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This second volume of Solomons Air War chronicles aerial warfare in the Solomon Islands theatre during the critical month of October 1942. It can be read alone or as part of the ongoing Solomons Air War series.

Never before has the USAAF Fifth Air Force Mustang and its colorful markings been illustrated with such breadth, accuracy and detail.The Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII profiles of Allied and Japanese aircraft which served throughout the South and Southwest Pacific theaters. This Volume 12 covers the P-51 and F-6 Mustang series which served in New Guinea, the Philippines and then the Japanese islands, serving with a total of ten USAAF Fifth Air Force fighter and reconnaissance squadrons, and also with New Guinea's Combat Replacement Training Center. The book includes a final chapter of post-war transition markings for the three years until 1948.Most profiles are presented for the first time, alongside markings derivations, including squadron heraldry and codes. Until now there has been a paucity of markings material about Fifth Air Force Mustang units, especially the tactical reconnaissance and air commando squadrons. Each profile is supported by photos and/or documentation, along with a brief history of each aircraft. Wide-ranging primary reference material is cited including assignment data, squadron records, color photography, maintenance logs, diaries and factory specifications. A brief history of each unit and the rationale of its associated markings accompanies the text.The author is world-renowned for his expertise on the Pacific air war. Never before has the USAAF Fifth Air Force Mustang and its colorful markings been illustrated with such breadth, accuracy and detail.

"As are the photographs, the illustrations are a treasure trove for modelers. While the academic and technical research is the brain of this book, perhaps the most impressive part is the original color artwork that visually spotlights what the text imparts." -- AeroscaleThe ongoing Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII profiles of aircraft which served throughout Australia, New Guinea and the South Pacific. This Volume 11 covers the P-40 Warhawk series, which served with a dozen USAAF Fifth and Thirteenth Air Force fighter and reconnaissance squadrons, service units, combat replacement pools and other miscellaneous units.Most profiles are presented for the first time, alongside markings derivations, including squadron heraldry and codes. Frequent airframe reassignments between units resulted in wide-ranging and oft-changing unit markings and nose art. Until now there has been a paucity of material about several units, particularly those in the Thirteenth Air Force. This volume also rectifies past mistakes which continue to be perpetrated, especially those representing the early Australian theater.Wide ranging primary reference material is cited including official Australian assignment data, squadron records, color slides and movies, maintenance logs, diaries, wreck site inspections and factory specifications. A brief history of each unit and the rationale of its unit markings accompanies the text.The author is world-renowned for his expertise on the Pacific air war. Never before have USAAF Pacific P-40s and their colorful artwork been illustrated with such accuracy and detail.

"Random, sudden death was an ever present danger for Bernard and Frank Hollenkamp. The brothers from the aviation center town of Dayton, Ohio, were among the legions of over three million Army Air Force soldiers who served in World War II. They were exclusive members of the Air Force that saw combat, as for every man that had a combat role there were sixteen soldiers with non-combat roles around the globe. Both flew on missions in heavy bombers, Bernard as a pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress and Frank as a tail gunner on the B-24 Liberator and B-32 Dominator. This narrative defines the men's path to entering the service, the astonishingly dangerous training involved in their flying combat functions and the details of their combat missions. Bernard flew for the 8th Air Force out of England in 1943 at a time when your chances of being killed or captured were about three out of four. His diary is included revealing the gambit of experiences and emotions involved in his flying training and overseas service. Frank served on the other side of the world in the Pacific in the 5th Air Force, where going down on long missions over the open ocean and capture by the Japanese were terrifyingly real possibilities. He would be one of only a few men who would fly combat missions in the very short life of the B-32 bomber in action. Dayton Valor recounts the incredible places these men saw, the people they met and observed, their role in history and their harrowing experiences in the war. The fact that one brother did not come home, reveals the loving connection between the two men as the remaining brother dealt with the tragedy"--

