Author : Stephen M. Perrone
Publisher : New Jersey Sportsmens Guides
ISBN 13 : 9781887544023
Total Pages : 291 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (44 download)
Book Synopsis World War II B-24 "Snoopers" by : Stephen M. Perrone
Download or read book World War II B-24 "Snoopers" written by Stephen M. Perrone and published by New Jersey Sportsmens Guides. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As described in a book review by Robert DeGroat for FLIGHT JOURNAL MAGAZINE: "It is a little-known story among the many of WWII. The 'Snoopers' squadrons flew black B-24s for low-level, anti-shipping strikes under the cover of darkness while they flew over the Pacific Ocean's vast expanse. Author Stephen M. Perrone knows Snooper missions all too well; he flew 37 of them as a bombardier. Unlike the hundreds of bombers in tight formations that flew over Europe, the Snoopers flew single-ship operations. On a routine mission, they would fly 1,500 miles for 13 hours with takeoff at dusk and landing after the sun had risen. In between, the Snoopers would battle-sometimes singly-the enemy, the weather and the unfamiliar island terrain. Missions such as these sorely tested the endurance of the men and the machines. Historians and enthusiasts alike will find this book of particular interest. As it contains previously classified material, much of this story has never been told before. These veterans deserve nothing less; it is a great story."¿One of these crews became one of the most decorated in the Pacific Theater on their 16th mission. After sinking a 10,000-ton freighter and damaging a destroyer escort, they were jumped by two Japanese Oscar fighters. - The entire mission is described in the book as are more than 100 other missions. The 868th BS and the 63rd BS sank more than a million tons of Japanese shipping. The book is now in the archives of the Smithsonian in Washington; the archives at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton; the archives at Maxwell AFB in Alabama; the archives of the Stephen Ambrose national D-Day Museum in New Orleans; the archives of the Widener Library of Harvard University at Cambridge, the Oral History Library of Rutgers, the New Jersey State University and the Imperial War Museum in London. Autographed books are available.