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War's End: An Eyewitness Account of America's Last Atomic Mission
 
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War's End: An Eyewitness Account of America's Last Atomic Mission (Paperback)

by Charles W. Sweeney (Author), James A. Antonucci (Author), Marion K. Antonucci (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Sweeney, the only person to fly both atomic bomb missions over Japan in 1945, wrote this account because "I [felt] outraged and betrayed when...our national museum, the Smithsonian exhibition,...attempted to change the history of the war." The Smithsonian exhibition initially questioned whether dropping of the bomb was justified. Sweeney starts off with a clumsy attempt to advertise himself, then partially succeeds in cultivating the excitement of "insider" knowledge of specific events, places, and times. Because Sweeney claims to have "hitched his star" to Col. Paul Tibbets, the mission commander and pilot of the Enola Gay, this volume serves to raise his visibility as second in command. He does not forcefully support his thesis of "righting a wrong" until the last chapter and appendix (involving testimony before a Senate committee). Ultimately, this book offers little new or startling information. Recommended only for pertinent collections.?Harry V. Willems, Southeast Kansas Lib. Sys., Iola
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
General (then Major) Sweeney was the pilot of Bock's Car, the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Like its target, the second atomic mission has never received a fraction of the attention given its predecessor, targeted at Hiroshima. This book begins to answer that situation. Sweeney, a Boston Irishman learning to fly at the time of Pearl Harbor, became acquainted with Paul Tibbetts, pilot of the Hiroshima mission, during test-pilot work on the B-29. Picked for the 509th Bombardment Wing, Sweeney eventually executed his mission, despite human error, mechanical failures, bad weather, fuel shortages, and a bomb that had to be armed before takeoff. Much of this account adopts a tone of moral outrage over the current historical revisionism concerning the A-bomb. It reflects the consciousness in 1945 of ever-lengthening American casualty lists because of stubborn Japanese resistance that was expected to continue indefinitely. The revisionists may have a case, but Sweeney has one, too. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 290 pages
  • Publisher: Quill (July 6, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0380788748
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380788743
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.7 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #426,718 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
5 star:
 (20)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unvarnished personal account of both atomic missions., April 22, 1999
By A Customer
General Sweeney defends the use of the atomic bombs in World War II without being defensive. As the only individual to actively participate in both missions which ended the war, Sweeney brings a unique perspective to this now controverisal issue. First, he presents his story in a refreshingly plain style, then gives the reasons why it all happened. Sweeney's voice is the calm in a storm of revisionist histories and thus carries the most weight. This is a personal story more than objective history, but it contains something other studies lack: a true sense of context, and that makes it a story worth reading.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fasinating account on the B-29 and the bomb, February 4, 2003
By A Customer
I found that Sweeney book on the development of the B-29 and the dropping of the atomic bomb to being very interesting.

Although I have read much on the atomic bomb, I never realised the particular problems faced by the people who actually dropped it. If you are interested in this subject this book is a must.

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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a first-person account and it's fabulous!, May 4, 1999
By A Customer
Every high school history teacher should make this book required reading! General Sweeney spins a wonderful, non-technical, and honest tale of the real end to war in the Pacific. Those generational second-guessers who think we didn't need atomic weapons to end the war should be ashamed of themselves.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Pilot's perspective on the bomb and it's deployment.
Sweeney writes a compelling story about his role in the use of the atomic bomb. From an initial interest in flying, thru his early years as a pilot, to the secret preparations to... Read more
Published 22 months ago by R. J. McCabe

4.0 out of 5 stars Love it or hate it
My my my. The hot and cold reviews that this book attracts are a reflection of why Sweeney claims to have written the book, I think. Read more
Published on November 7, 2005 by T. Leach

1.0 out of 5 stars Another Pro-Nuclear Bomb Book by An American.
Paul Tibbet should have been tried as a war criminal. I don't see anything to celebrate about on this 60th anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki... Read more
Published on August 12, 2005 by Kris

1.0 out of 5 stars A War Criminal's Memoir of Mass Murder
A sad reminder that history is written by the victors. I wonder how Americans would feel if Al Qaeda would write a similar book glorifying the 9-11 attacks. Disgusting.
Published on August 9, 2004 by Shifra B.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nagasaki: The Forgotten Bomb
Most people are well aware of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, but some forget that three days later, a second bomb destroyed the city of Nagasaki. Read more
Published on April 23, 2003 by Jeffrey T. Munson

5.0 out of 5 stars A hometown boy follows his dream and collides with history
This story held extra meaning for me because Major General Sweeney was born and raised in my home town of Quincy, Massachusetts. Read more
Published on March 22, 2000 by Andy Orrock

5.0 out of 5 stars A sobering account of how it was.Outstanding and riveting.
General Sweeney has made it easy to look at things as they were, not how we think they should have been. All the revisionists in the world cannot change the facts, the U.S. Read more
Published on November 4, 1999 by John M. Rennar (heresjr@msn.com)

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!!
I just wish I could have added another star to the rating! It's very easy for people who never lived through the Second World War to criticize and second guess the decision to... Read more
Published on August 3, 1999 by Thomas Bohnstedt

5.0 out of 5 stars Should in be in curiculum for US & Japan High Schoolers
Maj Gen Sweeney's book is an easy-to-read, eyewitness account of the acts that brought the Pacific Threatre of WWII to a close. Read more
Published on April 5, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Story!
This is a interesting first-hand account of the lead up to and the completion of the two atomic bomb missions against Japan in 1945. Read more
Published on March 28, 1999 by Aussie Reader

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