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History. Military. Nonfiction. A magnificent volume of short novels and an essential World War II report from one of America's great twentieth-century writers On the heels of the enormous success of his masterwork The Grapes of Wrath-and at the height of the American war effort-John Steinbeck, one of the most prolific and influential literary figures of his generation, wrote Bombs Away, a nonfiction account of his experiences with U.S. Army Air Force bomber crews during World War II. Now, for the first time since its original publication in 1942, Penguin Classics presents this exclusive edition of Steinbeck's introduction to the then-nascent U.S. Army Air Force and its bomber crew-the essential core unit behind American air power that Steinbeck described as "the greatest team in the world.".… (more)
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Steinbeck traveled with a bomber training unit carefully recording the many lessons the men went through to learn their trade on a B-17 or B-24 bomber. He wrote a chapter on each crew position: navigator, crew engineer, pilot, bombardier, radio engineer, aerial gunner. He also wrote chapters on the B-17 and its role in warfare plus a chapter on how the bomber crew must work as a team. There are also included, many photographs of training scenes.
This is not a very exciting read compared to some volumes that chronicle actual bombing operations but he does tell the story of one crew's experience of flying over the Caribbean heading to a practice bombing target when they see a submarine. Checking to make sure it is not an Allied vessel, they proceed to attack it and sink it. Not sure how true this episode is, but it makes a good story. Considering how early in the war he wrote this, some of predictions for the future of air warfare and the post war importance of flying Steinbeck made were very accurate.