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  • Into the Inferno: The Story of a B-17 Gunner Over Nazi-occupied Europe

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Into the Inferno: The Story of a B-17 Gunner Over Nazi-occupied Europe

by Bill Ibelle (Author) Format: Hardcover
4.9 out of 5 stars (14)
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"Into the Inferno is more than just another war story. It’s an intriguing tale of best friends―one fighting at 25,000 feet above German flak guns and the other in the steaming jungles of the Pacific―and of the unforgettable girl they left behind. A page turner to the very end." ― Travis L. Ayres, author of The Bomber Boys

The temperature was 40 degrees below zero when fighter planes screamed out of the clouds, puncturing the fuselage with a spray of machinegun fire and sending the bomber beside them into a death spin. This was followed by intense flak, as a hundred cannons on the ground tried to blow them out of the sky.

When they finally made it back to the base, another enemy awaited them: homesickness, crushing boredom, relentless cold, and more mud than they could imagine.

Bert Ibelle was a 19-year-old freshman at Dartmouth College when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps to fly dozens of bomber missions over Nazi-occupied Europe and win the Purple Heart. His buddy, Fran Brighenti, served as an infantry marksman on the opposite side of the globe, slogging through the steaming jungles of the Philippine and the fiery hell of Okinawa.

Their wars couldn’t have been more different, nor could their approach to life. While the ever-exuberant Fran was a ladies man, Bert only had eyes for “Red,” the girl back home who was in love with another young man.

This is their story—one that combines terror, humor, friendship, and a son’s search for his elusive father.

Table of Contents

The Kingdom of Loneliness
Dear Folks
Distance
‘Love Is Like a Rocket’
‘Screwed, Blewed, and Tattooed’
Deployed
‘We’re Not on Vacation Here’
The Homefront
The Boy on the Porch
‘I’m Having The Time of My Life’
‘It Was Exotic in the Extreme’
‘And My Mother Was Worried About the Germans’
First Mission
‘Hit ‘Em Good Kid’
Too Close For Comfort
The Glass Ball
Anatomy of a Mission
I’m Going to Attempt to Explain’
The Angels Sing
The Isolation Room
We Were Tired Beyond Tears
A Narrow Escape
The Final Fury
Dear Mom Ibelle
Coming Home
Grazie di Cuore
Read more
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  1. Print length
    192 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Casemate
  4. Publication date
    May 15, 2025
  5. Dimensions
    5.98 x 1.18 x 9.02 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1636245587
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1636245584
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Into the Inferno is more than just another war story. It’s an intriguing tale of best friends—one fighting at 25,000 feet above German flak guns and the other in the steaming jungles of the Pacific—and of the unforgettable girl they left behind. A page turner to the very end."
Travis L. Ayres, author of "The Bomber Boys"

"It’s never easy for World War II veterans to share their memories, but when they do finally open up, sometimes decades later, the result is incredible stories like this."
Tim Gray, Founder, President and Filmmaker, The World War II Foundation

"Into the Inferno deftly weaves a story of war, love, and friendship that spans three continents. It is a triumph of curiosity over reticence and a beautiful bridge between father and son."
Paul Bingley, author of "Bomb Group―The Eighth Air Force’s 381st and the Allied Air Offensive Over Europe"

“It reads like a charm. Nicely layered and compiled.”
Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

“In pursuing his quest to understand his father’s service, the son has richly portrayed the life of a World War II bomber crewman. This book is highly recommended.”
The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation

“With fewer and fewer Second World War veterans alive each day, it’s books such as Ibelle’s that preserve their stories for future generations.”
The Journal of America's Military Past

“Into the Inferno is a solid, fast-paced read that details one young man’s war in a B-17 during the final months of World War II. Thanks to Bill and his father, the “Forgotten 15th” may now be remembered a bit more.”
Aether: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower

“This triple biography of three young people has proved to be both a highly readable and very interesting story.”
The History Book Chat

