Kindle
$13.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$21.53
Audio CD
$40.08
Kindle Price: $13.99

Save $9.81 (41%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $15.04

Save: $7.55 (50%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Mike Croissant
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Bombing Hitler's Hometown: The Untold Story of the Last Mass Bomber Raid of World War II in Europe Kindle Edition

by Mike Croissant (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
See all formats and editions
One of WWII’s final untold stories, this visceral account of the white-knuckled bombing mission American airmen carried out on Hitler’s hometown of Linz, Austria is now told for the first time through the eyes of the men on the airplanes as well as the innocent Austrians under the bombs.

Fans of Masters of the Air and Unbroken will be riveted by this groundbreaking true story of the aerial bombing and its aftermath from retired CIA officer Mike Croissant.

Foreword by Richard Overy, author of The Bombers and the Bombed

In April 1945, Linz was one of Nazi Germany’s most vital assets. It was a crucial transportation hub and communications center, with railyards brimming with war materiel destined for the front lines. Linz was also the town Hitler claimed as home and had long intended to remake as the cultural capital of Europe, filling its planned Fuehrermuseum with world-famous art stolen from his conquered territories.

Inevitably, Linz was also one of the most heavily defended targets remaining in Europe. The airmen of the Fifteenth Air Force were a mix of seasoned veterans and newcomers. As their mission was unveiled in the predawn hours of April 25th, audible groans and muffled expletives passed many lips. The reality of that mission would prove more brutal than any imagined.

In the unheated, unpressurized B‑24 Liberator and B‑17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, young men battled elements as dangerous as anything the Germans could throw at them. When batteries of German anti‑aircraft guns opened fire, the men flew into a man‑made hell of exploding shrapnel. Aircraft and men fell from the sky as Austrian civilians on the ground also struggled to survive beneath the bombs during the deadly climax of Hitler’s war.

Drawing on interviews with dozens of America’s last surviving World War II veterans, as well as previously unpublished sources, Mike Croissant compellingly relates one of the war’s last truly untold stories—a gripping chronicle of warfare, the death of Nazi Germany, and the beginning of the Cold War. It is also a timeless tale of courage and terror, loss and redemption, humanity and savagery.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    463 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Citadel Press
  5. Publication date
    March 26, 2024
  6. File size
    3959 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mike Croissant is an intelligence and foreign affairs expert, author, and retired CIA officer. His career in the CIA spanned more than two decades as an analyst and counterterrorism targeting officer in locations ranging from Washington, DC, to the Middle East and Central and South Asia. He holds degrees in political science and history from the University of Illinois (B.A.), Central Eurasian Studies from Indiana University (M.A.), and Defense & Strategic Studies from Missouri State University (M.S.). He lives with his family near Houston, TX and can be found online at MikeCroissant.com. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

PRAISE FROM THE EXPERTS

“An exceptionally fine book examining the bloody mission against the Austrian city of Linz in the waning days of the European war. Combining dogged archival research with survivor interviews, Croissant offers a kaleidoscope of perspectives, not to mention hair-raising scenes of aerial combat, exploding bombers, and sheer terror at the edge of the earth’s atmosphere." —James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Black Snow and Rampage

“With Bombing Hitler’s Hometown, Mike Croissant has raised the bar for military aviation history. His truly gripping narrative adds a dimension not seen in many popular history books. After an enthralling depiction of the battle itself, Croissant dives into the emotional struggles of these veterans as they navigated postwar life. The men featured in this book are a true testament to the Greatest Generation.” —Mike Guardia, author of The Combat Diaries and Tomcat Fury

“An extraordinary story of the incredible bomber crews who flew the last mass aerial raid in the European theater of WWII – and a page-turning thriller, as well!”  —General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.)