Introducing: Axis Powers: Iron Fist And Rising Sun - A Captivating Book BundleDiscover the captivating story of the Axis Powers - Germany, Italy, and Japan - and their impact on World War II and the world at large. Axis Powers: Iron Fist And Rising Sun is a compelling book bundle that takes you on a captivating journey through the rise, fall, and aftermath of one of the most tumultuous periods in history.Book 1: Rise And Fall: The Axis Powers In World War IIStep into the heart of the conflict as you explore the major events, military strategies, and key figures that defined the Axis Powers' involvement in World War II. From their lightning-fast blitzkrieg tactics to the intense battles on multiple fronts, this book provides a comprehensive and engaging account of the Axis Powers' military might and the relentless determination of their opponents.Book 2: Fascism's Grip: The Axis Powers And TotalitarianismDive deep into the ideologies, policies, and practices that characterized the totalitarian regimes of Germany, Italy, and Japan. Explore the rise of fascism, the cults of personality surrounding leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini, and the impact of totalitarian rule on society, politics, and individual lives. Gain a profound understanding of the mechanisms of control and the far-reaching implications of these ideologies.Book 3: The Asian Theatre: Axis Powers In The PacificEmbark on an often-overlooked but crucial aspect of World War II - the Asian theater. Delve into the Japanese invasion of China, the island-hopping campaigns in the Pacific, and the strategic battles that shaped the course of the war in this region. Through gripping accounts of military strategies, personal stories, and the geopolitical significance of the Asian theater, this book sheds light on a critical chapter of history.Book 4: The Aftermath: Axis Powers And Post-War ReckoningWitness the profound impact of World War II on the Axis Powers and the complex aftermath that followed. From the Nuremberg Trials to the reconstruction efforts and the pursuit of justice, this book explores the post-war reckoning faced by the defeated nations. Gain insights into the challenges of rebuilding shattered societies, dismantling totalitarian systems, and pursuing a path of reconciliation in a post-war world. Why Choose Axis Powers: Iron Fist And Rising Sun?Comprehensive Coverage: This book bundle provides a comprehensive exploration of the Axis Powers, covering their rise, their military campaigns, their ideologies, and the aftermath of their defeat.Engaging Narratives: Immerse yourself in captivating storytelling as you journey through the significant events and key figures that shaped this pivotal period in history.Meticulous Research: Benefit from meticulously researched and well-documented accounts, ensuring the accuracy and depth of the historical information presented.Thought-Provoking Analysis: Gain a deeper understanding of the complexities and consequences of World War II, totalitarianism, and the lasting impact of the Axis Powers.Complete Bundle: Get all four books in one bundle, offering a comprehensive and well-rounded exploration of the Axis Powers and their historical significance.Axis Powers: Iron Fist And Rising Sun is an essential addition to any history enthusiast's collection. Whether you are a student, a history buff, or simply eager to delve into the captivating story of World War II, this book bundle offers a riveting journey through the rise, fall, and aftermath of the Axis Powers.Don't miss out on this opportunity to explore the Axis Powers' impact on history. Grab your copy of Axis Powers: Iron Fist And Rising Sun today and embark on an unforgettable historical adventure!

Winner of the Les Carlyon Literary Prize and the Prime Minister's Literary Awards Australian History Prize.First Runner Up for Templer Medal Book Prize (UK).Shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Australian History Prize, the ACT Notable Book Awards, and the Reid Prize. A remarkable book about Operation Semut, an Australian secret military operation launched by the organization popularly known as Z Special Unit in the final months of WWII. March 1945. A handful of young Allied operatives are parachuted into the remote jungled heart of the Japanese-occupied island of Borneo, east of Singapore, there to recruit the island's indigenous Dayak peoples to fight the Japanese. Yet most have barely encountered Asian or indigenous people before, speak next to no Borneo languages, and know little about Dayaks, other than that they have been - and may still be - headhunters. They fear that on arrival the Dayaks will kill them or hand them over to the Japanese. For their part, some Dayaks have never before seen a white face. So begins the story of Operation Semut, an Australian secret operation launched by the organization codenamed Services Reconnaisance Department - popularly known as Z Special Unit - in the final months of WWII. Anthropologist Christine Helliwell has called on her years of first-hand knowledge of Borneo, interviewed more than one hundred Dayak people and all the remaining Semut operatives, and consulted thousands of military and other documents to piece together this astonishing story. Focusing on the operation's activities along two of Borneo's great rivers - the Baram and Rejang - the book provides a detailed military history of Semut II's and Semut III's brutal guerrilla campaign against the Japanese, and reveals the decisive but long-overlooked Dayak role in the operation. But this is no ordinary history. Helliwell captures vividly the sounds, smells and tastes of the jungles into which the operatives are plunged, an environment so terrifying that many are unsure whether jungle or Japanese is the greater enemy. And she takes us into the lives and cavernous longhouses of the Dayaks on whom their survival depends. The result is a truly unique account of the encounter between two very different cultures amidst the savagery of the Pacific War.

