When I see the English women and think of you, I can’t believe there is that much difference.” Snyder also includes photos of each character, their planes, the key sites in the book, and memorabilia from the war. This damp climate gives them beautiful complexions though. … Most of the girls are quite ‘icky’ as you would say. Howard Snyder writes to his wife, Ruth, “There isn’t anything to do unless you are on the lookout for girls. The story moves through basic training, the first few missions, and then the fated flight that ended with Susan Ruth shot down over occupied Belgium.Įxcerpts from letters back to the States add flavor and character. Working chronologically, Snyder assembles the team, describing each man’s role. The book is organized in chapters, beginning with individual biographies of each crew member. In addition to diary entries, mechanical and technical details, and key points about the war’s larger picture, Snyder includes some gripping passages from the cockpit: “Crippled B-17s staggered back towards England with lacerated tails, gaping holes in fuselages, wing damage, and engines out or on fire.” Shot Down goes beyond a small handful of personal histories and links what is known to the bigger picture of the war, the action in Europe, and the families left waiting at home. From technical nuances, such as Luftwaffe flight formations, to excerpts from letters home, Snyder emphasizes the day-to-day details of the crew’s experience. Detailed research puts the reader inside the cockpit, shoulder to shoulder with the pilot and crew. Snyder carefully outlines each crew member’s background and their role aboard the Susan Ruth. “They were college graduates, farmers, lawyers, and coal miners, from all nationalities and all religious denominations.” Their mission was to deliver 5,000 pounds of bombs on target. The Susan Ruth’s crew was composed of ten men, four officers and six enlisted, and made up a true cross-section of American society. Using first-hand accounts from diary entries, letters, and family stories, Snyder revives experiences that are accessible and relevant both to historians and readers with a casual interest in WWII history. Steve Snyder’s masterful book, Shot Down, does justice to the adventures of his father, pilot Howard Snyder, and the crew of the B-17 plane Susan Ruth.

The True Story of Pilot Howard Snyder and the Crew of the B-17 Susan Ruthįinalist, War & Military (Adult Nonfiction)ĭetailed research puts the reader inside the cockpit, shoulder to shoulder with the pilot and crew.

Shot down by steve snyder