Review (PDF) Black Tuesday Over Namsi: A True History Of The Epic Air Battle Of The Korean War
This edition has been replaced by a newer, expanded & corrected hardcover published by Helion Books, titled Black Tuesday Over Namsi: B-29s vs. MiGs the Forgotten Air Battle of the Korean War, 23 October 1951. EJM
Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: Heritage Books (July 16, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0788446193
ISBN-13: 978-0788446191
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,450,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #76 in Books > History > Military > Korean War > Aviation
This is required reading for anyone interested in military history. It is the story of the greatest jet fighter engagement in history. And, it forever changed the way the USAF conducts war.It was also one of the most disastrous missions ever flown by US bombers. Only one of nine B-29s returned to their original base. Although it was a big news at the time, the story was almost forgotten.Author Earl McGill spent years interviewing survivors, and researching US and Russian documents. He was also a B-29 pilot stationed in Okinawa with the ill fated 307th. Although he was not on the Black Tuesday mission, he flew other missions to the same area and was engaged with the same Russian fighter pilots He tells much of the story from the viewpoint of the combatants on both the US and Russian sides.This is not the typical book-by-a-pilot. McGill is an experienced writer and historian. "Black Tuesday Over Namsi" is meticulously researched and well written.
I bought this book directly from the publisher since was sold out and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have several interests in the subject, I am a military history buff with a BA in History, I am a US Navy Pilot with 15 years experience flying P-3 and C-130 aircraft, and finally my grandfather was aircrew with 50 missions in a 307th BG aircraft over Korea.This air battle lasted only minutes but Mr McGill does an outstanding job of clearly presenting the battle and its importance in later operations. The strength of the book in my opinion is his knowledge and descriptions of the B-29 operations in general in regards to command and control structure, (or lack of between Bombing Groups), mission selection, tactics, and targeting execution. His research of the Soviet opponents makes for a balanced presentation and helps explain the official but conflicting accounts from both sides. His themes that deviation from accepted and proven tactics, misuse of technology (SHORAN), poor strategic vision in target selection, and complacency ring familiar in my experience in today's military and are worthy of study by this generation of military officers.I finished the book with an impression (and one Mcgill mentions) that after the Air Force Bomber Command destroyed the strategic targets in North Korea they couldn't think of anything more inspiring to use these assets for than as bait to draw out the MIGS.I think this book will appeal to both students of history and the casual reader. Mr. McGill does a great job of explaining the background and the context of the battle as well as why it was important. It reads fast and is very hard to put down once started. Historians will appreciate his documentation and original research. Military students will benefit from the insights of a participant of the Korean Air War that still have value today. I hope that you enjoy the book as much as I did.
This is a well researched and written book that tells the epic story of the first major confrontations between the North Korean/Russian MiG-15s and USAF B-29s over North Korea. Author McGill also gives a good rundown of the overall tactical and strategic situations leading up to these aerial confrontations, including details on the various aircraft from both sides and their places in the ensuing air battles. His research, combined with his intimate knowledge of the B-29 from his own experience flying similar missions, gives the story a realistic and chilling tenor that makes for engrossing reading. This is an excellent rendition of a part of Korean War history seldom told or understood.
When the Soviet Russian MiG-15's jumped the B-29's over Korea, there was one terrible shock!The cannon fire from the MiG-15's required only one or two hits to completely eviscerate the B-29's. It was a slaughter. One of my friends who flew B-29's in combat referred to it as suicide and death wish.We were absolutely unprepared for the rapid and secret technological advances that had taken place and the horrible cost to the Americans and to the South Koreans and to the cause of freedom was enormous.This book demonstrates the need to keep up, to stay knowledgable, and the price you pay if you fail to do so.
This book is available only through the publisher, Heritage Books, but service is quick if you do order it. Making the effort to order through its website is well worth it and easy to do. The book fills a very important vacuum in that is the only book I know of regarding perhaps the biggest air battle fought in the Korean War. Is real value is that it is far more than a personal memoir. The author has meticulously searched records, both U.S. and Russian, and interviewed many of those who fought in the air battle. Dozens of planes, both Chinese/Russian and American, were involved in the intense but brief battle near the Chinese border of North Korea, with disastrous consequences for the U.S. Air Force. The author gives a wealth of details about individual planes and the crews who flew them, and places everything in the context of events concerning the war as a whole. The book offers lots of technical detail as well as historical and personal details. Anyone interested in military warfare history in general, the Korean War in particular, or is just fascinated by military aircraft and how they perform, will thoroughly enjoy this book. One is left, upon completing the book, amazed at how much the American government expected of its airmen in Korea under abysmal and difficult circumstances made from afar in Washington.
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