"This book is a triumph." -MJV LiteraryWhen Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941, forcing the U.S. to enter WWII, MAC was 23 years old.He had graduated with honors from high school, served two years in the Merchant Marine, and had a year of college under his belt. During the summer he had graduated from DePaul University's preliminary army air course to become a pilot and graduated as their highest-ranking student. Joining the U.S. Army Air Forces, he was assigned to the newly formed 307th BG and trained to fly the brand-new B-24 Liberator. Like Lou Zamperini-of Unbroken-who was also in the 307th, Mac's plane was shot down in the ocean. It was his first combat mission from Guadalcanal. After a three-week odyssey, he and his surviving crew members were rescued, and he went on to fly 51 more combat missions from his base in the Solomon Islands. In 1943, the following year, he was brought back to the U.S. to be trained on the even newer B-29 Superfortress. This was the plane designed to carry the atomic bombs. He flew 30 missions in 1945 from Guam dropping incendiaries on Japan. The Japanese finally surrendered just as the wheels of the Superfortress touched down on Mac's 30th mission. The war was over.After the war, MAC served as director of air training for the 20th Air Force during the Korean War, as air attaché to French Indochina, at NATO prior to the Vietnam War, and as director of war plans for TAC during the Vietnam War. This is his story.

Concise account of the defeat of the Japanese in 1944 and 1945.

Da Ebbe Thomsen i 1913 fik hyre på et skib i indenrigsfart, havde han ingen anelse om, at det blev starten på et langt liv med en udenlandsk maritim karriere. Hans oplevelser ude i Stillehavet er beretningen om dæksdrengen fra Kolding, der som ung blev drevet af eventyrlyst, videbegær og ikke mindst af den kærlighed, han mødte på Samoa midt i Polynesien.Da han for første gang ankom til hovedstaden Apia, vidste han, at hans skæbne var beseglet. Det var her, han ville leve resten af sine dage.Ved første øjekast lignede det hele en naturperle i skønhed helt uden sidestykke. Det skulle dog snart vise sig, at der under overfladen lå stærke altødelæggende naturkræfter og lurede. Til søs uddannede Ebbe sig til matros, styrmand, telegrafist og navigatør. Hans ansættelse på amerikanske handelsskibe og flair for tal og handel berigede ham også med en maritim handelsuddannelse. 2. verdenskrig satte en brat stopper for en ellers lovende karriere i Polynesien. Skæbnen ville, at Ebbe ufrivilligt måtte foretage et stort karriereskift. Skiftet resulterede i, at han endte som politidirektør. Kærligheden til Polynesien og hans nye familie fjernede aldrig længslen hjem til Danmark. Savnet af hans danske familie fremgår af de mange års brevudveksling. De fleste af brevene hjem til familien blev af sikkerhedshensyn under 2. Verdenskrig gemt i et chartek. De blev først fundet i 1998 og er baggrunden for, at Ebbe Thomsens historie nu kan fortælles. Ebbe Thomsen er forfatterens grandonkel, og det var i et arvet møbel, at brevene dukkede op.

In the tradition of Band of Brothers, historian and former paratrooper James M. Fenelon offers a grunt’s-eye view of the 11th Airborne’s heroic campaign to liberate the Philippines in World War II. A soldier’s history at its best.