“With vivid details and stories that showcase the very human reactions of young men thrust into the jaws of combat, Mike Croissant brings a well-researched story that is immensely readable.” —Gregory A. Freeman, author of The Forgotten 500 and The Last Mission of the Wham Bam Boys

“Mike Croissant combines you-are-there immediacy of a Fifteenth Air Force bomber crew with an overview of Hitler’s connection to Linz, Austria, in a way that is educational and entertaining.” —Barrett Tillman, author of Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler’s War Machine

“A remarkable story that needed to be told – action packed military history at its very best.” —Anthony Tucker-Jones, author of Hitler’s Winter: The German Battle of the Bulge

“The most impressive collection of first-person accounts that I have ever seen. . . The air battle and the fates of the men who had to abandon crippled bombers make for a gripping ‘I-was-there’ story.” —Harry Yeide, author of The Longest Battle and Fighting Patton

“Croissant puts us in the cockpit of the bomber, rides us down with the bombs, and makes us feel the impact of the explosions as they destroy the target. One cannot read this book without experiencing the full range of emotions.” —Vincent Speranza, author of Nuts! A 101st Airborne Division Machine Gunner at Bastogne

“Tapping an extensive array of never-before-used primary sources, Croissant delivers a tribute worthy of the valiant heroes who made such an extraordinary contribution to the US and Allied war effort against Nazi Germany.” —Daniel Hoffman, former CIA Station Chief and cable news commentator

"Recounted with verve, Bombing Hitler’s Hometown is an exhaustive examination of this little-known, late-war raid. Balanced, rigorously detailed, and thoughtful, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the American air war over Europe.” —Randall Hansen, author of Fire and Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany and Japan

"Bombing Hitler’s Hometown puts you in the air, on the ground, and in the hearts and minds of those surviving against all odds, and snaps to life a never-before-told story. Croissant’s thorough research and his very sharp eye for detail brings this story home in a way that’s intensely personal yet universal. You know these people. This dramatic and magnificently written book belongs in every library.” —Doug Stanton, #1 New York Times bestselling author of In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C9VT7LKT
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Citadel Press (March 26, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 26, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3959 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 463 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Mike Croissant

Mike Croissant

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Mike Croissant is a retired CIA officer, author, and humble student of history. He holds a bachelors degree from the University of Illinois and graduate degrees from Indiana University and Missouri State University. Mike has published two books as well as journal articles about security issues in the former Soviet Union. He lives in Texas and, in his spare time, enjoys exercising, watching sports and sci-fi movies, and reading about World War II and ancient Greece and Rome.

