Midnight Flyboys
The American Bomber Crews and Allied Secret Agents Who Aided the French Resistance in World War II
Will be published approx. on 3. December 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-6680-5142-9 (ISBN)
Description
The untold history of a top-secret operation in the run-up to D-Day in which American flyers and Allied spies carried out some of the most daring cloak-and-dagger operations of World War II.
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. 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, the definitive 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. 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, the definitive 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.
Reviews / Votes
"Immersing readers in the peril and heroism of covert World War II missions . . . Henderson's clear, engaging style simplifies complex military operations without losing emotional depth or detail . . . The book includes carefully selected photographs that enhance the narrative [and it] offers significant interest and educational value, especially for military history enthusiasts and students seeking lesser-known stories of wartime bravery."-LIBRARY JOURNAL (Starred Review)
"This propulsive account from journalist and historian Henderson spotlights Allied aviators and spies . . . A superb storyteller, he populates his account with personal stories that underscore the treacherous nature of the task . . . Novelistic and enlightening."
-PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Valor and sacrifice in the skies over Europe . . . [Henderson] has an eye for wartime derring-do . . . there is a steady stream of mishaps, crashes, dramatic escapes, individual tragedies, and heroics . . . Henderson is a pro, so readers are in good hands."
-KIRKUS
"Midnight Flyboys is absorbing and filled with details I hadn't before encountered about the partnership between American airmen, Allied spies, and the French resistance. This story of an important moment in world history has much resonance for the time we are living in."
-MICHAEL BESCHLOSS, New York Times bestselling author of Presidents of War and The Conquerors
"Midnight Flyboys is master storyteller Bruce Henderson's best book yet. This incredible, captivating tale of undercover missions is an epic tribute to the bravest among us, and a story that will stay with you long after the final page."
-NINA WILLNER, author of The Boys in the Light and Forty Autumns
"Prize-winning historian Bruce Henderson brings the little-known story of the Carpetbaggers vividly to life by focusing not only on the bomber pilots and their crews, but also on the secret agents-men and women-who parachuted from those planes into Nazi-occupied France in the months before and after D-Day. Their harrowing adventures constitute a tense, gripping narrative."
-CRAIG L. SYMONDS, author of Annapolis Goes to War and World War II at Sea
"Henderson's fans expect him to tell important stories with lively narrative flair. Midnight Flyboys delivers, and then some. It's an incredible true tale, one that brings a welcome spotlight on the bravery and sacrifice of World War II heroes whose names and deeds deserve to be remembered."
-JOHN WUKOVITS, author of Tin Can Titans and For Crew and Country
"As a military pilot who flew four-engine aircraft, I'm in awe of these intrepid aviators and their crews. Henderson perfectly captures their remarkable flying abilities; every detail rings true. A moving and gripping read."
-MICHELLE JOHNSON, Lieutenant General USAF (Retired)
"An exciting recounting of one of the most secretive and dangerous operations of World War II."
-COLIN D. HEATON, author of The Star of Africa and Above the Reich
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York, NY
United States
Publishing group
Simon & Schuster
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
b&w photos t-o; 4-c endpapers
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
333 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6680-5142-9 (9781668051429)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
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 Banos. 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.