Shot Down is a compelling story of our B-17 aircrews that flew, fought, and died over Europe to save a continent from tyranny and oppression. Williams, Ph.D., Director, East Anglia Air War Archives If we can learn from the lessons in the Susan Ruth story, we can apply those experiences to our own future, and our nation will be the better for it. Shot Down keeps the story of real people alive for generations of Americans, many who are not yet born. As each generation comes and goes, World War II fades further into the annals of history. This is a story that all young Americans should read so that they can learn about the price of victory over the tyranny that was Hitler’s Europe. Snyder’s story of his father and the Susan Ruth crew provides valuable details about many aspects of the war: the American home front, separation for young families, training, combat operations, bailing out behind enemy lines, the underground, German atrocities, and behind-the-scenes stories of Belgium civilians who risked all to save American flyers. With Shot Down and the story of the Flying Fortress Susan Ruth, Steve Snyder has reached a level of scholarship few amateur historians achieve. The literature of the Second World War is filled with volumes written by sons and daughters, nieces and nephews who step into the shoes of the historian, hoping to preserve a small piece of their family’s history. This is no ordinary memoir of a World War II father.
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