Shot Down: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth

This is an awesome book. It offers a gripping and well-explained account of a World War II aircrew whose lives are forever changed after being shot down behind enemy lines. The author brings their ordeal to life with vivid detail, emotional depth, and a strong sense of historical authenticity. The narrative balances tense action with personal reflection, making it easy to connect with each member of the crew and understand the extraordinary courage they showed under unimaginable pressure. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply enjoy compelling true stories of resilience, this book delivers a powerful and memorable experience. Highly recommended.

I just finished reading this book. I found it to be a very well written researched book. A very hard book to put down. The many, many photos accompanying the story are extremely interesting. The book is written by the son of the pilot of the WWII B-17, the Susan Ruth, the main character in the book. The book goes into depth about from what the pilot training was like in the States, the transitioning to larger aircraft, joining up as a crew, joining a combat bomber command in England, to what the actual aerial combat in a B-17 in WWII was like. It also details what each crew-members duties were like along with a a short biography on each actual crew member. There is also actual comments from the German fighter pilots perspective, along with recollections from the very German fighter pilot who shot the Susan Ruth down, (who was also at the same time shot down by the Susan Ruth’s gunners) and what his life was like as a German fighter pilot. A lot of detail as well as WWII aviation history, something I really enjoyed reading being a career military flyer. The book also details what it was like for the French and Belgium people under German occupation, along with the resistant underground fighters. Many personal letters written by the crewmembers as well as from their loved ones back home give a unique outlook on what it was like from both sides of the ocean during the war. This book is very sobering, funny, interesting, and sad at times. An outstanding outlook into what combat flying in a B-17 was like in WWII. A great read. Highly recommend!

"Shot Down" chronicles the story of the B-17 "Susan Ruth" and its crew. Written by the son of the pilot, Howard Snyder, this book gives the reader an inside look at the Eighth Air Force as it grew from a small force to the greatest air armada of World War II. Snyder and his crew went through training in the United States before being sent overseas. Once in Great Britain, they were attached to the 369th squadron of the 306th bomb group. Missions over Germany soon followed. In February, 1944, the Susan Ruth was shot down by enemy fighters. This was the beginning of a seven month odyssey for Howard, who jumped from the burning plane along with eight others of the crew. Howard eventually joined the Belgian resistance to fight back against the Germans. With the help of numerous Belgian civilians, Howard managed to make it out alive. "Shot Down" is a fine book. Not only does author Steve Snyder tell his father's story, he also tells the story of the build-up of the Eighth Air Force. The reader not only learns about the bombing missions, but other ares, including flying in combat, training, and the problems faced while trying to return to base. I've read several books about the Eighth Air Force, and "Shot Down" is a worthy addition to its history. Highly recommended.

MY NAME IS ROBERT MCCONNELL. I WRITE IN CAPS BECAUSE IT IS EASIER FOR THIS OLD MAN(72). I JUST FINISHED READING THE BOOK "SHOT DOWN BY STEVEN SYNDER." MY REVIEW IS SIMPLE AND 100% HONEST. STEVEN'S BOOK IS A GREAT READ AND WELL WRITTEN OF THE LIFE AND DRAMA AS A B-17 PILOT. STEVEN IS A MASTER OF DETAILING ALL THE STRESS THE TRAINING THE DEMANDS THE RISKS THE BREAKS THE SADNESS THE LOVE AND SUPPORT OF SERVICING OUR COUNTRY DURING WORLD WAR II. FOR ME ONE OF THE BEST ASPECTS OF THE BOOK IS THE WAY THAT HE FORMATTED THE FLOW WITH SHORT CHAPTERS..VERY DETAILED ...VERY INFORMATIVE. IT MADE ME WANT TO READ MANY CHAPTERS AT A TIME. A SIDE NOTE MY FATHER WAS ALSO A B-17 PILOT AND COMPLETED 21 MISSIONS. SO I KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE SAME STORIES THAT STEVEN WROTE ABOUT AND I AM A RESOURCE TO JUDGE THE CONTENT OF HIS BOOK...HE NAILED IT! THANKS STEVEN FOR WRITING..GREAT BOOK! ROBERT

