Eisenhower to Gibraltar at the start of the invasion of North Africa led bombing missions over Bizerte was assigned to the staff of a pompous Colonel named Norstad and almost court-martialed (Tibbets confronted the desk-bound colonel in an operations meeting and, in discussing an ill-planned bombing raid, announced that he would fly the mission if the Colonel would be his co-pilot.) was saved from a possible court-martial by General Jimmy Doolittle who transferred him back the States helped develop the B-29 into a safe aircraft taught two women to fly the B-29 so as to allay the fears of his male pilots was put in command of the 509th Composite Group which he pulled together and trained while the atom bomb was under development and finally flew the Enola Gay, which he named for his mother, on the fateful bombing raid to Hiroshima. bombing mission over Europe was selected to fly General Dwight D. During the intervening years, Paul Tibbets entered the flying service became friends with and part-time pilot for then Lt.
It then ran a full gamut of adventures until 1986 when, at 71 years of age, Tibbets finally decided that it was time to give up flying. For Tibbets, it all began in 1927 when, as a 12 year old boy, he tossed parachute-rigged Baby Ruth candy bars from an open cockpit plane flying over Florida's Hialeah race track as an advertising gimmick. This book tells the story of his life and of his aviation career. But besides this action, which saved hundreds of thousands of Japanese and American lives, Tibbets also had a wide and varied career both in and out of the military. Just about all anyone knows about Paul Tibbets is that he was the pilot of the B-29 from which the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, ultimately leading to the quick and decisive end of World War II. It may do a bit of digging to find a copy, but it will be well worth while. For those who enjoy first person accounts, you can't do much better than this book from a man who saw it all. He saw it all in WW2, from the early raids on Europe as a member of the 8th Air Force to the final dropping of the first atom bomb on Hiroshima as a member of the 509th. Yet, he accepted that as the cost of doing business as a career officer. He got screwed over from time to time by the the politics of the military. Proud, talented and a patriot of the first order. His autobiography testifies to the kind of man he was.
Curtis Lemay had appreciated and wanted in their command. Yet, long before that, he was an authentic hero and pilot who warriors such as Gen. He is best known for being the pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane to drop the first atomic bomb in WW2. In it, Tibbetts is mentioned as a pilot who led early raids in Europe and North Africa. I recetly read Masters of the Sky which is a detailed and exhaustive recounting of the work of the Eighth Air Force during WW2. Paul Tibbetts is an authentic American hero. I have a photo of him signing my book, yet I didn't read it for nine years.
Tibbetts was at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson to talk about his life and his book was available. Large 8vo 9"-10" tall 339 pages Signed by Author.I bought this book in 1999. Dust jacket has some creasing along edges and is in very good minus condition. Black covers with silver lettering on spine. Hard cover published by Mid Coast Marketing in 1998. Signed by author below his picture on second page.