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Clark, John A. An Eighth Air Force Combat Diary; a First-Person, Contemporaneous Account of Combat Missions Flown With the 100th Bomb Group, England 1944-1945. Ann Arbor, MI: Proctor Publications, LLC. 2001. 322p. $49.95 [ISBN 1-928623-05-0]

First Lieutenant John A. Clark from Royal Oak, Michigan joined the Army Air Force in 1943 and after extensive pilot training was sent to England in 1944 to join the 100th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force to fly bombing missions over Germany. As a copilot for several B-17 Flying Fortresses, he flew 32 missions, sometimes on a daily basis, during the Fall and Winter of 1944-45 near the end of the Second World War. Flying in large formations over enemy territory, the B-17 bombers attacked German oil refineries, manufacturing plants, bridges, and supported American ground armies during the Battle of the Bulge.

In a small notebook Lt. Clark recorded a diary entry after each mission describing his combat experiences. Now after almost 60 years, he has assembled these detailed notes to publish this book, adding personal observations and background information to create a detailed, first-person account of an important part of World War II: the aerial attack on Germany. The author describes each of the 32 bombing missions on which flight crews experienced extremely adverse winter weather, battle fatigue, attacks by German fighter planes, flak attacks from the ground, and emergency landings. During each of the 7-9 hours long mission, the danger of heavy casualties and being shot down were high. At the end of 1944, twelve B-17 Flying Fortresses were lost over Hamburg. Clark credits a "cosmic hand" for keeping him alive.

Besides being an account of the life and times of American airmen stationed in England during World War II, each mission's record contains the briefing notes, entries from the missions' diary, and explanatory background comments added later. Included with each entry is a short related news summary about the War, "The War at Large", from the Washington Times, to put it all in perspective. Additional chapters have been added including a brief background history and an epilogue that contains autobiographical material and further wartime and postwar recollections and stories by the author.

After the War, Lieutenant Clark joined the Michigan Air National Guard as a first pilot, studied engineering at the University of Michigan and MIT, and returned to the University of Michigan as Professor of Mechanical Engineering where he had a successful and honor-filled career. He and his family traveled to England and Germany several times after the War, and attended many 100th Bomb Group reunions.

This is a gripping war memoir of importance to anyone interested in war history, especially those who are concerned with specific aspects of World War II air combat. Lavishly illustrated with over 200 photographs, many of which were taken during combat missions, this book includes a detailed index as well as a bibliography of sources concerning the 100th Bomb Group and the Eighth Air Force.

Reviewed by Heidi Mercado, Sci-Tech Librarian, Eastern Michigan University Library, lib_Mercado@online.emich.edu

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