The Spray and Pray Squadron: 3rd Bomb Squadron, 1st Bomb Group, Chinese-American Composite Wing in World War II

An exhaustive illustrated history of a bomb squadron in the Chinese-American Composite Wing during WWII.

The 3rd Bomb Squadron, 1st Bomb Group, Chinese-American Composite Wing flew B-25 Mitchell bombers in combat against the Japanese in the "CBI" or China-Burma-India theater.

The squadron combined Chinese and American personnel, with officers and enlisted men representing both nationalities. Although the aircraft were all of American origin, Chinese and American crews would fly missions together, occasionally even with mixed crews on board a single aircraft. 

The squadron insignia featured a skunk; the Chinese-American Composite Wing was symbolized by a tiger and dragon. The 3rd Bomb Squadron specialized in low-altitude ground attack operations. Members of the unit referred to themselves as the "Spray and Pray Boys." 

This definitive history of the squadron is authored by Margaret Kincannon, the official historian of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation. Inspired by the service of her father, Hank, in the unit, Kincannon has pored over official reports, networked with veterans and families of veterans, and amassed a large collection of vintage photos over the past decade. This book is the result of her exhaustive research, jelling information from a wide variety of primary sources into a cohesive and highly readable history of a bomb squadron in the Pacific.

Along with a comprehensive narrative history of the 3rd Bomb Squadron, this study includes hundreds of vintage photographs, and biographical sketches of 120 squadron members as an appendix.

Margaret Mills Kincannon is the official historian of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, and a recognized authority on the Chinese-American Composite Wing in WWII. Her father, James H. “Hank” Mills, enlisted in the Army Air Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served in the 14th Air Force for virtually the entire war. Margaret resides near Dallas, Texas.