B-29s Over Japan, 1944-1945 - A Group Commander's Diary

by Samuel Russ Harris Jr.

This diary focuses intensely on Col. Samuel Russ Harris' life within his own 499th Bomb Group and his relationship with the 73rd Bomb Wing's operations. The first section of the book is an intimate portrait of war. To provide a context of the B-29 war against Japan, the second half of the text details how the 73rd Bomb Wing was engaged in the war against Japan. Together, the two parts provide a well-rounded portrait of America--and one American--at war.

267 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2011

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a gem and a must for any student of the American strategic bombing campaign against Japan. The author, Colonel Samuel Harris, was the Commander of the 499th Bomb Group from its activation in late 1943, through its deployment to Saipan and initial operations out of the Marianas against the Japanese homeland. The backbone of the text is Harris's diary, but editor Robert A. Mann does a wonderful job of weaving Harris's diary entries with background information from the operational logs of the 73rd Bomb Wing and XXI Bomber Command. The result is a nice mix of the personal observations of a group commander with a fairly detailed recitation of overall Wing activities.[return][return]Harris's diary is written in the form of an extended letter to his wife Nancy and offers some frank comment on what Harris believed were the deficiencies of his Wing's operational plans, personnel and maintenance practices. Harris was a man of obvious intelligence and accomplishment (he flew more than 70 types of aircraft as a test pilot before the war and during the war set up the Army Air Corp's national air traffic control system) who did not suffer fools or inefficiency quietly. [return][return]This book is a nice complement to narrative histories of the B-29 campaign against Japan, focusing on the day to day demands on the men of the XXI Bomber Command. I recommend it highly.