
No Parachute
A Classic Account of War in the Air in WWI
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Narrated by:
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Chris MacDonnell
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By:
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Arthur Gould Lee
About this listen
This account of the Great War puts you right in the action - from one of the fighter pilots of the Royal Flying Corps.
From the young airmen who took their frail machines high above the trenches of World War I and fought their foes in single combat, there emerged a renowned company of brilliant aces - among them Ball, Bishop, McCudden, Collishaw, and Mannock - whose legendary feats have echoed down half a century. But behind the elite pilots in the Royal Flying Corps, there were many hundreds of airmen who flew their hazardous daily sorties in outdated planes without ever achieving fame.
Here is the story of one of these unknown flyers - a story based on letters written in the day, telling of a young pilot's progress from fledgling to seasoned fighter. His descriptions of air fighting, sometimes against the Richthofen Circus, of breathless dogfights between Sopwith Pup and Albatros, are among the most vivid and immediate to come out of World War I.
Arthur Gould Lee, who rose to the rank of air vice-marshal and also authored the classic Open Cockpit, brilliantly conveys the immediacy of air war, the thrills and the terror, in this honest and timeless account.
©1968 Arthur Gould Lee with the kind permission of David Reed- Felstead; copyright 2013 by Grub Street (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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One of the great untold stories of World War II finally comes to light in this thrilling account of the members of Torpedo Squadron Eight and their heroic efforts in helping an outmatched U.S. fleet win critical victories at Midway and Guadalcanal. These 35 American men - many flying outmoded aircraft - changed the course of history, going on to become the war's most decorated naval air squadron, while suffering the heaviest losses in U.S. naval aviation history.
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Excellent story well told
- By Kismet on 01-30-09
By: Robert J. Mrazek
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One Trip Too Many - A Pilot's Memoirs of 38 Months in Combat Over Laos and Vietnam
- By: Wayne Warner
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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One Trip Too Many, A Pilot’s Memoirs of 38 Months in Combat over Laos and Vietnam, is an autobiography about my life as a pilot in Southeast Asia during the conflict in Vietnam. It is primarily a story to share with family and friends about my personal involvement in the conflict and the turbulent decade of the 60s and does not attempt to question the politics of the era. It begins with a brief description of my quest to gain admittance to the United States Air Force Academy, my four years at the Academy, and the subsequent year of pilot training. I flew three different types of aircraft ...
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Great Book, AI narrated stinks
- By Lawrence Todd Osman on 06-27-25
By: Wayne Warner
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Sink ‘Em All
- Submarine Warfare in the Pacific
- By: Charles A. Lockwood
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Sink 'Em All was originally published in 1951 by Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, the US Navy commander of the Pacific submarine fleet during World War II. Lockwood, in his leadership role, knew the skippers and crews of the submarines and retells their wartime successes and tragedies with an intimacy and realism often missing in second-hand accounts.
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Best of the best
- By Robert on 08-29-18
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The First Fighter Pilot - Roland Garros
- The Life and Times of the Playboy Who Invented Air Combat
- By: Ed Cobleigh
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In the Spring of 1915, a Parisian playboy took to the lethal skies of World War I, becoming the world’s first fighter pilot. Never before had a lone pilot hunted down other aviators. Roland Garros’ aerial exploits unleashed unlimited air combat and changed warfare forever. Before leaving French café society for the Western Front, the young pilot set aviation records, won air races, and introduced manned flight to thrilled crowds in the USA, Europe, and Latin America. Garros scouted for the US Army, strolled as a Boulevardier, sold sports cars, played classical piano, was a lawyer, a ...
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Good information bad narration
- By MJW on 06-26-25
By: Ed Cobleigh
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Countdown to D-Day
- The German Perspective
- By: Peter Margaritis
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 28 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In December 1943, with the rising realization that the Allies are planning to invade Fortress Europe, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is assigned the title of General Inspector for the Atlantic Wall. His mission is to assess their readiness. His superior, theater commander, crusty old Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who had led the Reich to victory in the early years of the war, is now fed up with the whole Nazi regime. He lives comfortably in a plush villa in a quiet Paris suburb, waiting for the inevitable Allied invasion that will bring about their final defeat.
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Well worth the length
- By James McNamara Richmond on 02-02-21
By: Peter Margaritis
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Above Average
- Naval Aviation The Hard Way
- By: D.D. Smith
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Revised and updated version! STEPHEN COONTS, NY Times best-selling author of Flight of the Intruder -- “D. D. Smith's personal memoir of his years in naval aviation is more than a ‘I was there’ tale. He captures the myriad of challenges that was Naval Aviation before the Vietnam War. When I arrived in the fleet, D. D. Smith and his compadres were the squadron execs or COs who led us nuggets into the inferno of Vietnam… A huge tip of the hat to D.D. Smith. This book will appeal to every naval aviator or NFO of whatever era. Highly recommended.” But the book is much more. It is a ...
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Excellent life story!!!
- By Gary M. on 04-15-25
By: D.D. Smith
Tremendous on all levels.
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Literally flying without a parachute is just one obstacle that begs how any survived the war. Not many did, and through his writings Lee echoes the futility of it all. Most escaped into alcohol to cope. But regardless the pilots and soldiers become real people struggling with how anyone would feel in such miserable circumstances. Just perfect all around.
Would give this a 10 all around
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Informative and engrossing
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Great Detail and Story
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The reading was excellent.
VERY Interesting and Informative
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EXCELLENT!
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Excellent book
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If you want to know what life was like for a WW I ace who managed to survive the war through skill and a great deal of luck, this book is for you.
Moving
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One of the most interesting reads I've ever had.
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A good memoir
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