Skip Bombing [Hardcover]

James T. Murphy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275945405 | ISBN-13: 978-0275945404 | Publication Date: May 30, 1993

Murphy was one of a very small number of volunteer pilots who, with their flight crews, started bombing at low altitudes in B-17 flying fortresses in the Southwest Pacific. The aircraft were flown at a 200-foot altitude and at 250 miles per hour at night. One-thousand pound bombs, equipped with four-to-five second fuses, were dropped from the B-17s. On March 3, 1943, the Japanese made a desperate move to re-supply their forces on New Guinea. Twenty-two cargo, transport, and war ships proceeded toward New Guinea using bad weather for cover. They were found in the Bismarck Sea. The Allied Air Forces--using skip bombing--sank all twenty-two Japanese ships. Murphy was credited with sinking nine Japanese ships during his year of combat, including one in the Bismarck Sea battle. Skip bombing became a tactic that helped the U.S. win the war in the South Pacific.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Skip Bombing is 174 pages of straight-forward war stories of the type a WW-2 buff can listen to for hours. It also adds to the little-known history of the B-17 in the Pacific.”–The Huntsville Times

About the Author

JAMES T. MURPHY retired from the United States Air Force as a Lt. Colonel in 1965.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (May 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275945405
• ISBN-13: 978-0275945404
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,527,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Skip Bombing" Puts You In The Cockpit, January 28, 2000

By 

Alan Matisoff (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skip Bombing (Hardcover)

I purchased this book to find out some of my father's history as a B-17 crew member of the 43rd BG. This book put me in the cockpit with the author and I felt every bomb drop and every piece of flack hit the ship. This is an excellent account of the air war in the South Pacific. It will keep you excited as well as bring tears to your eyes. If you enjoy this era, I highly recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The technique that won the war in the SW Pacific, February 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Skip Bombing (Hardcover)

Big, beautiful B-17s flying at an altitude of 25,000 feet. Japanese ships that must have appeared ant-sized from that height. The question: how to get the bombs from the former to hit and destroy the latter? This book details the development of the technique, 'skip bombing', that increased the percentage of Japanese ships hit from LESS that 1% to an incredible 72%---and once you read what the technique was, you'll be amazed that it was not only conceptualized, but implemented with success. This book takes you from the idea's inception, through its development, and to its stunning success at the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. I thought this was a fascinating book, a definite 'must read' for anyone interested in military aviation or the war in the SW Pacific.