South Pacific Air War Volume 1

South Pacific Air War Volume 1

Author: Peter Ingman

Publisher:

Published: 2017-11

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9780994588944

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This volume chronicles aerial warfare in the South Pacific from December 1941 until March 1942, during which air operations by both sides became a daily occurrence. As Imperial Japanese Navy flying boats and landbased bombers penetrated over vast distances, a few under-strength squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force put up a spirited fight. However it was the supreme power of aircraft carriers that had the biggest impact. Four Japanese fleet carriers facilitated the capture of Rabaul over a devastating four-day period in January 1942. The following month, the USS Lexington's fighter squadron VF-3 scored one of the most one-sided victories of the entire Pacific War. By March 1942 the Japanese had landed on mainland New Guinea, and the scene was set for a race to control Port Moresby. This is the full story of both sides of an air war that could have been won by either incumbent, but for timing, crucial decisions and luck. The two authors are uniquely qualified to tell this story. Raised in Port Moresby, Michael Claringbould is a globally-acknowledged expert on the New Guinea air war and Japanese aviation in particular. Peter Ingman is an acclaimed military history author specialising in the early Pacific War period.


South Pacific Air War

South Pacific Air War

Author: Michael Claringbould

Publisher:

Published: 2018-09

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9780994588975

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This second volume chronicles aerial warfare in the South Pacific for the two crucial months of March and April 1942 when a deadly struggle for Port Moresby played out. It can be read alone or as part of a trilogy which culminates in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942.The period begins with the stunning 10 March US Navy carrier strike against Lae and Salamaua which caused the Japanese to pause their advance until their own carriers were available. Instead they tried to grind the Allied forces at Port Moresby into submission through an unrelenting air assault by their Betty bombers and superlative Zero fighters. After a long wait, Allied land-based fighters finally arrived in the form of Royal Australian Air Force No. 75 Squadron Kittyhawks. These were backed up by a growing collection of United States Army Air Force bombers including A-24 Banshees, B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders (the latter two types making their worldwide combat debut over the skies of New Guinea). Together this motley force took the fight to the Japanese, resulting in a complex aerial campaign which saw units from both sides reach exhaustion. Never before has such a detailed chronicle of this air war been published, and for the first time the authors match Allied accounts with Japanese records. The result is both thrilling and surprising, with the resulting dispositions of the air forces of both sides setting the scene for the Battle of the Coral Sea in May.Both authors are uniquely qualified to tell this story. Raised in Port Moresby, Michael Claringbould is an acknowledged expert on the Pacific air war and Japanese aviation in particular. Peter Ingman is an acclaimed military history author specialising in the early Pacific War period.


Pacific Air

Pacific Air

Author: David Sears

Publisher: Da Capo Press, Incorporated

Published: 2011-05-31

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 0306819481

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Offers an account of the U.S. airmen's roles in the air battles that took place over the Pacific Ocean during World War II.


South Pacific Cauldron

South Pacific Cauldron

Author: Alan Rems

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2014-05-15

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 1612514707

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The war in the South Pacific in its entirety has remained remarkably neglected by historians. This is the first comprehensive narrative history covering all land, sea and air operations in the theater to the end of World War II. While Guadalcanal is familiar to most Americans and the Kokoda Trail is well known to Australians, the war in the South Pacific includes many now forgotten operations that deserve to be well remembered. Also, significantly, the official Australian history of World War II correctly observed that Australia’s part in the Pacific war is barely mentioned in American histories. This volume finally brings the major Australian contribution to the fore, recognizing too the valuable part played by New Zealand forces in the Solomons campaign. The dramatis personae could hardly be improved upon, including brilliant and imperious General Douglas MacArthur, audacious and profane Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, and bibulous and indelicate Australian General Thomas Blamey. No less interesting are many others that will be mostly new to readers, many from the Japanese side, including indomitable generals Noboru Sasaki and Hatazo Adachi. As for the fighting men, many of their stories are captured in accounts of the actions for which they were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, Victoria Cross, and other decorations for valor. Three chapters are of special interest. Based on the author’s archival research, Chapter 10 tells through confidential correspondence the remarkable story of the death of the top Marine general in the Pacific and its cover-up sanctioned by Halsey. Chapter 23 concerns the first African-American ground troops in combat and tells how the performance of one company on Bougainville resulted in a reversal of that policy. Chapter 26 involves Blamey’s questionable decision to eradicate the isolated Japanese forces, forcing his Australian militia to risk their lives knowing their sacrifices could make no difference in the outcome of the war.


