The Cactus Air Force

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472851056
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis The Cactus Air Force by : Eric Hammel

Download or read book The Cactus Air Force written by Eric Hammel and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-09-01 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

The Guadalcanal Air War

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Author :
Publisher : Pelican Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781455605385
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (53 download)

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Book Synopsis The Guadalcanal Air War by : Jefferson J. DeBlanc

Download or read book The Guadalcanal Air War written by Jefferson J. DeBlanc and published by Pelican Publishing. This book was released on 2008-04-03 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Marine flying ace and Medal of Honor recipient’s firsthand account of aerial combat in World War II’s Pacific theater. Young Jefferson J. DeBlanc always played cowboys and Indians dressed in a Captain Eddie Rickenbacker flying suit and Sam Browne belt and goggles. From his early childhood, he was fascinated with planes, and when he enrolled in Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), he studied and excelled in pilot training. DeBlanc first saw action in World War II at the island of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. From his very first day there, he proved himself as a talented fighter pilot. He shot down two Betty bombers on his first day and soon began to lead his own squadron in the air. Within weeks, he was part of the flying elite, the Marine Fighter Aces. The Guadalcanal Air War is DeBlanc’s firsthand account of his training and the events on Guadalcanal. It is DeBlanc’s journey as a man as he discovers the value of life, including his own. Because of the efforts of men like DeBlanc, the battles fought on and above Guadalcanal marked a turning point in the war and ended Japanese expansion. “A gallant officer, a superb airman, and an indomitable fighter . . . [He] rendered decisive assistance during a critical stage of operations.” —Harry S. Truman, Medal of Honor Citation

Guadalcanal 1942–43

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472835506
Total Pages : 97 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis Guadalcanal 1942–43 by : Mark Stille

Download or read book Guadalcanal 1942–43 written by Mark Stille and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-11-28 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The campaign for Guadalcanal, which stretched from August 1942 until February 1943, centered on Henderson Field. The airfield was captured by the US on 8 August and placed into operation by 20 August. As long as the airfield was kept operational and stocked with sufficient striking power, the Japanese could not run convoys with heavy equipment and large amounts of supplies to the island. Instead, they were forced to rely on night runs by destroyers which could not carry enough men or supplies to shift the balance decisively against the American garrison on the island. The American air contingent on the island, named the 'Cactus Air Force', comprised Marine, Navy and Army Air Force units. It had the challenging mission of defending the airfield against constant Japanese attacks, and more importantly, of striking major Japanese attempts to reinforce the island. The mission of neutralizing Henderson Field fell primarily to the Imperial Navy's Air Force flying out of airfields in the Rabaul area. The units charged with this mission were among the most accomplished in the entire Imperial Navy with a high proportion of very experienced pilots and a superb air superiority fighter (the famous 'Zero'). However, the distance from Rabaul to Guadalcanal handicapped Japanese operations and their primary bomber was terribly vulnerable to interception. This book traces the air campaign from both sides and explores the factors behind the American victory and the Japanese defeat. The text is supported by full-colour illustrations and contemporary photography.

Operation KE

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Author :
Publisher : Naval Institute Press
ISBN 13 : 1612511791
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (125 download)

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Book Synopsis Operation KE by : Dennis R Letourneau

Download or read book Operation KE written by Dennis R Letourneau and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2012-11-15 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation KE explores the air combat that attended the Japanese evacuation of Guadalcanal in early 1943 —a topic which has hitherto received very little attention. Operation KE was successful largely because Japanese strategic planning and tactical execution was basically sound. The traditional view holds that the Japanese got away with the initiative largely because the Americans let them; the US Pacific high command felt it was not worth the effort to try and stop them. Letourneau contends that this was not entirely the case. He argues that the Cactus Air Force and Guadalcanal-based naval units did their best to disrupt the evacuation, still believing that the Tokyo Express was bringing reinforcements and supplies to the 17th Army. Other US forces in the South Pacific did make a half-hearted and questionably-executed attempt to stop the Japanese, but were bluffed into adopting a ""wait-and-see"" posture. Operation KE focuses on the air war fought between the Cactus and US 13th Air Forces on the one hand and the Japanese Navy and Army Air Forces on the other, from mid-December, 1942 to mid-February, 1943. The book scrutinizes the US air strikes against the six KE-related Tokyo Express destroyer runs, plus related air strikes against the Japanese merchant marine, as well as air and naval base-suppression missions undertaken by both sides, to determine what actually happened in order to analyze why the Japanese evacuation succeeded and why Cactus failed to stop it. Background chapters attempt to assess the respective states of readiness of the Japanese and US air arms in the South Pacific to support on the one hand and counter on the other the execution of Operation KE. The central portion of the book narrates in some detail what actually occurred in the air and at sea -—including air strikes, fighter sweeps, base suppression missions, and naval sorties -—during the crucial prelude to and the actual playing out of the interrelated events that comprised the evacuation operation. Concluding chapters analyze, on both strategic and tactical levels, the Japanese planning and execution of Operation KE, and Cactus' initiatives to interdict KE's successful prosecution. The authors conclude that both the Japanese and the American states of readiness on the eve of Operation KE suffered in such matters as optimizing both resources and operating procedures, and combating a hostile environment. Consequently, both combatants were somewhat handicapped in their abilities respectively to carry out and contest Operation KE. The author contends that the Japanese developed a reasonably sound strategy that exploited those methods and tools of war then in use in the South Pacific; to achieve success, they maximized their own strengths while taking advantage of their adversary's limitations. Contrary to the traditional view, the authors are of the opinion that Japanese utilization of their newly-built airstrip at Munda in the Central Solomons played an important role in the success of Operation KE, which was in keeping with the long-range intention of developing Munda and Vila airstrips as major forward airbases to defend against any Allied push toward Rabaul through the Solomons. The U.S., on the other hand, by consistently misreading Japanese intent regarding Operation KE and pursuing a cautious offensive strategy, blunted the tactical impact of their initiatives to counter the evacuation. Several imprudent tactical decisions and a misallocation of resources further diluted the strength of US efforts."

