Marauder; Memoir of a B-26 Pilot in Europe by L Rehr & C Rehr: NEW 2004 1st Ed Hardback

Author: Louis S Rehr with Carleton R Rehr

Publisher: 2004, McFarland & Co.

Pagination: 220

Format: Hardback

Condition: Old new stock, expect an item that may have been in stock for some time which is undamaged, with minimal wear, see pictures.

1st Edition.

Under the leadership of a dedicated pilot, the B-26 Marauder was a formidable weapon in the campaign to defeat Hitler's armies, and, in the words of his first copilot, "Lou was the best there was. He created a spirit among the crew that made us really want to fly the mission and be disappointed if we had to abort." This memoir begins with Captain Rehr's arrival in preinvasion England in May 1944 and ends with the completion of Major Rehr's aircraft disarmament duties in postwar Germany in July 1945. Rehr, a squadron commander with the 323rd Bombardment Group, earned 12 air medals, five battle stars, two Distinguished Crosses, and the Croix de Guerre with Silver Star. He describes his experiences, including five night-bombing missions he volunteered to fly in 1944 and accounts of attacks by Me-262 jets in late April of 1945. The narrative also recollects two summers in 1936 and 1938, when, as a teenager touring Germany, he observed the influence of Nazism. This memoir is the result of forty years of research on the combat history of the B-26, contributions from comrades, an extensive collection of rare photographs, artifacts including newspaper articles and letters, and all military records and documents relating to Rehr's part in World War II. One appendix describes where readers can find images and restorations of the B-26. A second gives brief follow-ups on the men described in the narrative, often with their remembrances of the events outlined.