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Thunderbolt
- Narrated by: Clay Lomakayu
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Military
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Publisher's Summary
Thunderbolt is the incredible true life story of Robert S. Johnson, one of America’s leading fighter pilot aces in World War II. His memoir is an action-packed account of how a young man from Lawton, Oklahoma went on to amass 28 enemy kills, the first US Army Air Force pilot in the European theater to surpass Eddie Rickenbacker's World War I tally of 26 enemy planes destroyed.
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What listeners say about Thunderbolt
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- S. H. Moore
- 10-07-21
My favorite flying book of all time.
Bob Johnson and George Preddy are my 2 favorite US aces. I have read thunderbolt 6 times through my life. It is simply one of the best ever written. Up there with Closterman and Bader. If you like aerial combat stories this one is full of them. It gave me the wrong impression as a kid. I thought all flying books were this action packed and most are not. This one is light on the barrack life and London shenanigans it’s just all flying and fighting.
4 people found this helpful
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- J H
- 02-22-22
Wish I had read it instead.
The story was excellent but I had a difficult time with the narrator. For me he sounded best at x1.10 speed. I actually think I would have enjoyed it more if I had actually read it.
1 person found this helpful
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- JS
- 05-24-22
Excellent book, bad narrator
This book is awesome and is an excellent read for any fan of aviation or military history. However, the narrator isnt the best, and fails to capture the tone of the story. Also, the narrator can't pronounce aircraft names and the author got several aircraft names wrong.
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- Shane
- 05-07-22
Incredible History
I came away with two major thoughts:
1. The debt we owe to men like Bob Johnson cannot be understated.
2. Gained a love for the P47 Thunderbolt.
I’m not smart enough to be a pilot and my sense of direction sucks but I dream of flying. Maybe in the next life. But WW2 fighters are fascinating. And to listen to Bob talk about what it’s like in the sky in the venerable P47 fighting Germans, it’s like you’re there with him. And to listen to one of his early missions when he was badly shot up, again it’s hard to express what we owe these men. Like Tom hanks said at the end of Saving Private Ryan when he said “earn this” to Matt Damon, that’s all I can do is try to earn the freedom they gave my by living my life the best I know how.
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- melville barr
- 12-23-21
The P47
A great book about my favorite WW2 Aircraft. Just a terrible narration. This man knows nothing about the Aircraft in the book. Someone should review these books before their release.
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- MStewart
- 12-09-21
Excellent book!
Excellent book, narrator not the best, if I had to hear him miss pronounce Folke Wulf 190 instead of pronouncing it Folk Wulf 190 as the e is silent and other words one more time! Other than that it’s an amazing story.
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- Craig D. Prestininzi
- 11-05-21
Heroic story, mediocre reading
Seriously, how many mispronouncing is allowed without an editor asking for corrections? Loved the story, would have liked to know more about after the war, though.