History of the 39th Bomb Group, World War II
Author: David Smith Robert Laird
Publisher: Memory Press OH
Edition: First
Cover: Hardcover
Published: 1996
Bomb
Synopsis: David Smith and Robert Laird's comprehensive unit history chronicles the distinguished service of the 39th Bomb Group during World War II, tracing its evolution from formation through its crucial role in the Pacific theater's strategic bombing campaigns. The 39th Bomb Group, equipped with B-29 Superfortresses, played a vital part in the final assault on the Japanese home islands as part of the Twentieth Air Force's revolutionary strategic bombing doctrine. The book begins with the group's activation and training in the United States, detailing the complex process of transitioning to the new B-29 bomber, then the most advanced and complex aircraft in the world. Smith and Laird document the numerous technical challenges crews faced mastering this revolutionary aircraft, including its pressurized cabin systems, remote-controlled gun turrets, and notoriously temperamental R-3350 engines that frequently caught fire during early operations. The narrative follows the group's deployment to the Mariana Islands in 1944, specifically to Guam, where they joined the massive buildup of B-29 bases that would bring Japan within range of sustained strategic bombing. The authors provide detailed accounts of the group's participation in the initial high-altitude daylight precision bombing campaign against Japanese industrial targets, including aircraft factories, steel mills, and oil refineries. They don't shy away from describing the initial disappointing results of these missions, hindered by technical problems, weather conditions, and the jet stream that scattered bomb patterns at high altitude. The book extensively covers the dramatic tactical shift to low-altitude incendiary attacks on Japanese cities, beginning with the devastating raid on Tokyo in March 1945 that killed more people than either atomic bomb. Smith and Laird provide harrowing accounts of these night missions, where B-29s flew at just 5,000 to 8,000 feet through intense anti-aircraft fire to deliver their loads of napalm-filled incendiary bombs. The narrative includes detailed mission reports, casualty lists, and personal accounts from crew members who survived these dangerous operations. The authors examine the group's role in mining Japanese harbors, disrupting shipping that was crucial to the Japanese war effort. The book also covers special missions, including psychological warfare leaflet drops and rescue operations for downed airmen. Throughout, Smith and Laird maintain focus on the human elements of strategic bombing, describing the toll on young airmen who carried out these missions while grappling with their moral implications. The comprehensive unit history concludes with the atomic bomb missions and Japan's surrender, examining the 39th Bomb Group's contribution to ending the Pacific war.
History of the 39th Bomb Group, World War II, is one of the many primary source materials in the Army Air Corps Museum collection.
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