Point of No Return: The Story of the Twentieth Air Force"The epic story of how the Twentieth Air Force was built into the most advanced strategic weapon of World War II and the prototype for today's strategic Air Command is filled with action, heroic adventures, and technological triumphs. With a veteran's insights, Wilbur Morrison describes the expert teamwork which offset the tremendous obstacles facing General Henry ("Hap") Arnold, Chief of Army Air Corps, from the outset. The B-29 had to be designed, built, tested, and proved in an impossibly short time. But perhaps the greatest enemy of all was geography: The men in General Curtis LeMay's command flew B-29s carrying their own fuel over the Himalayas from India, where they were based for the operations over China, Southeast Asia, and ultimately, Japan. Replete with firsthand reports and anecdotes, here are accounts of air battles against suicidal Japanese pilots, and of political infighting. The cast of characters includes supporters such as FDR and General George Marshall, and such prominent wartime figures as Chennault, Stilwell, and Chiang Kai-shek. The author details LeMay's little-known, successful tactic that wiped out virtually every major Japanese city long before the A-bombs were dropped. POINT OF NO RETURN argues convincingly that LeMay's strategy made not only the American atom bombing of Japan unnecessary, but also the development and future use of nuclear weapons."--Jacket. |
Common terms and phrases
20 CHAPTER 58th Wing Admiral agreed aircraft airplane airpower altitudes American Anshan Army Air Forces Arnold atomic bomb attacks bases Boeing bombardier Burma Chengtu Chennault Chiefs of Staff China Chinese Colonel combat crews damage despite destroyed dropped Eighth Air Force engine feet fire raids flew flight flown formation Fourteenth Air Force fuel ground Guam gunner guns Hansell Hansell's head home islands incendiary India invasion Japan Japanese Japanese fighters Joint Chiefs knew Kyushu land later LeMay LeMay's Lieutenant losses MacArthur Major Marianas Marshall mines mission months Navy night Nimitz officer Okinawa Pacific Pattillo percent pilot plane plant President problems radar Roosevelt runway Saipan sent Shimonoseki Strait ships square miles Stilwell strategic air strategic bombing strike Superfortresses Superforts supplies target theater Tinian tion Tokyo told Twentieth Air Force U.S. Navy Vaucher Washington weather Wolfe XX Bomber Command Yawata