Customer Reviews

The Grim Reapers at Work in the Pacific Theater: The Third Attack Group of the U.S. Fifth Air Force

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Henebry does a very good job describing his personal experience in WWII both in flying attack aircraft and leading the 3rd Attack Group. This book isn't quit as good as Wreaking Havoc: A Year in an A-20 (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series), but does describe Mr. Henebry's personnal experience. On a positive note, Mr. Henebry provides a very good description of several raids on Rabaul and and insight into Pappy Gunn and others from the Southwest Pacific. This is a personal history vs. a unit history.

Most recently published WWII aviator memoirs relate the combat experiences of a particular P-51 ace, B-17 commander, etc. Memoirs by combat commanders have been very rare which is why it was so marvelous to come across John Henebry's THE GRIM REAPERS. 'Jock' Henebry was one of the movers and shakers in the 5th AF's 3rd Attack Group, helping develop the low-level attack tactics which devastated Japanese shipping and ground targets alike. Henebry, who eventually commanded the 3rd AG, relates the story of his time with the 'Grim Reapers' in this nicely done 2002 volume from Pictorial Histories Publishing.

Henebry joined the 3rd AG in June 1942. By July 1943 he was CO of the 90th Squadron and became Group CO in November. In all he flew 219 missions with the Grim Reapers including the strikes against the Bismarck Sea convoy, Wewak, Rabaul and so on. Working with such legendary aviators as 'Pappy' Gunn, General Kenney and other 3rd AG personnel, Henebry turned the B-25 Mitchell into a fearsome, low-level, skip-bombing warbird. By war's end Henebry had been awarded the DFC, Legion of Merit, DSC, DSM, Silver Star, Purple Heart and Air Medal.

Henebry does an excellent job relating his wartime experiences. His descriptions of the hairy missions the 3rd flew are quite exciting. Henebry's anecdotes about some of the famous airmen he served under or flew with are just as interesting. If anything, I was hoping for coverage of even more of the missions Henebry logged while flying Grim Reaper B-25s and, later, A-20s.

THE GRIM REAPERS is illustrated with over 80 black & white and color photographs, maps and diagrams. (It also has dynamite artwork by Michael Hagel).

Given its exciting coverage of a unit - and Air Force - that never received the publicity it deserved, THE GRIM REAPERS deserves five stars. It offers a rare look at brave and enterprising airmen engaged in some truly terrifying but strategically important missions. Highly recommended.

Without a doubt, the freedoms that our generation enjoy today are due to the fact that the U.S. won World War II. We won the war because of the likes of General John Henebry.
In his new book, "The Grim Reapers - At Work in the Pacific Theater," the daring and brave General John Henebry takes you in to the cockpit of his bomber to chronicle many of his 219 WWII combat missions. Beginning with his freshman year at Notre Dame in 1936 and concluding with the moving farewell and departure of 71 year-old General Douglas MacArthur from Japan in 1951, master storyteller General Henebry retells the incredible events of his life and his bravery during this period of do-or-die for our country. This outstanding book is about a group of brave flyers and military planners who had a job to do and did it with near perfection. A great read written by a true American war hero.