The Roarin' 20's
A History of the 312th Bombardment Group
U.S. Army Air Force, World War II
Originally published in 1976, this book is a unit history of the 312th Bombardment Group (312th BG) nicknamed the "Roarin' 20's"
as they flew the Douglas A-20 Havoc for most of their wartime service
in the South Pacific. Written by Russ Sturzbecker, a veteran of the
312th, and a superb researcher, and curator of the group's history,
and to this day involved in the 312th's affairs
312th Bomb Group History
The book follows the unit's history, from its first days of
formation and training in the United States, through deployment to the
Pacific via New Zealand and Australia and then to the combat zone to
Port Moresby. From Gusap Airfield, the group began flying combat operations with
the A-20 Havoc in the role of light bomber and low level strafer. They
flew hundreds of missions at tree top level - strafing and dropping
parafrag bombs on airfields, installations and targets of opportunity
across New Guinea, Dutch New Guinea, the Philippines (including the
first missions against Clark Field), Taiwan missions that pushed the
limits of the A-20's range. Their legacy includes numerous harrowing
missions and experiences of aircrews in combat.
Photos, Maps & Mission Charts
Every page of the book is illustrated with WWII photographs from the
author & group's collections. These include photos of personalities
and vivid mission and combat photos, complete with captions. The cover
of the book shows the four photograph sequence, dubbed by TIME magazine
"The Death of an A-20" that depicts the tragic loss of a 312th
BG A-20 over Kokas, Dutch New Guinea
Mission References
Each section of the book also includes detailed mission break
downs, related to target attacked, missions flown and bombs dropped
and crew rosters. For the researcher, veterans, or relatives of the
312th BG, this will be an essential reference.
End of WWII & Flying the B-32
At the end of the war, one squadron, the 386th BS was the
only combat unit in the world to fly the B-32
Dominator in combat - a massive bomber that was developed as an
alterative to the B-29.
Review by Justin Taylan
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Last Updated
September 21, 2023
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