WWII bomber pilot writes of experiences

IVAN POTTS [Order this photo]

Ivan Potts, of Shelbyville, tells two stories of flying B-29s -- a harrowing flight back to safety following a battle in the South Pacific, and a record-setting non-stop flight from Japan to Chicago -- in a new book, "Flying Flak Alley: Personal Accounts of World War II Bomber Crew Combat."

Each chapter of the book is a first-person account of a World War II bomber crew member; Potts' story is Chapter 38. The book was edited by Alan L. Griggs and published by McFarland & Company of Jefferson, N.C.

Griggs, who is host of the TV show "Tennessee's Wild Side," will appear on the PBS series "A Word on Words" this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on WNPT-TV (Channel 8) to discuss the book.

Potts has also donated a copy of the book to Argie Cooper Public Library.

Potts said he has known Griggs for some time, originally through Griggs' interest in the outdoors. Eventually, Potts learned about Griggs' interest in Air Force history and Griggs learned about Potts' experience during World War II.

"I am very flattered that he included my story," said Potts, who flew 35 B-29 missions. Because the B-29 was a relatively untested aircraft, it tended towards high losses, so 35 missions are something of an achievement for that time, said Potts.

"I'm a very lucky guy," he said.

Potts' chapter begins with the story of how Rankless Wreck, a B-29 piloted by Potts, was heavily damaged by a Japanese fighter and had to limp back to Iwo Jima, a four-hour flight with the very real possibility of not only mechanical failure but further attack on each crew member's mind. One engine had been knocked out, along with the turbo-chargers on the remaining engines, the electrical systems serving the cockpit, and the hydraulic lines to the landing gear.

The second story in Potts' chapter relates what was scheduled to be a demonstration flight from the Japanese island of Hokkaido to Washington, D.C., by three B-29s. Potts piloted the plane carrying Maj. Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, chief of staff of the Strategic Air Forces.

Potts' B-29 ended up landing in Chicago to refuel, although he hints that his plane might have made it the rest of the way if given the chance. (A higher-ranking general was in one of the other planes, which had less fuel and needed to stop more urgently.)

In any case, the flight set records at the time, including the longest non-stop flight in the history of the Army Air Force, and the first non-stop flight from Japan to the U.S.

Potts said the book has more chapters about B-17 crews than B-29 crews, because there were more B-17s than B-29s during the war.

Potts, who ran a car dealership in Shelbyville after the war, wrote his own self-published book, "Remembrance of War," in 1995.