“This is a very accessible account of life as an aviator during WWII. It lacks nothing in its understanding of aerial combat as a B17 crewman. The real charm of this book is its highly personable style coupled with the intimate insight into the lives of 3 very different young Americans during WWII. It is a fitting testimony to the greatest generation. Highly Recommended.”
Mike Peters, author and historian

“The narrative is enhanced by many images from the Ibelle family albums, including photos of all the protagonists as they appeared during or shortly after the war. Another fitting addition is a selection of sketches made by Frank Mullally, the radio man on Bert’s crew and an artist of considerable ability.”
Flightline: Newsletter of the American Aviation Historical Society

About the Author

Bill Ibelle is a career journalist who worked as executive editor of Northeastern Magazine, features editor of Lawyers USA, and as a reporter and columnist on several daily newspapers.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Casemate
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 15, 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1636245587
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1636245584
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 1.18 x 9.02 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #355,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 out of 5 stars (14)

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Bill Ibelle

Bill Ibelle

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As a journalist and author of Into the Inferno, I operate on three principles: be curious, be kind, and don’t rest until you understand.

Throughout my career, I have used my reporter’s notebook as a ticket into worlds I would otherwise have no access to, whether it’s interviewing a double murderer in the state prison, learning what led a homeless family to be camped in an abandoned railcar during a blizzard, or following a Navaho artist through a sacred canyon that was off limits to the general public.

On one occasion several years ago, I used that notebook as a ticket to board a B-17 bomber and fly from Hyannis to New Bedford in my father’s waist gunner position. That flight prompted an interview with my father about his war experiences, which I used for my Sunday column and, several years later, expanded into this book.

My mid-summer flight over Vineyard Sound was a moving experience, but it was nothing like my father’s, which took place in the dead of winter at 25,000 feet and 40 below zero. As I cruised over Buzzards Bay, there were no German fighters screaming out of the clouds with machine guns blasting, nor were their hundreds of flak cannons on the ground trying to blow me out of the sky.

It is impossible to completely put yourself into another person’s shoes, but my goal in writing Into the Inferno has been to make the air war over Nazi Europe come alive for you, with all its terror, boredom, and humor. On a more personal level, my goal has been to try to understand my father—a man like many others of his time who remained distant to those they loved most due, in part, to their reluctance to talk about the trauma of participating in one of the pivotal moments of human history.

I’m supposed to say a few words about myself here. Well, my life has been not nearly as dramatic as the years I recount in this book. I have compensated for this lack of drama by seeking out the hidden corners of my world. Although most of this was through journalism, I also chopped tobacco in the Connecticut River Valley, worked in a prestigious psychiatric hospital, battled storms at sea and did my best to inspire a love of literature among a roomful of horny high school students.

I’ll leave it to you to determine which of those was the most dangerous task.

At present, I’m working on two books. The first is a literary mystery set along the waterfront of a struggling fishing port and the second is a work of historical fiction about a shipwrecked peasant who was rescued by an American whaling ship and went on to play a key role in the opening of Japan in the mid 1800s.

My hope is that those manuscripts will soon become books that I can post here for you to enjoy.

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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

  • Mark
    5 out of 5 stars
    The answer to the question at the end of the 2nd to last chapter is Yes
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2026
    Format: Audiobook
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    Very interesting, the story seemed to build in compellingness (my word) with each chapter. Author Bill Ibelle wanted to make the air war over Europe come alive for readers and understand his father Bert; the success of the first goal in this book seems to indicate the success of the second.