Mike is also an avid practitioner of what he calls “full-contact history”—locating and exploring neglected historical sites. His travels have taken him to his uncle’s abandoned WWII air base in Italy, a German mortar pit overlooking Omaha Beach in Normandy, the remains of a fortress in Uzbekistan attributed to Alexander the Great, and many places in between. Mike comes away from each with dirt under his fingernails, dust on his shoes, and—most importantly—a renewed belief in the need to study history and pass on its lessons.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
13 global ratings
Lest we forget...
5 Stars
Lest we forget...
Mike Croissant leads us on a mission to connect with the young airmen who would mark April 25, 1945 as the day their lives were turned upside down. Why was Linz, Austria chosen as the target? What made this mission different from so many other American bombing raids over Europe? What happened to the many men who did not return to their air bases in Italy that evening? You will try to imagine yourself folded into a freezing ball turret, hearing only the roar of the engines and watching the explosions of flak from anti-aircraft as the bomber heads toward the smoky haze. Your pulse will quicken as a parachute malfunctions. You might not remember the numbers of the Bomb Wings, Groups and Squadrons but you will remember the Miss I Hope and Rodger the Lodger crews. You may not fathom that more than 500 aircraft and more than 5,000 men took to the sky that day, but you will not soon forget the stories of Hal Millett, Dale Shebilsky and John Dominey among others. And you will feel the losses suffered by families like Mike's own whose boys didn't live to tell their stories of that day. Most importantly, you will remember to honor Americans who fought their fears to secure the freedoms we so often take for granted today.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Cinda
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story!
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
What a story that needed to be told! Many people know of someone who served in the military, but have no idea what they really went through at wartime. This was so explicit in detail that the reader feels apart of this mission's entire story! These men were our heroes, Mike Croissant became their families' hero for writing such a beautifully written story of what happened on this last mission over Linz, Austria. I highly recommend this book!!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Army Retired
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this book about this topic.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth the Time
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
One of the best I have read in the genre. There are many eyewitness accounts of this historical event.
Well written, holds your attention, and impeccably researched. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Nevada Reader
1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly packed
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
The book is very good, but it came in a box with no packing. Just rattling around.
Helpful
 Report
English Prof
3.0 out of 5 stars An Approach to Strategic Bombing in WWII
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
"Bombing Hitler's Hometown: The Untold Story of the Last Mass Bomber Raid of World War II in Europe" by Mike Croissant and published by Kensington Books is a book designed to shed some light on the nuts and bolts of strategic bombing as it was practiced in the European Theater of War during World War II by examining, from a number of perspectives, the last significant raid on Linz, Austria made in May of 1945. I am working from an ARC graciously provided to me by the publisher. The strength and greatest virtue of the book is in its examination of what a "typical mass raid" over the Reich might have looked like to the men participating and precisely what had brought those men to volunteer for the AAF. Note that by this point in the war, the Luftwaffe exercised a mostly nuisance role in interfering with the whole, highly structured, methodology painstakingly developed over the course of the war. Not as graphic as some accounts but more rounded in the sense that the text examines the raid from beginning to end and then extends beyond that to the fate of individual crewmembers who did not make it back in the conventional way (in many ways this is one of the most curiously interesting features of the book). Some ended up as prisoners of the Soviets, some actually baled out and landed in a concentration camp, and others were saved by Tito's partisans in Yugoslavia. The author does make some, very limited, reference to the impact on the enemy combatants and non-combatants, but that is clearly not his major interest here, and this should not be thought of as being intended as a comprehensive and well rounded approach. The author's writing style is accessible and anecdotal making this a peculiarly useful kind of introduction to the war in the air for readers not well versed in the subject. There is a place for this in general collections as well as specialized libraries. It is useful and worth the read..
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Always Reading
4.0 out of 5 stars War tragedy
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2024
Fascinating account of the last major air mission of WWII. What our airmen endured is unimaginable for those who haven’t participated in such a war. Schweinfurt–Regensburg was the worst bombing mission; what made Linz so tragic was the war was nearly over. The airmen anticipated going home and instead, Linz.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
IrisP
5.0 out of 5 stars Lest we forget...
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024
Mike Croissant leads us on a mission to connect with the young airmen who would mark April 25, 1945 as the day their lives were turned upside down. Why was Linz, Austria chosen as the target? What made this mission different from so many other American bombing raids over Europe? What happened to the many men who did not return to their air bases in Italy that evening? You will try to imagine yourself folded into a freezing ball turret, hearing only the roar of the engines and watching the explosions of flak from anti-aircraft as the bomber heads toward the smoky haze. Your pulse will quicken as a parachute malfunctions. You might not remember the numbers of the Bomb Wings, Groups and Squadrons but you will remember the Miss I Hope and Rodger the Lodger crews. You may not fathom that more than 500 aircraft and more than 5,000 men took to the sky that day, but you will not soon forget the stories of Hal Millett, Dale Shebilsky and John Dominey among others. And you will feel the losses suffered by families like Mike's own whose boys didn't live to tell their stories of that day. Most importantly, you will remember to honor Americans who fought their fears to secure the freedoms we so often take for granted today.
Customer image
IrisP
5.0 out of 5 stars Lest we forget...
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024
Mike Croissant leads us on a mission to connect with the young airmen who would mark April 25, 1945 as the day their lives were turned upside down. Why was Linz, Austria chosen as the target? What made this mission different from so many other American bombing raids over Europe? What happened to the many men who did not return to their air bases in Italy that evening? You will try to imagine yourself folded into a freezing ball turret, hearing only the roar of the engines and watching the explosions of flak from anti-aircraft as the bomber heads toward the smoky haze. Your pulse will quicken as a parachute malfunctions. You might not remember the numbers of the Bomb Wings, Groups and Squadrons but you will remember the Miss I Hope and Rodger the Lodger crews. You may not fathom that more than 500 aircraft and more than 5,000 men took to the sky that day, but you will not soon forget the stories of Hal Millett, Dale Shebilsky and John Dominey among others. And you will feel the losses suffered by families like Mike's own whose boys didn't live to tell their stories of that day. Most importantly, you will remember to honor Americans who fought their fears to secure the freedoms we so often take for granted today.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ron Baumer
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done Novel on One of the Last Bombings in WW2
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
A very well-done look at the last bombing mission from Italy in WW2. The author tells the stories of many of the crews involved as well as the civilians. The stories are inspiring and heartbreaking to see what those involved had to endure as well as the issues and trauma after the war. Overall, I highly recommend this book. A great read!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report