Bombs Away follows the story of a World War II B-17 bomber pilot from his humble upbringing in rural Western Massachusetts to Army Air Force training and finally into combat in the skies over Europe. Herbert Small was born to Scottish and Irish immigrants and lived a simple, small-town life before he and his brother volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Force, the precursor to the modern U.S. Air Force. His story walks step-by-step through the training process for air cadets and provides an in-depth look at the U.S. Air Base at Grafton-Underwood, England. It details life on the base, preparation for missions and the excitement and terror of flying bombing missions over enemy territory. Bombs Away tells the stories of the men of the 384th Bombardment Group in their own words , from Mission Briefings to take-off to forming up to "bombs away." Some men completed their missions and came home. Some men were shot down and captured, and spent the remainder of the war as prisoners, before returning home to their families. Others never made it home.