A quirky little book by a renowned aviation author…that’s the best way to describe Everything But The Flak. For those unfamiliar with B-17 lore, the book tells the story of ferrying three B-17s from Tucson, Arizona, to Gatwick, England, in late September and early October 1961. The three B-17s were needed in England for use in the filming of The War Lover with actors Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner. The late author Martin Caidin flew as the copilot in the lead B-17 and his recollections of the epic journey gelled into this 1964 book. Though the book is long out of print, it is available in many library collections in a hardbound version illustrated with numerous black and white photos. It was a later paperback and copies are still available through internet and other sources.
For me, personally, growing up in the 1960s and 1970s and hungering for all things about the B-17, I was first introduced to Caidin’s personal B-17 exploits in his later book Flying Forts. He told of his transatlantic flight in the final chapter of the book and referred to his earlier book about the ferry flight. I was able to order a copy of Everything But The Flak and eagerly devoured the book when I finally got my hands on it. I would later exchange letters with Caidin’s personal secretary about the story. Looking at the book now, it comes across as a perfect snapshot of the Martin Caidin style.
Caidin was from the old school of aviation authors. He had written through the 1950s and produced several books in association with the Air Force and the Air Force Thunderbirds. He had written about various aspects of America’s young space program and made a bit of a name for himself. He later wrote several biographies on World War II aces, books on the P-47, P-38, and B-17, among others, and a number of fictional war stories. He may be best known for Marooned, later made into a motion picture, and Cyborg which morphed into The Six Million Dollar Man on television.
Despite his books on aviation history, Caidin was more of a storyteller than an aviation historian. One can’t really use his books as source material for research because the wheat and chaff are tied too closely. In the case of Everything But The Flak, there is a lot of chaff but it does make for good reading. He revels in the ‘wild and woolies’ image he attaches to himself and the other crewmembers of the three bombers as they, seemingly, performed continual and magnificent aeronautical feats in what had to be a perpetual alcohol-induced haze.
Some of it tends to get a bit thick in parts. He details in great length a contentious meeting with Russians and Cubans at Gander, Newfoundland, in late September 1961. To read it here, they single-handedly broke the story about Russians in Cuba and dashed stories off to the New York Times and other newspapers.
After making emergency landings (numerous engine fires and other problems) at Lisbon, Portugal, the entire B-17 entourage is arrested by the secret police for gun running and Caidin relates the incident like an adventure novel. The thing about Caidin is it all might have happened just as he wrote it, or he may have written it as he remembered it to be, or it might be embellished just a bit with his style. One doesn’t really know and really can’t find out. In any event, the book is a legend in B-17 literature and should be read if only for the experience. Enjoy.
This book is available on Amazon.Com but it’s pricey. There are other sources, but if you get a chance to add this book to your B-17 Library, it’s worth the effort.