Winborn was a Naval lieutenant attached to the 14th Army Air Force to serve as a Technical Air Intelligence inspector. Learning that an enemy plane was down, a team of one or two Americans plus a Chinese interpreter would sally forth to wherever the plane might be, bringing back intelligence of the capabilities of enemy airplanes. Compilations of this data made it possible to keep tabs on Japanese manufacturing plants, indicating which were the most suitable bombing targets. Winborn tells his story in an informal, ...
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Winborn was a Naval lieutenant attached to the 14th Army Air Force to serve as a Technical Air Intelligence inspector. Learning that an enemy plane was down, a team of one or two Americans plus a Chinese interpreter would sally forth to wherever the plane might be, bringing back intelligence of the capabilities of enemy airplanes. Compilations of this data made it possible to keep tabs on Japanese manufacturing plants, indicating which were the most suitable bombing targets. Winborn tells his story in an informal, understated, conversational style that ranges from the humorous to the poignantly tragic. Each American was given a Chinese name, i.e. a transliteration in Chinese characters which when spoken sounded something like his name in English. Winborn's was "Wen bon," typically pronounced "Wunbun." The best interpretation of its meaning is "the pen is mightier than the sword." A small neat stone "chop," or stamp, with "Wen bon" and characters for "his chop" carved in it, served as Winborn's legal signature anywhere in China. At the end of World War II, Winborn was ordered to Shanghai, where he and other junior officers steeped in the unconventional ways of southeastern China contributed their "can-do" talents to the Naval Air Priorities Office.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
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Very Good in Very Good+ jacket. Careful packing and fast, efficient shipping including delivery confirmation. Please note: International and Domestic Priority orders for this item are available.
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Fine in Fine jacket. Book First edition, first printing, hardcover. White binding with red lettering on the spine. xiii, 253 pp. B&W illustrations. War and the Southwest Series. Dedication. Table of Contents. Preface. Glossary. Index. Fine in a fine, mylar-covered dust jacket. "During the Second World War Byron Winborn was part of a covert military operation in an area of southeastern China overrun and nominally controlled by Japanese forces. As a Naval lieutenant attached to the Fourteenth Army Air Force, he and his colleagues in a Technical Air Intelligence unit scavenged behind the lines for wreckage from downed enemy aircraft, seeking valuable technical information which they reported back to their superiors in Washington, "