A WWII Gripper | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-12.08.25

AirborneNextGen-
12.09.25

Airborne-Unlimited-12.10.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-12.11.25

AirborneUnlimited-12.12.25

AFE 2025 LIVE MOSAIC Town Hall (Archived): www.airborne-live.net

Mon, Nov 24, 2003

A WWII Gripper

Devilish Snooks Hits Book Store Shelves

The battles over the Japanese Islands during World War II were some of the heaviest aerial missions in any war. The stories of the B-29 bombers often are overshadowed by the legendary Enola Gay and her payload that was dropped on Hiroshima. The new book, Devilish Snooks: B-29 Saga of C.B.I. and Pacific Theaters, is author Neil F. Coleman's first person account of the aerial war over the Pacific theater.

"Very little information has been written or published concerning B-29, perhaps due to the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. This book gives readers first hand information to the American people about the aircraft and the men who ultimately carried out its mission to end the tragic war," Coleman says.

Devilish Snooks is the story of Coleman's tight knit B-29 combat crew. Coleman, the central fire gunner for the crew, covers his intensive training and trip overseas to India. He details the poor living conditions, the inadequate food and the hardships of living, working and fighting in such extreme heat.

Over Japanese-held territory, bombs burst and artillery machine guns tattered through the clouds. He and his crew flew combat missions against the Japanese targets in Burma and crossed the Himalaya Mountains to bomb enemy targets in Japan and occupied China. Danger lurked around every turn. Enemy fighters could appear from the glare of the sun ready to engage at any moment and the plane could suffer mechanical or fuel problems or be shot down or in a matter of seconds.

Coleman was born in New York. With a lucrative tool and die job waiting, he was drafted into the Army. He served the United States during World War II, Korea and Vietnam, winning numerous awards, such as the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals. After retiring, he went into the bowling business and eventually became an electronics instructor. Coleman has written one other book, a spy novel titled Honeycomb.

FMI: http://www.1stbooks.com

Advertisement

More News

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (12.11.25)

"The owners envisioned something modern and distinctive, yet deeply meaningful. We collaborated closely to refine the flag design so it complemented the aircraft’s contours w>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (12.11.25): Nonradar Arrival

Nonradar Arrival An aircraft arriving at an airport without radar service or at an airport served by a radar facility and radar contact has not been established or has been termina>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: David Uhl and the Lofty Art of Aircraft Portraiture

From 2022 (YouTube Edition): Still Life with Verve David Uhl was born into a family of engineers and artists—a backdrop conducive to his gleaning a keen appreciation for the >[...]

Airborne-NextGen 12.09.25: Amazon Crash, China Rocket Accident, UAV Black Hawk

Also: Electra Goes Military, Miami Air Taxi, Hypersonics Lab, MagniX HeliStrom Amazon’s Prime Air drones are back in the spotlight after one of its newest MK30 delivery drone>[...]

Airborne 12.05.25: Thunderbird Ejects, Lost Air india 737, Dynon Update

Also: Trailblazing Aviator Betty Stewart, Wind Farm Scrutiny, Chatham Ban Overturned, Airbus Shares Dive A Thunderbird pilot, ID'ed alternately as Thunderbird 5 or Thunderbird 6, (>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC