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2020 Masters Affinity May1 V1.Indd In collaboration with The National WWII Museum Travel y th Year of Victor MASTERS OF THE AIR THE MIGHTY EIGHTH M A Over the Skies of Europe Y 19 4 5 Featuring best-selling author and historian Donald L. Miller, PhD and the exclusive event, “History in Flight: A Simulated Dog Fight Above East Anglia” 8 DAYS | MAY 1 – 8, 2020 Save up to $1,000 per couple when booked by November 15, 2019 Dear Razorbacks on Tour, Featured Historian Arkansas Alumni Association is pleased to partner with The National WWII Donald L. Miller, PhD Museum on a tour of England, exploring the storied airfields of the Mighty Eighth Author, Masters of the Air Air Force. This tour is a one-of-a-kind journey led by expert historian and author, Historian and best-selling author Donald L. Miller, Dr. Donald L. Miller, author of Masters of the Air. I invite you to read an excerpt PhD and his book Masters of the Air: America's from Dr. Miller regarding the places you will soon visit: Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against “On our tour of East Anglia we will visit with some of the very farm families Nazi Germany are the inspiration for this program. Miller's masterful storytelling brings to life the I interviewed when researching for Masters of the Air and meet their air bases, landscape, and history of East Anglia. descendants, who have carried on the stories by lovingly restoring and His passion for the men of the Eighth Air Force maintaining the bases we will visit in bomber country. Listening to their tales of creates an emotional experience available only the American boys who flew and fought, visiting the museums they have built through this program. in old concrete control towers, and standing on the observation deck of the tower museum at Thorpe Abbotts, the wind whipping in your face, you will never Miller is a seasoned veteran of The National WWII Museum’s educational travel get closer to the Air War. These people appreciate the sacrifices the American program, having led sold-out tours on Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and bomber boys made for them. That’s what motivates them to maintain, without the Mediterranean. Miller’s book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys expectation of gain, the bases they rebuilt on the soil of their ancestors.” Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany was selected to serve as the foundation for HBO’s forthcoming dramatic miniseries, Masters of the Air, As the 75th Anniversary of V-E Day approaches in 2020, there is no better time produced by Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg. Miller has appeared in dozens to join your fellow Razorbacks on Tour to take part in the festivities as England of PBS and History Channel programs. He narrated and helped to produce and remembers the brash young Americans who were part of the “friendly invasion” write the award-winning PBS series, A Biography of America. He is the author of of their country, who came in order to prepare for much larger invasions to end nine books, including the prize-winning City of the Century: The Epic the war in Europe, at last. of Chicago and The Making of America, The Story of World War II, and D-Days Sincerely, in the Pacific. He currently sits on the Museum’s Presidential Counselors advisory board. Imperial War Museum, London. Courtesy of Matthew Chattle / Alamy Stock Photo. Brandy Cox Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni & Executive Director Arkansas Alumni Association. For more information, contact Lee Shoultz at 800-775-3465 or Alumni, members, family or friends—Anyone can travel with Razorbacks on Tour! [email protected]. Thank you to our members who make all our programs possible. Learn Their Hear Their Names Stories Aces, Warriors, and Wingmen Life in Wartime England The duties of a bomber crew were Masters of the Air is a story of life vastly different from that of the in wartime England, in bombed-out ground troops. The crew of a B-17 London, and in the tiny hamlets these was able to live in relative quiet brash young Americans completely for the majority of their service. transformed. In East Anglia, many But when the combat mission airmen fell in love with British girls came, it was intense, chaotic, and they met in the local pubs, and over Stand where history was made dangerous. One critical malfunction, 45,000 American servicemen brought one piece of flak, or one error could home English brides after the war. Aircraft and Airfields mean death or capture for all. The The beautiful countryside and stately noise was deafening, the air was manor homes give way to the remains The rural farmland of East Anglia became the headquarters for the cold, and the enemy could hear the of Royal Air