Finish Forty and Home

Finish Forty and Home

Author: Phil Scearce

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 1574413163

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The true story of the men and missions of the 11th Bombardment Group as it fought alone and unheralded in the South Central Pacific, while America had its eyes on the war in Europe.


Pacific Legacy

Pacific Legacy

Author: Gerald A. Meehi

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2019-04-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0789213338

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The classic photo book about the battlegrounds of the Pacific Theater then and now—updated with new information about the preservation and accessibility of these historic sites. Pacific Legacy offers an unprecedented record of the relics of World War II that have survived on the islands of the Pacific: American landing craft rusting on the reefs where they were stopped by enemy fire; shell-pocked Japanese fortifications; fallen aircraft overgrown by jungle; packed-coral landing strips still as good as new. These evocative color images are paired with archival photographs that show the same tropical battlegrounds as they appeared in wartime. The text covers the entire war in the Pacific, from the attack on Pearl Harbor to Japan’s surrender in Tokyo Bay. The principal battles are recounted hour-by-hour, drawing heavily on firsthand accounts. This vivid narrative helps the reader visualize what it was really like to be at war in the Pacific, doggedly island-hopping to victory.


The King Air Book

The King Air Book

Author: Tom Clements

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2011-04

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 0578045346

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A treasury of thirty-seven years of flying and teaching experience in the world's most popular executive aircraft. Tom Clements' articles, stories, and operating tips all compiled into one reference book. This information will be invaluable for current or future pilots of King Air airplanes.


Fire In The Sky

Fire In The Sky

Author: Eric M Bergerud

Publisher: Westview Press

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 784

ISBN-13:

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A chronicle of the Pacific Air War in World War II draws on interviews with surviving veterans of all duties to paint a detailed look at the war in the sky.


Eagles of the Southern Sky

Eagles of the Southern Sky

Author: Luca Ruffato

Publisher: Avonmore Books

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 9780473217631

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The definitive history of the Imperial Japanese Tainan Naval Air Group - the most prestigious of any Japanese aerial unit in World War 2. It was assigned New Guinea in April 1942, confident of victory, having already conquered the Philippines and Dutch East Indies. However, by mid-November 1942 only eighteen pilots from the original cadre sailed home from Rabaul, marking the end of an era. This book outlines the definitive history of this flagship unit in New Guinea, sourcing material from all sides of the conflict.


Carrier Attack -Darwin 1942

Carrier Attack -Darwin 1942

Author: Tom Lewis

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 9780987151933

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When the Pacific war began it was a case of "when not if" Darwin would be attacked. But nobody could have predicted the extraordinary scale and ferocity of the 19 February 1942 raid. A massive strike force, blooded at Pearl Harbor just weeks before, hit Darwin in the biggest Japanese air attack ever in the South Pacific. Since then, generations of Australians have been drawn to the stories and folklore of the Darwin action. But facts have blurred and mythology has thrived. What of the warning that never happened? What of the ghost ship actually sunk in the Atlantic a year earlier? Did a fighter pilot contrive a false combat record? Did the authorities cover up the raid? Why do Australians know so little about it? This is the book that tests these many Darwin myths and reveals new information: another ship sunk; the actual intent and nature of the attack; the precise extent of the Japanese losses. The Darwin raid is usually portrayed as a wholesale disaster for the Allies, and a day full of military ineptitude. Carrier Attack shows the defenders were alert and fought with purpose. Arguably it was the Japanese that wasted much of their attacking strength, and in this way the Darwin defenders avoided a much larger catastrophe. Carrier Attack provides a timely and fresh analysis of the raid. Most importantly, it draws on specially translated Japanese sources. About the AuthorsDr Tom Lewis OAM is the award-winning author of 11 books. A long time resident of Darwin, he is the current Director of the Darwin Military Museum. In 2012 he was a major participant in the 70th anniversary of the Darwin raid, which included a multi-million dollar re-development of the Museum. Tom is a former naval of cer whoseservice included a combat deployment to Baghdad. Peter Ingman is the grandson of an original Gallipoli Anzac who lived in 1930s Darwin. He has been a regular visitor to the Northern Territory since the 1980s when his father worked there as a surgeon. With a background as a business executive, he has a longinterest in Australian military history. Peter currently manages an Adelaide-based publishing company.