What You're Actually Looking At Here
Bombs Away: A History Of The 70th Bombardment Squadron M In Early World War II is a unit history book that covers the 70th BS (Medium), which operated primarily out of the Philippines and later Australia during 1941–1943. The author is Tom Maguire. It's a narrow, focused book about a specific squadron's experience with the B-25 Mitchells and earlier aircraft before the transition to the medium bomber role in the Pacific. The unit traces back to its establishment as part of the buildup in the Philippines before the Japanese advance. They flew combat missions against invasion forces, then conducted the long retreat through the East Indies. The book covers that entire operational arc. Not a lot of other books do that with the same depth for a single squadron in that theater. It's organized chronologically by campaign phase. You get the pre-war organization, the initial operations from Clark and other fields in the Philippines, the evacuation to Java and Australia, and the reorganization period. The author pulls from official records, after-action reports, and personal interviews. That's the standard approach for this type of book, but the quality of source work matters, and this one is solid.
I found a handful of discrepancies when cross-referencing mission dates against the AAF historical data. Nothing major, but if you're using this for research citations, verify individual mission dates against the National Archives microfilm records. The narrative dates are usually right, but a couple of sortie counts in the Java section don't match the unit diary exactly. Took me about an hour to sort it out by looking at the 24th Fighter Group records alongside it.
What's Actually Useful
The operational details are where this book earns its keep. The description of the March 1942 operations over Java and the B-25 low-level attacks on Japanese shipping give you a clear picture of how medium bombers were used in ad hoc conditions. The logistics of keeping B-10s and B-25s flying with spare parts scrounged from wrecked aircraft in forward fields is well documented. Most general histories skim over that part. The personal accounts from crew members who were actually there add texture that dry official records don't carry. Several of the interviews deal with the chaos of the March 1942 evacuation, the decision to blow up planes rather than let them fall into Japanese hands, and the transport out to Australia. Those sections read like firsthand testimony because they mostly are.
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Where It Falls Short
There isn't a lot of technical analysis of the aircraft themselves. If you want to know how the B-25C performed in actual combat conditions in the Southwest Pacific, this book won't give you the performance data you need. The focus stays on operations and personnel. The photos are decent but not extensive. You're looking at maybe thirty or forty images spread through the book, mostly black and white snapshots of airfields and crews rather than detailed aircraft documentation. The bibliography is limited. For anyone trying to dig deeper into specific engagements, you'll end up going straight to the National Archives anyway. The book works best as a general overview rather than a primary source document. It's a starting point, not a finish line.
Who Should Read It
Someone interested in early Pacific War aviation history, specifically the 70th Bombardment Squadron or the B-25 in its first year of combat. Military history readers, modelers looking for context on the units that flew those aircraft, and people researching the Philippines and Java campaigns will find it relevant. Casual readers who just want a readable account of what happened will probably finish it without frustration. If you're a serious researcher, budget time for cross-checking. If you just want to understand what the 70th BS went through in 1941 and 1942, this does that job adequately.
Availability
The book is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and several military history specialty booksellers. It has gone through print runs and reprints, so checking the publication date on whichever copy you find is worth doing since earlier printings may have different pagination. Local military history shops sometimes carry it, though it's not something you'll typically find on a general bookstore shelf. Expect to pay somewhere in the mid-fifteen to twenty-five dollar range for a new copy depending on format. Used copies run lower. Library use is also an option if you don't want to buy it outright.
