Customer Reviews

Black Tuesday Over Namsi: A True History of the Epic Air Battle of the Korean War

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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 Amazon 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.

Mine just arrived today, about an hour ago! I've been sitting here, engrossed. You have really done a superb job. Your writing is excellent! The way you have described everything, it reads like a good novel-but it's all true! Simply fantastic, even better than I expected!
I wish my father were alive to see this. He would have loved this book and felt very proud. I have tears in my eyes, just typing this to you.
Writing and getting this book published is the equivalent of having sculpted a beautiful monument to those men and their bravery. It's something that generations to come will be able to read and understand something about the "forgotten" war. My everlasting thanks to you.

This book was recommended to me by a person who took part in the actual air battle that this book is about. As a former pilot and being very interested war history I recommend this book.

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.

This book is the most complete and accurate account of the raid that was a turning point of the battle for control of the air during the Korean War. It should be required reading for any student of U. S. Air Force History, particularly the Korean War

I found myself reading this book in a deer stand. I simply couldn't put it down. I'm no war historian, but found everything (I knew about) accurate, and completely described. Its presentation is riveting. To say it's "top shelf" is both accurate and an understatement. There's comparatively little written on the Korean War; this battle is completely covered and a must read. From the background to the aftermath, you can't put it down.