Midnight Flyboys: The American Bomber Crews and Allied Secret Agents Who Aided the French Resistance in World War II
Nov 2025 · Sold by Simon and Schuster
Ebook
336
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
The untold history of a top-secret World War II operation in the run-up to D-Day in which American flyers and Allied spies supported the French resistance by carrying out some of the war’s most daring cloak-and-dagger operations. Classified for more than fifty years, this remarkable chapter of military history is an astonishing tale of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.
In 1943, the OSS—precursor to the CIA—came up with a plan to increase its support to the French resistance forces that were fighting the Nazis in occupied France. To start, the OSS recruited some of the best American bomber pilots and crews to a secret airfield twenty miles west of London and briefed them on the intended mission. Given a choice to stay or leave, every airman volunteered for what became known as Operation Carpetbagger.
Their dangerous plan called for a new kind of flying: taking their B-24 Liberator bombers in the middle of the night across the English Channel and down to extremely low altitudes in Nazi-occupied France to find drop zones in dark fields. On the ground, resistance members waited to receive steel containers filled with everything from rifles and hand grenades to medicine and bicycle tires. Some nights, the flyers also dropped Allied secret agents by parachute to assist the French partisans.
Though their story remained classified for more than fifty years, the Carpetbaggers ultimately received a Presidential Unit Citation from the US military, which declared: “it is safe to say that no group of this size has made a greater contribution to the war effort.” Along with other members of the wartime OSS, they were also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Based on exclusive research and interviews, this “absorbing” (Michael Beschloss, New York Times bestselling author) story of these heroic flyers—and of the brave secret agents and resistance leaders they aided—can now be told. Written in Bruce Henderson’s “spellbinding” (USA TODAY) prose, Midnight Flyboys is an astonishing tale of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.
In 1943, the OSS—precursor to the CIA—came up with a plan to increase its support to the French resistance forces that were fighting the Nazis in occupied France. To start, the OSS recruited some of the best American bomber pilots and crews to a secret airfield twenty miles west of London and briefed them on the intended mission. Given a choice to stay or leave, every airman volunteered for what became known as Operation Carpetbagger.
Their dangerous plan called for a new kind of flying: taking their B-24 Liberator bombers in the middle of the night across the English Channel and down to extremely low altitudes in Nazi-occupied France to find drop zones in dark fields. On the ground, resistance members waited to receive steel containers filled with everything from rifles and hand grenades to medicine and bicycle tires. Some nights, the flyers also dropped Allied secret agents by parachute to assist the French partisans.
Though their story remained classified for more than fifty years, the Carpetbaggers ultimately received a Presidential Unit Citation from the US military, which declared: “it is safe to say that no group of this size has made a greater contribution to the war effort.” Along with other members of the wartime OSS, they were also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Based on exclusive research and interviews, this “absorbing” (Michael Beschloss, New York Times bestselling author) story of these heroic flyers—and of the brave secret agents and resistance leaders they aided—can now be told. Written in Bruce Henderson’s “spellbinding” (USA TODAY) prose, Midnight Flyboys is an astonishing tale of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.
The untold history of a top-secret World War II operation in the run-up to D-Day in which American flyers and Allied spies supported the French resistance by carrying out some of the war’s most daring cloak-and-dagger operations. Classified for more than fifty years, this remarkable chapter of mi...
Discover more
About the author
Bruce Henderson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty nonfiction books, including Sons and Soldiers, Bridge to the Sun, and Rescue at Los Baños. An award-winning journalist and author, Henderson has taught at USC School of Journalism and Stanford University. He lives in Menlo Park, California. Visit his website: BruceHendersonBooks.com.
Bruce Henderson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty nonfiction books, including Sons and Soldiers, Bridge to the Sun, and Rescue at Los Baños. An award-winning journalist and author, Henderson has taught at USC School of Journalism and Stanford University. He lives in ...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