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  • Elizabeth S.
    5 out of 5 stars
    Terrific exposition of WW II fighter pilots and their daring exploits
    Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2025
    Format: Hardcover
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    This is unlike any other WW II book I have ever read. Inspired by the author’s search for the man his father really was by doing a deep dive into his dad’s experiences as a fighter pilot, the author both intimately illuminates the humanity of these brave young men and begins to divine the forces that shaped his father’s life and the adult his father became. Like so many WW II vets, Bert Ibelle spoke rarely about his wartime experiences and lived a seemingly placid life that perhaps unintentionally kept his family, whom he clearly loved deeply, at an emotional distance. That psychological armor — all the more surprising given that he became a clinical psychologist — left the author determined to better understand his father. Yet this book is almost primarily a compelling narrative about the skills and bravery required by young men barely out of their teens flying into terrifying enemy territory to drop their bombs as they were being continually strafed by their Axis counterparts. The author’s journalistic acumen, keen attention to detail and superb storytelling skills make this a page-turner of a book. And does Bert get the girl? Read this book to find out!

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  • Bob Mills
    5 out of 5 stars
    Written from the heart
    Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2025
    Format: Hardcover
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    INTO THE INFERNO is a wonderful, meandering story of a son (the author) paying homage to his Dad’s luck surviving 24+ missions as a gunner on a WWII “Flying Fortress”. Bert (the Dad) had a life before the war that ended happily after the war.

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  • Amazon Customer
    5 out of 5 stars
    Well written and engaging
    Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2025
    Format: Hardcover
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    Great read. Engaging, nice mix of humor, fact and introspection. Good book for anyone wanting an inside look at WW II bomber crew or sending family out to fight in a war.

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  • Bart Lloyd
    5 out of 5 stars
    Enlightening read - very personal and compelling insight into the WW II generation
    Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2025
    Format: Hardcover
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    It is a really really good piece of work. Engaging. Insightful. Deeply personal. Tremendously well written.

    Made me appreciate our parents generation in a way I never have before.

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  • Tim Bigelow
    5 out of 5 stars
    A great read. I literally couldn’t put it down.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2025
    Format: Hardcover
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    I loved this book. I was a little skeptical at first; will this just be another war memoir? But it is so much more than that. Mr. Ibelle’s approach to his subject is infused with his reporter’s curiosity to understand how his father, a seemingly typical, unemotional man, remained so silent about a period in his life that was so consequential: from the horrors and tedium of war, to vibrant, youthful friendships, to a love that seemed perpetually out of reach. In doing so, he weaves together those elements with detailed research that brings it all to life in a riveting, what-happens-next narrative. Mr. Ibelle allows us to witness to the freezing temperatures at 29,000 feet and the sheer terror of flak explosions blowing up planes. Then he brings us back to a base camp of sordid conditions and a crew’s ingenuity to figure out how to turn a mud filled tent into a livable space. But most of all, Mr. Ibelle let’s us into his own journey, one mostly untraveled by many baby-boomers, of learning to understand why the men who survived a horrible but necessary war, chose to remain silent upon returning home. And in doing so, he allows himself, and us, to see his father in a true and more loving light.

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  • Barbara Watts
    5 out of 5 stars
    What other books have not revealed about WWII
    Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2025
    Format: Hardcover
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    I was hooked from the first page. The author has a flair for narrative told with an unusual combination of first person by his father, a bombardier in WWII, and reflections by the author, his son. The author strategically weaves in letters from a girlfriend and a high school mate that reveal how painfully young they all were in addition to making this a very personal story with details of life at home and on the battle field that are so vivid the reader will never forget them. Bill Ibelle has a perfect sense of timing and storytelling to keep the reader hungry for the next event. I feel like I now know the war that my own father and mother experienced in a way other histories did not convey. This is a gift to readers who are also sons or daughters of a WWII veteran and offers a most unusual view into wartime for any aged reader.

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  • M. Cote
    5 out of 5 stars
    Your next read!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2025
    Format: Hardcover
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    In my completely unbiased opinion, everyone should read this book. Compiled from a mix of my grandfathers wartime journals, his retirement reflections, and outside research it tells the story of WWII through the lens of three perspectives - my grandfather as a B17 gunner in Europe, his best friend fighting on the ground in the Pacific, and my grandmother at home in CT. It’s part war stories, part the love story of my grandparents, and part my dad’s search for insight into his elusive father.

    One person found this helpful
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