South Pacific Air War Volume 4

Author: Michael Claringbould

Title: South Pacific Air War Volume 4

Binding: Paperback

Number Of Pages: 200

Release Date: 2021-01-28

Details: Volume Four chronicles aerial warfare in the South Pacific in the critical period between 19 June and 8 September 1942. It can be read alone or as a continuation of the first three volumes that spanned the first six months of the Pacific War, culminating in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Unlike the previous three volumes, no aircraft carriers appeared in New Guinea waters. Instead, the air war was fought solely by land-based air units. This was in the face of an increasingly complex strategic situation that saw the Japanese land at both Buna and Milne Bay. For the first time, airpower in the theater was tasked to support the land forces of both sides which became engaged in a bloody struggle in the mountains of Papua and then the narrow muddy quagmire of Milne Bay.

Two veteran Japanese air groups, the Tainan and No. 4 Kokutai, continued their Herculean struggle against mounting Allied opposition. In the face of continued attrition, Japanese pilots had many notable successes including several coveted aerial victories against B-17s. Then, from August a plethora of fresh Japanese units arrived in theater including the No. 2, No. 6, Chitose, Misawa and Kisarazu Kokutai.

USAAF P-39s and RAAF P-40Es responded with low level close support missions and B-25s, B-26s and B-17s ramped up an unrelenting bombing campaign. Towards the end of the period A-20A strafers made their combat debut, portending a radical blueprint for future attack tactics in the theater.

Never before has this campaign been chronicled in such detail, with Allied accounts matched against Japanese records for a truly factual account of the conflict.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1 Overview
Chapter 2 Night Raids: Regional Operations 19-30 June
Chapter 3 Independence Day: Regional Operations 1-7 July
Chapter 4 The Lull Before the Storm: Regional Operations 8-20 July
Chapter 5 Buna Landing: New Guinea 21-31 July
Chapter 6 Target Townsville: Solomons & North Queensland 21 July-1 August
Chapter 7 150 Bombers Destroyed! New Guinea 1-8 August
Chapter 8 D-Day: The Solomons 1-8 August
Chapter 9 Prelude: Milne Bay 4-22 August
Chapter 10 Buna Resupplied: New Guinea 9-22 August
Chapter 11 Emergency: Milne Bay 23 August - 8 September
Chapter 12 Tainan Ku Annihilated! New Guinea 23 August - 8 September
Chapter 13 Conclusion
Appendix 1 Allied Aircraft Losses & Fatalities
Appendix 2 Japanese Aircraft Losses & Fatalities
Appendix 3 Cumulative Losses
Sources
Index

EAN: 9780648665977

Package Dimensions: Height: 9.75 Inches, Length: 6.75 Inches, Weight: 1.15 Pounds, Width: 0.75 Inches