Seven minutes past midnight on March 10, 1945, nearly 300 American B-29s thundered into the skies over Tokyo. Their payloads of incendiaries ignited a firestorm that reached up to 2,800 degrees, liquefying asphalt and vaporising thousands; sixteen square miles of the city were flattened and more than 100,000 men, women, and children were killed. Black Snow is the story of this devastating operation, orchestrated by Major General Curtis LeMay, who famously remarked: "If we lose the war, we'll be tried as war criminals".James M. Scott reconstructs in granular detail that horrific night, and describes the development of the B-29, the capture of the Marianas for use as airfields, and the change in strategy from high-altitude daylight "precision" bombing to low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing. Most importantly, the raid represented a significant moral shift for America, marking the first time commanders deliberately targeted civilians which helped pave the way for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki five months later.Drawing on first-person interviews with American pilots and bombardiers and Japanese survivors, air force archives and oral histories never before published in English, Scott delivers a harrowing and gripping account, and his most important and compelling work to date.

Air War in the Pacific, originally published in 1949 as General Kenney Reports: A Personal History of the Pacific War, is a classic account of a combat commander in action. General George Churchill Kenney arrived in the Southwest Pacific theater in August 1942 to find that his command, if not in a shambles, was in dire straits. The theater commander, General Douglas MacArthur, had no confidence in his air element. Kenney quickly changed this situation. He organized and energized the Fifth Air Force, bringing in operational commanders like Whitehead and Wurtsmith who knew how to run combat air forces. He fixed the logistical swamp, making supply and maintenance supportive of air operations, and encouraging mavericks such as Pappy Gunn to make new and innovative weapons and to explore new tactics in airpower application.The result was a disaster for the Japanese. Kenney's airmen used air power- particularly heavily armed B-25 Mitchell bombers-to savage Japanese supply lines, destroying numerous ships and effectively isolating Japanese garrisons. The classic example of Kenney in action was the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, which marked the attainment of complete Allied air dominance and supremacy over Japanese naval forces operating around New Guinea. In short, Kenney was a brilliant, innovative airman, who drew on his own extensive flying experiences to inform his decision-making. Air War in the Pacific is a book that has withstood the test of time, and which remains as the definitive work on the Pacific air campaign in World War II. This new edition includes 13 pages of maps and photographs.

The full history of how the United States targeted and destroyed the Japanese capital from the air, in a ten-month long campaign by the US Army Air Force and the US Navy.In November 1944, the US Army Air Force launched a 111-plane B-29 strike against Tokyo, the first raid since the morale-boosting Doolittle Raid of 1942. From then until August 13, 1945, the United States would attack Tokyo 25 times, 20 from B-29s based in the Marianas and five from US Navy carrier task forces. The campaign included the single deadliest air raid in human history, when around 100,000 people were killed by the firestorm created by the Operation Meetinghouse raid of March 10, 1945. This book, the first to examine the full history of the United States' air campaign against the greatest target in Japan, looks at the USAAF's and US Navy's efforts to use air power to eliminate Tokyo's strategic value to the Empire. It considers how the campaign developed from daylight bombing to firebombing and anti-ship mining, and finally how the target was handed over to the US Navy, whose carrier-based bombers and fighter-bombers continued to strike Tokyo during July and August 1945.Using specially commissioned battlescenes, strategic maps and diagrams, this volume presents a detailed picture of how Tokyo was vanquished from the air.

Fully illustrated, this absorbing study explores the evolving sniping technology and tactics employed by both sides in Asia and the Pacific during 1941-45. During World War II, both the Japanese and their Allied opponents made widespread use of snipers armed with a variety of rifles, scopes and accessories and prepared by widely differing levels of training and tactical doctrine. The challenges of fighting in a variety of harsh environments, from the Pacific islands to the vast expanses of China, prompted improvisation and innovation on both sides in the ongoing war between snipers and their adversaries. Often operating at relatively close ranges in restrictive terrain, snipers made particularly ingenious use of camouflage and deception as the fighting spread across Asia and the Pacific in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack, while troops tasked with countering enemy marksmen had to learn the hard way how best to defeat a seemingly invisible enemy. Small arms expert John Walter considers the strengths and limitations of the rifles, scopes and accessories deployed by Japanese snipers and their Allied counterparts, as well as their different approaches to sniping tactics and training. Specially commissioned artwork and carefully chosen photographs illustrate this enthralling study of the sniping war in Asia and the Pacific during World War II.

