The Spray and Pray Squadron - by Margaret Mills Kincannon (Hardcover)

About the Book

An exhaustive illustrated history of a bomb squadron in the Chinese-American Composite Wing during WWII

Book Synopsis

The 3rd Bomb Squadron, 1st Bomb Group, Chinese-American Composite Wing flew B-25 Mitchell bombers in combat against the Japanese in the "CBI" or China-Burma-India theater.

The squadron combined Chinese and American personnel, with officers and enlisted men representing both nationalities. Although the aircraft were all of American origin, Chinese and American crews would fly missions together, occasionally even with mixed crews on board a single aircraft.

The squadron insignia featured a skunk; the Chinese-American Composite Wing was symbolized by a tiger and dragon. The 3rd Bomb Squadron specialized in low-altitude ground attack operations. Members of the unit referred to themselves as the "Spray and Pray Boys."

This definitive history of the squadron is authored by Margaret Kincannon, the official historian of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation. Inspired by the service of her father, Hank, in the unit, Kincannon has pored over official reports, networked with veterans and families of veterans, and amassed a large collection of vintage photos over the past decade. This book is the result of her exhaustive research, jelling information from a wide variety of primary sources into a cohesive and highly readable history of a bomb squadron in the Pacific.

Along with a comprehensive narrative history of the 3rd Bomb Squadron, this study includes hundreds of vintage photographs, and biographical sketches of 120 squadron members as an appendix.

Review Quotes

"With "The Spray and Pray Squadron," author Margaret Mills Kincannon has produced one of the most thoroughly researched and highly detailed unit histories of a single air squadron ever published. It's all here, from the challenges presented by the complex organization of the Chinese-American Composite Wing and the miserable living conditions on remote airbases in India and China to detailed accounts of every mission flown by the squadron during its 15 months in combat during World War II. Personal stories of many members of the squadron add color to the account, as do the numerous photos that accompany the text. As the daughter of a "Spray and Pray Squadron" veteran, Margaret has done her father's memory proud by writing this terrific book."--Carl Molesworth, author, "Flying Tiger Ace" and "Gabby"