‘Gunners!’ revives forgotten chapter of air war over Korea

Thomas Stevens’ first combat mission was memorable — and defied direct orders from the commander in chief. On Nov. 28, 1952, the 19-year-old airman was a tail gunner on a Boeing B-29 Superfortress on a nighttime bombing run over North Korea.

After dropping its load of 20 500-pound bombs on a target along the Yalu River, the aircraft was caught in a strong wind and blown over the border into…