Overview

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.

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9780994588944

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Reviews

To draw on so many threads and weave them together is no easy feat. Putting it in a relatively compact package is rather brilliant. * Flightpath Magazine * An interesting aspect of the book is that - unusually - it also describes the campaign from the Japanese viewpoint. * Flypast Magazine 01/05/2019 *

To draw on so many threads and weave them together is no easy feat. Putting it in a relatively compact package is rather brilliant. * Flightpath Magazine * The two authors are uniquely qualified to tell this story. […] For the modeller there is plenty of colour reference material in profiles etc. supplied as well as some good period photographs of aircraft. All in all, this book is a good read and useful for the modeller. Well recommended. * Model Airplane International Magazine 19/07/2021 * An interesting aspect of the book is that – unusually – it also describes the campaign from the Japanese viewpoint. * Flypast Magazine 01/05/2019 *

To draw on so many threads and weave them together is no easy feat. Putting it in a relatively compact package is rather brilliant. * Flightpath Magazine *

Author Information

Raised in Port Moresby, Michael Claringbould is a globally recognised expert on the Pacific air war. Peter Ingman is an Australian military history author specialising in the Pacific War.

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