The men last heard from Matos in June 1946, when he predicted the book would be printed within a couple months. But the books, and further correspondence, never came from Matos, who seems to have disappeared with the money. Around reunion tables and in Christmas cards exchanged between the servicemen was heard the familiar refrain, "How soon will we receive it?"

Fifty years later, an Ashtabula man has the answer. He's made good on Matos' promise by publishing the "History of the 39th Bomb Group."

David Smith, who was tailgunner in Crew 31, was among those men who kept asking "How soon will we receive it?" every time a reunion was held. Then Smith learned that Robert Laird, another member of the group and a published author, had assumed the task, but became ill and couldn't finish it. Laird had completed about 50 percent of the book, including the government record research, when he put it on the shelf.

But many phone calls and letters still needed to be written to solicit recollections, personal histories, snapshots and clippings from other members. At the 1993 reunion, Smith volunteered to finish the work.

Since then, he's put in 15 to 20 hours a week writing letters, reviewing responses, typing the manuscript and making phone calls. At the reunion in August, he was finally able to give the servicemen the good news: the book they had waited more than 50 years for was at least ready for publication.

"For me, it was kind of a dual job," he said. "We anticipated having a history of our outfit promised to us by the guy. When Bob started and couldn't finish, I felt I had to get it done for my own satisfaction as well as pleasing everyone else."

Smith assembled 100 copies, most of which were sold by advance reservations during or shortly after this year's reunion. Because of the small run involved, Smith decided it would be more economical to photocopy the pages than incur the expense of offset printing. Although the photo reproduction suffers by using this method, it helped keep the cost at $30 per book, including shipping.

He had the hard covers and binding done by an Akron firm. Smith, a retired commercial art teacher, designed and silk-screened the cover.

Smith said initial response from book buyers has been very positive. "One man told me he just couldn't put it down," Smith said. "It just brings back a lot of memories as they read these names and places."

Flying short
The 39th spanned a relatively short period, August 1944 to the end of the war in the Pacific. Most of its action was limited to the conflict's final four months.

Smith entered the 39th through the college cadet training. The Air Force decided it had enough cadets and closed the program, sending Smith to Tyndall Field, Fla., for aerial gunnery training. He arrived in Guam April 20, 1945.

The 11-man crew Smith was assigned to flew 22 missions, but the first one was the most memorable. It was May 10, 1945, in a borrowed aircraft, "Four Aces."

The target was Kobe, Japan. Smith said the mission got off to a bad start when the crew witnessed the fiery crash of the B-29 just ahead of them. It was that ill-fated crew's first mission, too.

Flak met the plane as it headed toward Japan. Little holes appeared in the wings and fuselage and one shell struck an engine. Power was cut to it and the plane lost air speed as it limped toward the target.

Numerous fighter planes attacked the B-29. Smith said his first reaction as tail gunner was to wait until the enemy fired first. But after a few minutes of battle, he learned to take the initiative.

The crew delivered their bombs and headed for home. But over open water, they discovered that several bombs had hung up in the bomb bays. Hydraulic lines had been severed by flak, prohibiting closure of the bay doors. The bombardier, Bernie Greene, had to walk through the bomb bay. Escaping hydraulic fluid made the walk extremely slippery; one misstep and he would have been in the ocean. But Greene managed to manually release the bombs and return safely to his post.

Thus, with one engine feathered and a second pulling only half power, the B-29 limped toward Iwo Jima. Fearing damage to the wheels and brakes, the tail crew attached parachutes to the back of the plane to break its speed as it landed. Even so, the aircraft dropped off the end of the runway into a ditch.

The crew members received a Distinguished Flying Cross for their mission. Smith said the experience prepared them for the worst scenario every time they left for a mission. But nothing came close to that first one.

"Every mission after that was basically downhill," he said.

Smith said most of the men of the 39th were modest about their accomplishments and experiences. It often took some prodding and repeated contacts to get them to open up with stories and recollections. A few refused to contribute at all; and for many, the book came too late.

"There were a number of the crews for which we ended up with no information at all," Smith said. "It was simply because in the last 10 years, they had passed away. A wealth of information was lost that way."

One of the losses that had a deep effect on Smith was the death of Clarence Beevers, the engineer. He had been the crew's mainstay while in training. Shortly after arriving at Guam, Beevers went on an orientation mission. The plane was hit by a Japanese fighter and the pilot ditched the bomber off the coast of Japan.

Another crew witnessed the ditching and saw the men get into life rafts. For two days, their position was tracked and visual contact maintained from the air, but bad weather prevented rescue ships from reaching them. On the third day, they were gone.

"When we lost him, we ended up losing one hell of a nice guy," Smith said. "I think all of us went and visited his wife after the war and met his family. I wish he were around. There was never a word of what happened to him."

Crew 31 named their plane in Beever's honor -- "Little Bully," his nickname.

Smith was discharged in December 1945 and returned to college. He received his degree from Ohio State in 1950, worked in Ashtabula for a while and married Marge Solembrino in 1952. He headed to California for several years and worked in the newspaper business. He came to Ashtabula in the mid-1960s and taught at the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School 20 years.

He's attended the annual reunion of the 39th Bomber Group ever since the first one was held in 1986. Smith said there are about 400 former 39er's on the roster.

Smith said he plans to do a second printing of the book, which he acknowledges has a very limited market. All but one copy has been sold to a former 39th Bomb Group member. And all of them have to be shipped out of the county because he's the only local man to have served in the group.

Nevertheless, Smith is glad he completed the project that had been dangling for 50 years. He plans to make copies available at both the Henderson Memorial Library and Ashtabula County District Library. Although the names will be unfamiliar to local readers, they provide fascinating insights to the final days of the war in the Pacific and its accompanying horrors and victories.

"I think the boys are just happy it's done and over with," said Smith, who plans to be a one-book author. "They don't have to sweat it out now."