FLIGHT TO BLACK HAMMER
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Flight to Black Hammer:
The Letters of a World War II Pilot
by Ted Withington
Biddle Publishing Company
The story of a B-24 World War II pilot, told through the letters he wrote home—from training and the thrill of learning to fly, to combat and a disastrous mission over Blechammer, Germany. In the skies over Blechammer, Vienna and Maribor in 1944, Lieutenant Ted Withington faces the
most critical testing of his life. Illustrated.
ISBN: 1-879418-06-1
©1993
$12.50 US
Softcover
To order this book...
Separated from his family by war, he writes to them of the thrill of learning to fly ...
"I can't get over the elation of having soloed. It is unlike any sensation I have ever had before. Flying has me."
... and the fear of being surrounded by enemy flak...
"I think that training, personal pride in not backing out and the fact that you don't have any choice have a hell of a lot more in making a guy fight than any high ideals. When the flak starts coming in the cockpit over Vienna, I think - Let's get rid of these blankety blank bombs and get the hell out of here!"
Written with enthusiasm and humor, these war letters document a turning point in the life of a young pilot. Bringing us the mood and mores of America in the 40's, they also express feelings and reactions experienced today by each of us on the way through our most difficult journeys.
"I like the sort of lonely feeling you get flying at night, with only the faint green of the instrument dials showing in the cockpit. The roar of the four engines keep you from feeling too lonely. Moonlight nights are the best when there are a few clouds which make patches of dark and light on the ground below. We turn on the radio to some music and the combination of moonlight, vibration and sound of the ship, and the music does something to you."
"Everything goes along so free and happy around the camp until you are up for a rough one and then everything changes and it becomes combat again. The contrast between the peaceful everyday camp life and the times you climb into the ship and head towards Germany is the worst part of it or so it seems at times. Thank goodness they aren't all tough ones like Vienna & Blechammer."
"Lt. Withington flew B-24 bombers out of Pantanella, Italy with the 15th Air Force. His vivid letters tell of 'milk runs' as well as great battles in the air. Withington's letters and journal selections are more than just clear descriptions of war and army life. They provide personal insights that become universal...recommended to both scholars and general readers."
"Nearly everybody has a story to tell. Some tell it well, some
competently, others brilliantly. Ted Withington's story is in the
latter category...Despite the half century that has passed since
he first wrote this story, it still has a delightful freshness.
Those truly conscious of World War II will receive a delightful
'shock of recognition'."
"The war letters, which abound with enthusiasm, humor, observations
and philosophy, as well as frank disclosures of feelings and
reactions, also tell us about value systems prevalent in the early
1940's. Flight To Black Hammer is a rare jewel, one to enjoy
and read again."
"I sensed I was reading something much more significant than a
time in life, a coming of age, of one very nice man. The book is
the microcosm of an age of innocence in America...a very
compelling lesson in American social history...Thanks for a
significant and compelling book."
"Ted Withington's letters are of interest for many reasons. They
form an intensely personal perspective on the war, one that will
be familiar to those who served and fascinating to those who
never have. They also show his development as a young man,
speeded up unnaturally by wartime experiences. Finally, they provide
a snapshot of a time of different values in the life of this
country as seen through the eyes of a patriotic and likeable
young man."
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