The forgotten story of the major naval operations conducted in the Philippines by the US and Japanese navies after Leyte Gulf up to the US invasion of Luzon in January 1945. The events that took place in the aftermath of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 are often overlooked by military historians. An impressive array of naval operations continued in the Philippines up to January 1945, which included (on the Japanese side) the largest convoys to a contested island during the war, the first kamikaze campaign, and the second largest Imperial Japanese Navy surface operation during the last nine months of the conflict. On the American side, US forces were involved in efforts to cut off Leyte from enemy reinforcement, a massive amphibious invasion off Luzon, and large-scale operations by the Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 38).Expert naval historian Mark Stille throws new light on this often forgotten phase of the Pacific naval war. Among the actions covered are the battles for Ormoc Bay, the invasion of Mindoro, Japanese kamikaze attacks, and US Third Fleet's rampage through the South China Sea between January 10 and 20, 1945. Superb battlescene artworks bring the war at sea and in the air vividly to life, and maps and diagrams guide readers through a range of actions in clear, step-by-step detail.

Using diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts, this vivid narrative brings to life the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.The battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive operation undertaken by the US and its allies in the Pacific War. The three months of air battles between August 20, 1942, when the first Marine air unit arrived on the island, and November 15, when the last enemy attempt to retake the island was defeated, were perhaps the most important of the Pacific War. "Cactus," the code name for the island, became a sinkhole for Japanese air and naval power, as they experienced losses that could never be made good. For 40 years, the late Eric Hammel interviewed more than 150 American participants in the air campaign at Guadalcanal, none of whom are still alive. These interviews are the most comprehensive first-person accounts of the battle assembled by any historian. More importantly, they involved the junior officers and enlisted men whose stories and memories were not part of the official history, and thus provide a unique insight. In The Cactus Air Force, Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver worked closely with Eric to build on his collection of diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts to create a vivid narrative of the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.

A U.S. naval counterintelligence officer working to safeguard Pearl Harbor; A Japanese spy ordered to Hawaii to gather information on the American fleet. On December 7, 1941, their hidden stories are exposed by a morning of bloodshed that will change the world forever.

"The Pacific War remains a crucial topic for strategic discussion, especially as Japan's push for a broader conflict in 1941 still fascinates historians. That regional push grew into a wider world war with all the major maritime powers, as well as the Soviet Union, in a conflict that challenged the allied response in Asia and beyond. John T. Kuehn examines the Pacific War from the vantage point of strategy and the execution of that strategy. The allies entered an ongoing Sino-Japanese War in China which shaped the implementation of strategic decision making for the larger campaigns of the Pacific War"--

This volume draws together the ground-breaking work of researchers and archaeological practitioners, working in multiple countries, to explore and understand the material and cultural impacts of the Pacific War.

" Existing literature maintains that the U.S. Marine Corps' operational success in the Pacific War rested upon two dominant themes: committed theoretical preparation and courageous battlefield action. Put simply, the Marines wrestled with the conceptual challenges of the amphibious assault in the 1920s and 1930s and developed the tools and methods necessary to seize a hostile beach. When Japanese forces attacked at Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Corps sent its brave and spirited infantrymen to advance across the enemy-held islands of the South and Central Pacific. But the full story runs much deeper. Though this conventional narrative captures essential elements of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps' triumph, it fails to account for substantial interwar deficiencies in fire control and coordination, as well as the critical wartime development of those capabilities between 1942 and 1945. Delivering Destruction is the first detailed study of American triphibious (land, sea, and air) firepower coordination in the Pacific War. In describing the Amphibious Corps' development of fire coordination teams and tactics in the Central Pacific, Hemler underlines the importance of wartime adaptation, battlefield coordination, and the primacy of the human element in naval combat. He reveals the untold story of American fire control and coordination teams in the Central Pacific. Through "bottom-up" adaptation and innovation, American troops and officers worked out practical solutions in the field, learning to effectively apply and integrate air and naval support during a contested amphibious assault. The Americans' ability to mount tremendous, synchronized firepower at the beachhead-a capability established through three years of grueling wartime adaptation-allowed the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to seize any fortified Japanese island of its choice by 1945. ]Despite advancing technology and expanding "domains" of warfare, combat remains a deeply interactive, human endeavor. "--

