Grim Reapers: History of the Third Bomb Group, 1918-1965

Temple City,California: Historical Aviation Album, 1985. First Edition . Hard Back. Very Good/No Dust Jacket. 8 3/4" X 11 1/4. 105 Pages. An as new book with no noted defects. Gift quality. The copyright page states that this book is not a reprint. Interior text and illustration pages are near flawless. Red cloth boards with silver spine lettering and gold front lettering and skeleton decoration. The 3rd Bomb Group is the oldest active group in the USAF, and the first created after the establishment of the U. S. Air Service. Based in Texas after World War I, the group patrolled the Mexican Border from Brownsville, Texas, to Nogales, Arizona. The group pioneered dive bombing, skip-bombing, and parafrag attacks in the 1920s-the earliest forms of precision guided attack from aircraft-and put this work to good use in World War II. The World War II 3rd Bombardment Group moved to Australia early in 1942 and served primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as a light bombardment group assigned to Fifth Air Force. The group participated in numerous campaigns during the war, engaging in combat over Japan; Netherlands East Indies; New Guinea; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon and the Southern Philippines. On 2 November 1943, the group encountered heavy opposition from Japanese forces at Simpson Harbor, New Britain. In that attack Major Raymond H. Wilkins, commander of the 8th Bombardment Squadron, sank two ships before he was shot down. The 3d again served in combat during the Korean War, using B-26 Invader light bombers. Captain John S. Walmsley, Jr. Was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on a night mission. Contents in 14 Chapters: Early Experiences, Grim Reaper Diplomacy, Blue Rock Clay Pigeon, The Royce Mission, Coral Sea Buna and Disaster, The Mad Professor, The Bismark Sea, Kenney Cannons and Cocktails, Wewak Take Out, Rabaul, Hollandia Holiday, New Guinea and Beyond, I Shall Return, and North to Korea.