Overview

"This never-before published diary of Lt. Howard G. Rath shows the War through his eyes. Rath was the lead bombardier of the 96th Aero Squadron, which was the first American bomb squadron in World War I. He was the first American to drop bombs in combat. Later, he became the squadron Operations Officer but still flew missions as bombardier. The last two months of the war he was also the Operations Officer of the 1st Day Bombardment Group and flew bombing missions in the St. Mihiel and Meuse Argonne offensives. His day-to-day accounts describe the ups and downs of the squadron and the human costs involved during times when the U.S. was learning how to bomb under war time conditions. Rath received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in combat. Lt. Howard G. Rath did not write the diary for publication but rather as a memoir of his experiences and thoughts for his own use. Historian Hugh T. Harrington has added historical structure for the reader providing clarification and further information to fill out the history provided by the diary, as well as identifying people and places mentioned in the diary. There is an Index and comprehensive Bibliography. This book provides an active, and intelligent, participant's view of life and combat in America's first bombing squadron. World War I historian Gerald C. Thomas, Jr. has been called Lt. Howard G. Rath's diary a ""most valuable source of unpublished material."""

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9780578325187

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"""First to Bomb, the diary of Civilian turned Soldier/Squadron Operations Officer Howard Rath, provides an important and enlightening counterpoint to the often sanitized official histories of WW 1 US combat squadrons. It is a lucid, honest account of one man's war and an important, expansive artifact for historians."" -- Michael J. O'Neal, Managing Editor, Over the Front, the Journal of the League of World War 1 Aviation Historians"

First to Bomb, the diary of Civilian turned Soldier/Squadron Operations Officer Howard Rath, provides an important and enlightening counterpoint to the often sanitized official histories of WW 1 US combat squadrons. It is a lucid, honest account of one man's war and an important, expansive artifact for historians. -- Michael J. O'Neal, Managing Editor, Over the Front, the Journal of the League of World War 1 Aviation Historians

Author Information

"Howard G. Rath was born in 1885. After graduating from Williams College in 1907, he became a successful securities broker in Los Angeles. In 1914, he embarked on a round-the-world ocean voyage that brought him to Europe just as World War I began. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, he joined the American Field Service. However, he immediately joined the U.S. Air Service in Paris as a clerk. Despite being over age at 33, he talked his way into flying as a bombardier. He was assigned to the 96th Aero Squadron, the first U.S. bombing squadron, and was the first American to drop bombs in combat. He flew many missions as bombardier while also acting as Operations Officer. When the 96th joined the 1st Day Bombardment Group, he became the Operations Officer while still flying combat missions. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for valor in combat. In 1925 he testified before Congressional committees on Air Service matters and for the prosecution at the William ""Billy"" Mitchell court martial. In WWII he returned to duty as the Assistant Post Operations Officer at the Army Air Force Bombardier School at Deming Army Airfield, New Mexico. He died in 1973. Hugh T. Harrington is an independent researcher and author. His research on the 96th Aero Squadron resulted in Destiny's Wings, Four Months in Day Bombardment: The Story of Lt. Hugh S. Thompson, 96th Aero Squadron (2019). He is a past editor of the Journal of the American Revolution. His articles have appeared in The Journal of Military History, Over the Front, Georgia Historical Quarterly, America's Civil War, and others. He is co-author of The Boy Soldier: Edwin Jemison and the Story of the Most Remarkable Portrait of the Civil War (Westholme, 2016)."

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