Mission to Tokyo; The American Airmen Who Took the War to the Heart of Japan
Onno Van Braam (B-29 schematics) Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press, 2012. Second Printing [stated]. Hardcover. [8], 328 pages Illustrations. Appendix One: Bombardment Groups in the Marianas. Appendix Two: What Happened to Them? Notes. Bibliography. Index. The DJ has some edge wear and soiling. Inscribed by the author on the half-title page. The inscription reads To Chuck Mechum--Best Wishes Robert F. Dorr 4/18/14. Robert F. Dorr (September 11, 1939 – June 12, 2016) was an American author and retired senior diplomat who wrote and published over 70 books, hundreds of short stories, and numerous contemporary non-fiction articles on international affairs, military issues, and the Vietnam War. Dorr spent 25 years as a senior Foreign Service Officer (1964–89) with the U.S. State Department. He held senior positions in Washington, D.C., after tours of duty in Tananarive, Madagascar, Seoul, Fukuoka, Monrovia, Stockholm, and London. He headed the weekly "Back Talk" opinion column for the Military Times newspaper and the monthly "Washington Watch" feature of Aerospace America. He was also the technical editor of Air Power History, the journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation, and was Washington correspondent for the discontinued World Air Power Journal. Dorr appeared as an expert on CNN, History News Network, C-SPAN, and other television programs. Mission to Tokyo about B-29 Superfortress crews in the war against Japan focused in part on the firebomb mission to the Japanese capital on the night of March 9–10, 1945. Walter J. Boyne wrote, "Mission to Tokyo is yet another incredible solo example of Bob's prolific scholarship and dedication to the art of writing aviation. From Hell Hawks! author Bob Dorr, Mission to Tokyo takes the reader on a World War II strategic bombing mission from an airfield on the western Pacific island of Tinian to Tokyo and back. Told in the veterans' words, Mission to Tokyo is a narrative of every aspect of long range bombing, including pilots and other aircrew, groundcrew, and escort fighters that accompanied the heavy bombers on their perilous mission. Several thousand men on the small Mariana Islands of Guam, Saipan, and Tinian were trying to take the war to the Empire, Imperial Japan, in B-29 Superfortresses flying at 28,000 feet, but the high-altitude bombing wasn't very accurate. The decision was made to take the planes down to around 8,000 feet, even as low as 5,000 feet. Eliminating the long climb up would save fuel, and allow the aircraft to take heavier bomb loads. The lower altitude would also increase accuracy substantially. The trade-off was the increased danger of anti-aircraft fire. This was deemed worth the risk, and the devastation brought to the industry and population of the capital city was catastrophic. Unfortunately for all involved, the bombing did not bring on the quick surrender some had hoped for. That would take six more months of bombing, culminating in the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As with Mission to Berlin, Mission to Tokyo focuses on a specific mission from spring 1945 and provides a history of the strategic air war against Japan in alternating chapters. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Operation Meetinghouse, B029 Superfortress, Strategic Bombing, Curtis LeMay, Incendiary Raid, Firebombing, William Carter, Den Fling, Saipan, 20th Bombardment Group, Paul Tibbets
ISBN: 9780760341223
[Book #85939]
Price: $125.00