"Midnight Flyboys" | Reviewed by Bill Schwab

Historian Bruce Henderson draws on personal interviews and extensive research to tell the story of the collaboration between U.S. bomber crews and the French Resistance during World War II.

The military operation, code-named Operation Carpetbagger, commenced in 1942 and continued through D-Day, June 6, 1944. The mission was for U.S. B-24 Liberators, based at a secret airfield near London, to "fly low and slow in the dead of night to parachute spies and supplies" into Nazi occupied France. The supply drops included war materiel, food, medicine, bicycle tires and other items needed by the French Resistance to fight the war.

The files about the Carpetbaggers were not declassified until the 1990s. Using these released accounts as a primary source, Anderson recounts the treacherous task of the flyers who flew over the English Channel in darkness to locate drop zones that were little more than small patches of ground lit by three or four flashing lights.

The Midnight Boys would slow their planes to 110 mph, just above stall speed, and descend to 300 feet to make successful drops by evading enemy ground fire and fighter planes. This undertaking required well-trained pilots and skilled navigators, as it was a hazardous maneuver. Also, failing to hit the drop zone could put valuable information and resources into the enemy's hands.

  Henderson's most spellbinding chapters are about the minority of female agents who parachuted into France and were hidden by sympathetic locals in ditches, barns, and attics until they could make their way to friendly territory. The story of first Lieutenant "Johnny" Mead, who bailed out of his burning B-24 and later became a commander of the resistance, is another thrilling account.

Many pages are devoted to the botched and abortive missions. Henderson luridly depicts the crashes, mishaps, and failed escapes. Only 60-70% of the missions were successful. The author's vivid depiction of the failed operations immerses the reader in perilous, heroic activities, conveying the calamities with a transparent, engaging style.

Photographs of people and places scattered throughout the book provide authentic images that enhance the narrative. His descriptions of the heinous, monstrous treatment of prisoners of war draw on the reader's emotions and deepen the reader's connection to these evil behaviors.

Others have told this story, but Henderson offers a fresh take on the unique collaboration between the U.S. military and the French Resistance forces. His book reads like a novel, is movingly educational, and will captivate devotees of World War II literature. At this time, when the world's major nations are discussing testing nuclear bombs again, the book also serves as a warning of the horrors of warfare.

The Carpetbaggers received a Presidential Unit Citation from the United States military, which stated: "It is safe to say that no group of this size has made a greater contribution to the war effort." The unit was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2018.

"Midnight Flyboys" is 310 pages long, including a complete list of sources, a thorough index, a bibliography, a roster of the Carpetbaggers, and a second appendix listing the Carpetbaggers' Death Toll.

About the author: Bruce Henderson is the a New York Times best-selling author of more than 20 nonfiction books, including "Sons and Soldiers" and "Bridge to the Sun." He is an award-winning journalist who has taught at the University of Southern California School of Journalism and Stanford University.

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