the Philippine and the fiery hell of Okinawa.Their wars couldnt have been more different, nor could their approach to life. While the ever-exuberant Fran was a ladies man, Bert only had eyes for Red, the girl back home who was in love with another young man.This is their storyone that combines terror, humor, friendship, and a sons search for his elusive father.Bert Ibelle was 19 years old when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, flying bomber missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. Meanwhile his buddy, Fran Brighenti, served as an infantry marksman on the opposite side of the globe. Using diary entries, letters, and Bert's memoir, this is a vivid insight into the experiences of the Greatest Generation.Captures the horror, humor, and pathos of World War II through the experiences of two childhood friends who fought on opposite sides of the globe.Will appeal to those interested in the alÃ"