About the book, Z Square 7

This book is for readers who have an interest in World War 2 and the bombing of the Japanese Empire by the B-29, Superfortress. It is full of personal stories and pictures about this historic World War 2 bomber. The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. has added "Z Square 7, A B-29 True Story" to their permanent World War 2 Reference Collection (Catalog Card Number 2005416558).

The B-29, 42-63486, Z Square 7, was shot down in Tokyo Bay at 4:00 AM on May 24, 1945 after bombing the south Tokyo docks, with only the Bombardier returning after the war. But readers will see that this book is not about the tragic death of this crew but of their patriotism and their love for this country. Everyone of them felt "going to war was something they had to do." It is a tribute to their heroism and sacrifice.

Hap Halloran, a B-29 Navigator and Japanese POW, gives readers the focus of the book when he said, "There are many unanswered questions about the fate of this crew and other crews but in remembering we can be proud of who they were, what they did, what they stood for, and what they were a part of." These are the four chapters of "Z Square 7, A B-29 True Story" that tell the story of these true American heroes.

"Who They Were" identifies the crew and their families. Readers will understand the sacrifice and hardship of the families on the loss of their husband, father, son, brother or close relative. Some of the crew members interrupted their college education to enlist in the Army Air Corps. One crew member was exempt from military service because he was an only child but he begged his parents to sign for him to enlist. Each one enlisted because "going to war was something they felt they had to do."

"What They Did" chapter includes General Curtis LeMay's strategic plan for the bombing of the mainland of Japan. It tells readers how and why this bombing needed to be different than the bombing plan in the European Theater of Operations. Several crewmembers, who were in the same south Tokyo vicinity on early morning of May 24, 1945, report their observations of the battle conditions. Another 500th Bomb Group crew tells their experiences in bombing Target 357, the Nakajima Aircraft Company in north Tokyo and the Japanese defenses surrounding the plant. Z Square 7 was there....several times.

"What They Stood For" chapter tells readers the experiences of Lt Raymond "Hap" Halloran and Major Robert Goldsworthy, in the Japanese POW Camps and how they survived the beatings, torture and starvation. Of the 215 men lost, who were with the 500th Bomb Group, only 7 returned after the war. Parachuting from stricken B-29s did not offer much chance of survival with the Japanese military or civilian population.

"What They Were A Part Of" tells readers about the importance of the those two small islands, Saipan and Iwo Jima, the atomic bombs, and General Twining's history of the B-29, Superfortress. There are pictures and stories about the Saipan base including an article in the Stars and Stripes paper written by the war correspondent, Ernie Pyle. "What Z Square 7 Was A Part Of" was the defeat of the Japanese Empire.

There are pictures of memorials dedicated to the B-29 crews, some memorials located in the State of Kansas. There are pictures of "FIFI," the only B-29 flying today. The Commemorative Air Force flies "FIFI" and the B-24, Liberator, "Diamond Lil" to air shows throughout our country. There are over 160 pictures...many B-29 bombing and damage photos.

C. Douglas Caffey, a WW2 veteran of the 509th Bomb Group on Tinian, has contributed several of his original poems that include "Lt Robert Copeland, An Old Flag Will Do, and B-29 Chapel In The Sky."