From the Bookshelf of THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP…

Mission to Tokyo: The American Airmen Who Took the War to the Heart of Japan

Robert F. Dorr

Start date: August 1, 2020

Finish date: August 10, 2020

Discussion: GROUP & BUDDY READS

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GROUP & BUDDY READS

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By 'Aussie Rick' , Moderator · 1192 posts · 499 views

last updated Jul 31, 2025 01:46AM

2025 - August - Eastern Front 1945 (land, air or sea).
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What Members Thought

Feb 20, 2013 Marc rated it really liked it

The B-29 Superfortress was designed to carry the strategic air war to the Japanese homeland. It was an incredibly sophisticated and complex airplane with a long history of malfunctions and bugs, especially with its engines. When the results of the American bombing campaign didn't reach the levels they were supposed to, a change in strategy had to be made. That's where this book comes in: the massive firebombing raid on Tokyo in March, 1945.

Following the paths of several B-29 crews and crewmember ...more

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Aug 11, 2013 Mike rated it liked it

Shelves: history, non-fiction, ww2, military, aviation, ebook, pacific

Mission to Tokyo: The American Airmen Who Took the War to the Heart of Japan is a 3 Star recounting of the “thousand kids” who took the war to Japan in the air. I may raise the rating due to all the interesting information Dorr presents but the book is not the smoothest read. The first half of the book alternates an hour-by-hour accounting of the March 9-10, 1945 firebomb raid on Tokyo with the development of the B-29 and the stories of some crews that will fly the mission. After the mission, th Mission to Tokyo: The American Airmen Who Took the War to the Heart of Japan is a 3 Star recounting of the “thousand kids” who took the war to Japan in the air. I may raise the rating due to all the interesting information Dorr presents but the book is not the smoothest read. The first half of the book alternates an hour-by-hour accounting of the March 9-10, 1945 firebomb raid on Tokyo with the development of the B-29 and the stories of some crews that will fly the mission. After the mission, the book follows the B-29 deployments to India and the Pacific, along with other aircrews. It was a bit disjointed, which was exacerbated by reading an ebook. I find ebooks do not work for non-fiction, especially history which requires constant referring back and forth. I did learn a lot about a very different air conflict.

The airwar in the Pacific is markedly different from the airwar in Europe. The missions last up to 15 hours, covering over 3,000 miles. The bombers are not formations but gaggles of solitary airplanes and they have a long time to worry about the target on the way in and if they will get home afterwards. Ditching in the sea is almost a guaranteed death sentence. The airplane is very unreliable, especially the engines. Crews and units are often very poorly integrated into smoothly functioning organizations.

The organization of the B-29 force heralds the start of the Army Air Force becoming the Air Force in practice. The XX Bomber Command comes under control of Hap Arnold in Wash DC and not any of the theater commanders. It is a Strategic Bomber Force. It was also pretty ineffective at the start because of the weather and winds over Japan. The low level firebombing of Tokyo was the tactic to make the bombing campaign more effective. It worked but was a huge gamble. After Tokyo was burned, the fire campaign moves on to new cities.

MG Curtis LeMay comes out better than other portrayals. History has not treated him well and that is a shame, a brave and effective commander.

There are many interesting links to people you may know, including Yoko Ono, Bill Clinton, Robert McNamara, and others. You will basically follow a number of crews and individuals through the last year of the war. Some will survive and others will not. You will be introduced to the B-32 Dominator briefly. The Soviets did not repatriate their American allies who diverted with emergencies in the B-29. There are some funny and absurd stories about Stalin ordering Tupolev and others to copy/reverse engineer the B-29s that diverted to the USSR:

(view spoiler)

No one questioned Stalin on an order he issued, unless the person was tired of life.

Finally the book concludes with the 509th Composite Wing arriving on Tinian. Interesting stories about the unit that will drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An excellent story of the B-29 and the men who flew it.
...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Lee Mandel rated it it was amazing

An excellent account of the genesis and execution of the B-29 incendiary firebombing attacks on Tokyo, beginning in March, 1945. Dorr frames the narrative around the lives of the B-29 crew members who took part in the raids and it makes for very powerful reading. Anyone interested in the air war in the Pacific during WW II will find this book an excellent resource. It certainly shows why these men will always be known as The Greatest Generation.

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