The first effort to reconstruct the history of the Pacific War exclusively from internal Japanese sources, from the renowned historiansA magisterial work of political, social, and military history, Sacred War sets a new standard for understanding the events that forever transformed America, Japan, and the world. Celebrated historians Theodore F. and Haruko Taya Cook, whose oral history of the Pacific war was called "one of the essential books about World War II" (Philadelphia Inquirer), now offer a shattering new history of Japan's long war in the Pacific, told exclusively from the perspective of the Japanese. Sacred War draws on a rich trove of documents, much of it first-person and almost all of it previously inaccessible to Western scholars. Based on painstaking research, here is World War II through the eyes of the Japanese themselves: ordinary people on the home front, soldiers on the front lines, and the military and political leadership who drove Japan to near annihilation by 1945. Sacred War reveals both the internal logic of an authoritarian society bent on victory at all costs-including, in the final twelve months of the war, over one million civilian deaths-as well as heartrending accounts of the unfolding conflict, from the disease-ridden beaches on Guadalcanal to the burnt-out streets of Hiroshima, following the nuclear attacks by the United States that brought the war to its devastating end.

Of Love and War details the intimate relationships forged during wartime between women and U.S. servicemen stationed in the South Pacific, traces the fate of wartime marriages, and addresses consequences for the women and children left behind.

The role of this division is also duplicated by a much larger work: the book by Brig. M. R. Roberts. However, this booklet gives a good account of Kohima and Imphal and the crossing of the Irrawaddy. In 1945, the division was flown into Siam, so becoming the first Allied formation to re-enter South East Asia.

Biferno, Trigno, Sangro, Moro, Rapido, Arno, Senio, Santerno, Po, AdigeThe 8th Indian Division started its overseas service in the Middle East in the garrisoning of Iraq and then the invasion of Persia to secure the oil fields of the area for the Allies, before moving to Italy in 1943. Landing at Taranto, it pushed up the length of the peninsula in a series of major battles: breaking the Sangro Line, forcing the Rapido and turning the defences at Cassino, breaking the stubborn German resistance at Monte Grande and, finally, forcing the Po River. It won four VCs, 26 DSOs and 149 MCs along the way. During the war the 8th Indian Division sustained casualties totalling 2,012 dead, 8,189 wounded and 749 missing.

This formation was committed to Burma from the early days when the British were in full flight from the invading Japanese. It remained in Burma right through to the end, when the starving remnants of the Japanese Army were making their own desperate retreat.

One of the few Indian divisions in the 14th Army trained specifically for the war in Burma. Raised in Bangalore in 1942, it commenced active operations in late 1943 and served from Imphal through to the end. It established the 14th Army's first brigade-head across the Chindwin and its second such brigade-head across the Irrawaddy. Its final task was to round up the Japanese in French Indochina.

Burma, Malaya, JavaThe Fighting Cock Division is well recorded in the book by Doulton. This book gives coverage of the heavy fighting at the Kohima Battle, the capture of Tamu, the reoccupation of Malaya in August 1945, and then its strange role on the island of Java - concurrently disarming the Japanese garrison, fighting the insurgent Indonesian nationalists, and caring for 65,000 former internees pending the arrival of a new Dutch administration.

Arakan, RagoonThis is a history of the division said later by the Japanese to have been the opponent which they most feared. The 26th held the Allied monsoon line in the Arakan during two such seasons, repulsing every attack launched against it. Later it made a series of leap-frog landings down the coast to clinch the issue in the Arakan. It was the first division to enter Ragoon, invading the city from the sea.