MY B-29 STORY
AN ENLISTED MAN’S FACTUAL ACCOUNT OF B-29 AIRCREW TRAINING AND THE BOMBING OF JAPANESE TARGETS DURING WORLD WAR II
This book contains a wealth of information about the 58th Bomb Wing’s Operations in the China-Burma-India Theater during the last quarter of 1944 and the first quarter of 1945, and it’s Operations from West Field, Tinian (Bombing Japan) during the May – August 1945 period. The focus is on the 468th Bomb Group’s missions, aircraft losses and aircrew members. Many of our Crew’s Experiences are covered in detail: Traveling to India, Flying the Hump, Bombing the Singapore Naval Base, Life in India, the Move to Tinian, and Bombing Missions over Japan, Iwo Jima Stopovers, the Atomic Bombs, etc. January 11, 1945, I was hit by three explosive machine gun bullets from a Japanese fighter over Singapore. After two months of Hospitalization and ten days at Rest Camp, I returned to combat status.
Some Reviews of the 2003 Limited Printing of “My B-29 Story”
Dear Sandy,
Your documentary My B-29 Story is a marvelous tale of our wartime experiences. I was impressed by the enormous amount of research you developed. It was so well written that I could identify with almost every event. Anyone who is interested in the B-29 and CBI and Pacific Theaters of War will find your book fascinating. Only you could write such an authentic piece because you and crew actually lived it. Congratulations on a wonderful accomplishment.
Sincerely yours,
Bill
Captain William J. Stoops (Navigator -Shafer's Crew - 58th Wing, 468th Group, 792nd Squadron)
Dear Roger,
I was really overwhelmed by your book, My B-29 Story. I started reading it, a few days after receiving it, and could hardly bring myself to put it down. It was that kind of book. One of the best accounts of the war I have ever read. I kept telling myself that my personal involvement in the story made it seem better than it really was; but the more I read, the more I realized that it was written by a great story teller. Your recall of events seems incredible. You somehow were able to awaken memories that I thought were lost forever. As I read, I kept thinking this would be a great resource book for historians and others researching not only the war; but the personal experiences of those who were intimately involved in it. It's there in the story as you recount your adventures. Thanks for creating this great documentary of our adventures of long ago and far away.
Glen Carlson (Radio Operator - Keathley's crew - 58th Wing, 468th Group, 792nd Squadron)
Air Power History, the Quarterly Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation. A very favorable review of MY B-29 STORY is in the spring 2005 Issue. The Reviewer is Col. Scott A, Willey, USAF (Ret.). As one of the caretakers of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian, Col. Willey is highly interested in B-29 material. Col. Willey states: MY B¬29 STORY is one of the finest first-person stories of the war that I have read. Sandstedt takes the story of this marvelous weapon system into areas I’ve never read anywhere else. Sandstedt's story telling ability is excellent throughout.