This historical text is the personal diary of Colonel Samuel R. Harris, detailing his life as a Commander of one of the first B-29 Heavy Bombardment Groups to reach the Marianas Islands in 1944. Focused intensely on his life in the Group and his relationship with the 73rd Bomb Wing's operations, the first section of the book is an intimate portrait of war. In order to provide a contextual portrait of the B-29 war against Japan, the second half of the text details all aspects of how the 73rd Bomb Wing was engaged in the war against Japan. Together, they provide a well-rounded portrait of America--and one American--at war.]

This work details the methods of deciphering and reading the coding found on Individual Aircraft Record Cards (IARCs). The work shows how to read the 21 formats of record cards to help the reader or researcher identify the reporting or possessing unit, activity, station, and important dates for individual aircraft. The author also details where and how to obtain IARC microfilm rolls.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress lived an operational life of only 26 years, but what a life it was. One of the largest airplanes to see service during World War II, the 'grand old lady' was the primary aircraft in the United States' firebombing campaign against the Japanese empire, and two of the most famous B-29s, the Enola Gay and Bockscar, were responsible for dropping the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This book provides a chronology of the B-29 from the first feasibility studies and earliest designs in 1934 to the retirement of the last operational B-29 by the Air Force in 1960. While the timeline covers the conceptual, developmental, and operational history of the B-29, an introduction details basic information on the physical plane itself, including dimensions, specs, leading particulars, and operational usages. The book also includes a glossary and three appendices which provide a discussion of the general anatomy of a mission, a sample of operational voice or radio codes used in 1945, and an exhaustive (and entertaining) reference guide to aircraft names like the Ape Ship, Bait Me?, and Flying Lemon.