This operational history of the XX (20th) Bomber Command and its combat missions from India and China in 1944 and 1945 traces the development of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress program and the Allied plans to stage long-range bombers through China for strikes against Japans strategic industries. Each of the 49 combat missions flown by the XX Bomber Command from India and China is examined, producing the first detailed history of the B-29 campaign flown from these countries. The book is written almost exclusively from primary source materialWorld War II documents, crew member memoirs, and personal interviews. Special sections within the book examine issues related to flying across the Hump between India and China; General Curtis LeMays reorganization of B-29 operations; and the night fighter defense of the B-29 forward airfields in China.

Terry M. Mays is a professor at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. He is the author of twelve books including Night Hawks and Black Widows: 13th Air Force Night Fighters in the South and Southwest Pacific, 1943-1945.