Description
In August 1943, a highly classified US Army Air Force unit, code-named the 'Wright Project', departed Langley Field for Guadalcanal in the South Pacific to join the fight against the Empire of Japan. Operating independently, under sealed orders drafted at the highest levels of Army Air Force, the Wright Project was unique, both in terms of the war-fighting capabilities provided by classified systems the ten B-24 Liberators of this small group of airmen brought to the war, and in the success these 'crash-built' technologies allowed. The Wright airmen would fly only at night, usually as lone hunters of enemy ships. In so doing they would pave the way for the United States to enter and dominate a new dimension of war in the air for generations to come.
This is their story, from humble beginnings at MIT's Radiation Lab and hunting U-boats off America's eastern shore, through to the campaigns of the war in the Pacific in their two-year march toward Tokyo. The Wright Project would prove itself to be a combat leader many times over and an outstanding technology innovator, evolving to become the 868th Bomb Squadron. Along the way the unit would be embraced by unique personalities and the dynamic leadership, from Army Air Force General Hap Arnold through combat commanders who flew the missions.
In this account, the reader will meet radar warfare pioneers and squadron leaders who were never satisfied that they had pushed the men, the aircraft, and the technologies to the full limit of their possibilities. Comprehensive and highly personal, this story can now be revealed for the very first time, based on official sources, and interviews with the young men who flew into the night.
About the Author
Richard Phillip Lawless is former CIA and was Deputy Under Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security, 2002-07 in the United States of America's Department of Defence.
Reviews
This is a limber romp across the world of electronics and into the history of World War II. Going beyond palaver, Lawless traces a critical development program through MIT's Radiation Laboratory, showing how ultra-short-wave radar was adapted for aircraft and a unit organized to prove the concept, then follows the exploits of these men and their device right through to the Japanese surrender. * ARGunners.com *
Lawless' engaging and descriptive approach takes the reader into the Pacific war and offers a front-row seat to the exploits of the Wright Project and their highly innovative technology. * War History Network *
The author has done some remarkable research into both the squadron, the technology & the men involved. This unit & its 'Wright Project' name was deemed 'highly classified', so don't be surprised, if like me, you hadn't heard about it previously. Some of the narrative is almost a squadron diary formed from operation reports, but this feels necessary to tell the story. One that I'm sure will draw a lot of interest. * Books2Cover *
Book Information
ISBN 9781636242057
Author Richard Phillip Lawless
Format Hardback
Page Count 432
Imprint Casemate Publishers
Publisher Casemate Publishers
This is their story, from humble beginnings at MIT's Radiation Lab and hunting U-boats off America's eastern shore, through to the campaigns of the war in the Pacific in their two-year march toward Tokyo. The Wright Project would prove itself to be a combat leader many times over and an outstanding technology innovator, evolving to become the 868th Bomb Squadron. Along the way the unit would be embraced by unique personalities and the dynamic leadership, from Army Air Force General Hap Arnold through combat commanders who flew the missions.
In this account, the reader will meet radar warfare pioneers and squadron leaders who were never satisfied that they had pushed the men, the aircraft, and the technologies to the full limit of their possibilities. Comprehensive and highly personal, this story can now be revealed for the very first time, based on official sources, and interviews with the young men who flew into the night.
About the Author
Richard Phillip Lawless is former CIA and was Deputy Under Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security, 2002-07 in the United States of America's Department of Defence.
Reviews
This is a limber romp across the world of electronics and into the history of World War II. Going beyond palaver, Lawless traces a critical development program through MIT's Radiation Laboratory, showing how ultra-short-wave radar was adapted for aircraft and a unit organized to prove the concept, then follows the exploits of these men and their device right through to the Japanese surrender. * ARGunners.com *
Lawless' engaging and descriptive approach takes the reader into the Pacific war and offers a front-row seat to the exploits of the Wright Project and their highly innovative technology. * War History Network *
The author has done some remarkable research into both the squadron, the technology & the men involved. This unit & its 'Wright Project' name was deemed 'highly classified', so don't be surprised, if like me, you hadn't heard about it previously. Some of the narrative is almost a squadron diary formed from operation reports, but this feels necessary to tell the story. One that I'm sure will draw a lot of interest. * Books2Cover *
Book Information
ISBN 9781636242057
Author Richard Phillip Lawless
Format Hardback
Page Count 432
Imprint Casemate Publishers
Publisher Casemate Publishers
