Black Tuesday Over Namsi: B-29s Vs Migs-the Forgotten Air Battle of the Korean War, 23 October 1951 - Couverture rigide

McGill USAF (Ret.), Lt Col Earl J.

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1907677216 ISBN 13 : 9781907677212

Editeur : Helion & Company, 2012

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

An hour and a half before sunup, nine B-29s of the 307th Bombardment Wing lifted off from Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa on a bombing mission against Namsi, a North Korean airfield under construction in the heart of MiG Alley. Five and a half hours later they would engage in an air battle that would forever change the conduct of strategic aerial bombardment. Six of the nine would not return, the highest percentage of United States bombers ever lost on a major mission. Astonishingly, virtually nothing has been published about this event. Official Air Force historical records mention it only in passing and literature of the period too often emphasizes the gung ho aspect than the grim reality of war. Black Tuesday Over Namsi chronicles the calamitous B-29 daylight-bombing mission flown by the 307th Bombardment Wing on 23 October 1951 against Namsi Airfield. What many experts consider the epic air battle of the Korean War and perhaps the greatest jet engagement in the history of aerial warfare has largely become another forgotten battle in a forgotten war. Here, Lt. Col McGill presents the facts and circumstances of the mission from first briefing to final landing. This book also records, from verifiable historical documents, the broader events and conditions that led up to the confrontation, plus the first-hand accounts of aircrew members and ground personnel who were there. Allied and Soviet perspectives are examined; statements made by the MiG pilots describe the attack; and eyewitnesses to the event have supplied photographs of the mission and its aftermath, including the aerial photo of the Namsi Airfield that was used to plan the mission. This thoroughly researched narrative history is enhanced by numerous photographs, a bibliography, and an index to full names, places and subjects. This is the story of the Americans and Russians who clashed in the skies above Namsi, the events leading up to it, Black Tuesday's historical impact on aerial warfare, and, for the first time, fresh conclusions based on a careful analysis of the specific factors that went into the execution of this and other bombing missions.

Biographie de l'auteur :

Born in Pennsylvania during the Great Depression, E. J. McGill moved to Colorado after his stepfather, a B-17 gunner, was liberated from a German prison camp. McGill graduated from Fort Collins High School, joined the Air Force and became a weather observer, then forecaster. He won his wings in Dec.1950 and flew 28 missions as a B-29 copilot in the Korean War. After returning to the U.S., he married Eleanor Beeghley. Assigned to fly the B-47 jet bomber, he advanced from copilot to instructor pilot in Topeka, Kansas where all three of his sons were born. In 1960 the family moved to Texas where he logged over 3,000 hours as aircraft commander and instructor pilot in B-52s. He survived Cuba, nuclear alert, and a stint in the Vietnam War to retire from the AF in 1969. After moving to Arizona he earned an MFA in Creative Writing and taught high school students. After retiring a second time, he built a corner cupboard, had a mystery novel published, became a bridge life master, and ran a couple of web sites. His idea of heaven would be fly-fishing forever on Slough Creek, Yellowstone National Park, Montana.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Helion & Company
• Date d'édition: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1907677216
• ISBN 13: 9781907677212
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 176