Force (RAF) Bases, some “Bomber War.” Villages, with pre-war populations in the hundreds, approach. Each successful mission of them with their control towers still suddenly buzzed with the energy of thousands of pilots, crew, and only brought about the prospect of visible on the skyline. support staff carrying out the missions to bring about the unconditional more. For men like Robert “Rosie” surrender of Nazi Germany. Almost daily, citizens of villages such as Rosenthal, Louis Loevsky, and Thorpe Abbotts, Rougham, and Horham would hear the roar of the Eugene Carson, each mission was engines and watch B-17s, B-24s, and fighter escorts take to the skies. either one step closer to the end This was a new type of warfare, a war waged from the skies against an of the war or one step closer to an unseen enemy. unfortunate end. American USAAF bombardier bomb aimers British women of the Auxillary Territorial Service undergo training. Courtesy of Military chat with US servicemen during World War II. Trainee pilots rush to their aircraft prior to a flight.Courtesy of Military Images/Alamy Stock. Images/Alamy. Courtesy of Military Images/Alamy Stock Photo. 4 | Masters of the Air: The Mighty Eighth Over the Skies of Europe Masters of the Air: The Mighty Eighth Over the Skies of Europe | 5 MASTERS OF AIR MAP AND TOUR INCLUSIONS MASTERS OF THE AIR North Sea THE MIGHTY EIGHTH Over the Skies of Europe ENGLAND Thorpe Abbotts Cambridge Bury St. Edmunds/ 8 DAYS • MAY 1 – 8, 2020 Rougham Airfield 5 $6,995 $5,995* per person double occupancy $8,895 $7,895* single occupancy London *When booked by November 15, 2019.. $229 per person taxes and fees are additional. Tour Stops/ Overnights Tour Stops English Channel Tour Inclusions • 8-day journey through the heart • Private, first-class, air-conditioned of East Anglia and London motor coach transportation • 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners • VIP access to WWII sites and • Welcome & Farewell receptions cultural attractions • Beer, wine, and soft drinks with • Video Oral History presentations included lunches and dinners from the Museum Collection • Comprehensive lecture series • Personal listening devices on all from renowned WWII historian included touring Donald L. Miller, PhD • Gratuities to guides, drivers, • Full-time logistical tour manager, porters, and servers expert WWII-focused local guides • Informative Map Book including and guest speakers useful archival images to be used • Round-trip airport transfers when throughout the journey arriving/departing on scheduled • Personalized luggage tags and tour dates name badge • 2 nights at the 5-star Hotel • Keepsake journal and pen to Gonville, Cambridge; 3 nights document your journey at the 5-star Angel Hotel, Bury St. Edmunds; and 2 nights at the 5-star Rubens at the Palace, London Photo Page 8: Ground crew members of the Eighth Air Force gather underneath a bomber to 'fin' a 500 lb. bomb, England – mid-1940s. Finning stabilizes the bombs, allowing for better accuracy. Courtesy of PhotoQuest/Getty Images. 6 | Masters of the Air: The Mighty Eighth Over the Skies of Europe Masters of the Air: The MightyCALL Eighth 1-877-813-3329 Over the Skies of X Europe 257 || 7 MASTERS OF AIR ITINERARY Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Tablets Cemetery. London/Cambridge DAY 1 May 1 – Upon arrival at London Heathrow Airport, guests are warmly welcomed by Museum staff. Depart for Cambridge with a lunch stop along the way. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner with Donald L. Miller, PhD and the tour group. Accommodations: The Gonville Hotel (D) Youth of the Flying Fortresses Cambridge History, In 1942, thousands of young Americans arrived in East Anglia to take to the skies in the world's first and only “Bomber War.” From bases dotting this history-haunted Transformation, and Sacrifice landscape, pilots and crewmen fought their battles above continental Europe through a succession of aerial encounters that lasted sometimes only minutes. DAY 2 These intense battles were followed by periods of relative calm back at the base, May 2 – After breakfast, Dr. Miller presents a lecture on the Eighth Air but each airman of the Eighth Air Force fought knowing that each mission could Force and gives an overview of the itinerary. The first stop provides be his last. One well-placed shot by a German pilot, a hit from the flack below, or a a chance to reflect upon the carnage of the “Bomber War” at the critical malfunction could mean the end of the plane and its crew. Cambridge American Cemetery. The cemetery contains the remains of 3,812 of our military dead, and 5,127 names are recorded on the This National WWII Museum’s exclusive week-long Masters of the Air tour will visit Tablets of the Missing.
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