I am a lifelong avid reader & have enjoyed hundreds of highly diverse authors of all genres (of course I've also suffered through some real sewage hoping foolishly to find that lost pearl) so I am not quick to get overly excited about anything without good cause, especially given the unfortunate reality in today's climate which dictates that EVERYONE IS AWESOME in some damn way or some such silliness. I write this due to a profound disappointment which is that when I went to purchase more books by this incredible author . . . there weren't any! WHAT? Steve Snyder has written THE MOST INFORMATIVE TRUE STORY that I have ever read. This is the highly detailed account of THE SUSAN RUTH B-17. Being an Air Force Veteran & enthusiast since childhood I am delighted by intricately written documentation revealing facts & even procedures that have eluded me for nearly 50 years! A brilliantly light treatment to a nightmarishly horrific situation in time made this SOLID GOLD! BRAVO SIR! BRAVO!

A most unusual book written by a son about his father's harrowing experiences after being shot down during WWII. Full of details about the training of aircrew, their introduction to combat missions and the use and management of huge bomber streams, most of which i was unaware of despite having read very many WWII memoirs. A fine work which everyone interested in what it was actually like to serve in the USAAF bomber force and to suffer and survive being shot down and avoid capture in enemy territory must read this. The cruelty of the occupying forces need to be felt through this book to understand why countries like Holland and Belgium remain so grateful to these American (and British) flyers.

I found Shot Down to be an excellent and very accessible read, which was well written and well researched. Focusing on a single aircrew and their story, the author still provided excellent context of the overall actions around them which formed the conditions and circumstances in which they had to fly and fight. Well worth the read. Highly recommended.

I love it!...incredible book!,very interesting , I truly recommend,every single day we need to remember all of them,they lost the live for our freedom!

It was a very interesting book, both when he was training, when he was flying mission, then when he was shot down, then evading capture.

This is a fascinating book, partly because it's written by the son of the pilot featured in this real-life story, and perhaps this is what graces it with such a personal touch, because it has warmth and that human touch. It is so enrapturing and sad to learn of the fate of the B-17, the Susan Ruth, and of her crew. These heavy bombers were built to withstand such a lot of battle damage and still limp home, but so often the damage was too great and they were shot down. Howard Snyder piloted the Susan Ruth, and this book follows his journey from bailing out of a burning aircraft at twenty thousand feet to evading the Germans, and the help he received from the underground - the Resistance, while he successfully evaded and avoided capture. Unfortunately, that was not to be for all of the crew. So often, you will read a little paragraph or two about a particular crew who were shot down during the Second World War, and you wonder what they really endured, and perhaps what happened to them afterwards. Well, Steve Snyder's book is a picture portrait filled with well-researched facts of just that - what actually happened and the fate of each man on that fateful mission. Not only that, but the book follows his father, Howard from his initial training as a pilot to his arrival in England with the 306th Bomb Group. Based at Thurleigh in East Anglia, Snyder was one of thousands of American Airmen who forged the 'friendly invasion' in England, shaking up the British way of life, bringing some glamour and fun to sleepy villages and towns. The friendly invasion left its mark and influenced the shaping, changing Britain in such a way that when the war finally ended and the GI's left, many British people were bereft at the loss, and at the return of their quiet, sleepy homes. The book is well recommended and you won't be disappointed. Follow the journey of this crew, and learn on a more personal level about life flying missions with the Mighty Eighth, on a B-17 Flying Fortress, sailing through the war-torn skies over Europe. Smell the cordite, hear the rip of the cannon fire from enemy fighters and witness the damage done. Taste the fear that hangs all around and learn about the people in the Belgium Resistance who risked all for crews like these men in the book. The author, Steve Snyder has gone to extraordinary lengths to produce this book and it is a mighty tribute to his father and to the crew, a poignant, intriguing, beautiful account, with facts woven in such a way to create an interesting, engrossing read.