The Early Air War in the Pacific

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Author :
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 147666997X
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (766 download)

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Book Synopsis The Early Air War in the Pacific by : Ralph F. Wetterhahn

Download or read book The Early Air War in the Pacific written by Ralph F. Wetterhahn and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2019-11-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:  During the first 10 months of the war in the Pacific, Japan achieved air supremacy with its carrier and land-based forces. But after major setbacks at Midway and Guadalcanal, the empire's expansion stalled, in part due to flaws in aircraft design, strategy and command. This book offers a fresh analysis of the air war in the Pacific during the early phases of World War II. Details are included from two expeditions conducted by the author that reveal the location of an American pilot missing in the Philippines since 1942 and clear up a controversial account involving famed Japanese ace Saburo Sakai and U.S. Navy pilot James "Pug" Southerland.

CACTUS Air Power At Guadalcanal

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Author :
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782894373
Total Pages : 181 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (828 download)

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Book Synopsis CACTUS Air Power At Guadalcanal by : Major Timothy L. Clubb

Download or read book CACTUS Air Power At Guadalcanal written by Major Timothy L. Clubb and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the role of the CACTUS Air Force during the battle for Guadalcanal. Hurriedly planned and executed, Guadalcanal was the first U.S. ground offensive in the Pacific. Starting as an unopposed amphibious assault, the operation turned into a six-month-long air, land, and sea battle to secure the island. Operating from an expeditionary airfield, the U.S. Marine Corps employed air power as its primary means of defending the island. The CACTUS Air Force conducted the campaign with limited air assets and was plagued by a variety of critical shortages, yet it managed to play a key role in the U.S. victory. This study focuses on the specific contributions of airpower during this campaign. It examines the role of air power in reconnaissance, deep, close, and rear area air operations. It also examines the factors that influenced how air assets were employed and the changes in U.S. concepts about air operations that were made to conduct the air campaign. CACTUS planes assisted in defeating several major Japanese attacks. However, the daily presence and routine operations of the CACTUS Air Force were its key contributions. CACTUS Air’s most important contribution was its ability to deny the Japanese air superiority and disrupt their freedom of action in the lower Solomon Islands.

Midnight in the Pacific

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Author :
Publisher : Da Capo Press
ISBN 13 : 0306824604
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (68 download)

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Book Synopsis Midnight in the Pacific by : Joseph Wheelan

Download or read book Midnight in the Pacific written by Joseph Wheelan and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2017-08-01 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping narrative history--the first in over twenty years--of America's first major offensive of World War II, the brutal, no-quarter-given campaign to take Japanese-occupied Guadalcanal From early August until mid-November of 1942, US Marines, sailors, and pilots struggled for dominance against an implacable enemy: Japanese soldiers, inculcated with the bushido tradition of death before dishonor, avatars of bayonet combat--close-up, personal, and gruesome. The glittering prize was Henderson Airfield. Japanese planners knew that if they neutralized the airfield, the battle was won. So did the Marines who stubbornly defended it. The outcome of the long slugfest remained in doubt under the pressure of repeated Japanese air, land, and sea operations. And losses were heavy. At sea, in a half-dozen fiery combats, the US Navy fought the Imperial Japanese Navy to a draw, but at a cost of more than 4,500 sailors. More American sailors died in these battles off Guadalcanal than in all previous US wars, and each side lost 24 warships. On land, more than 1,500 soldiers and Marines died, and the air war claimed more than 500 US planes. Japan's losses on the island were equally devastating--starving Japanese soldiers called it "the island of death." But when the attritional struggle ended, American Marines, sailors, and airmen had halted the Japanese juggernaut that for five years had whirled through Asia and the Pacific. Guadalcanal was America's first major ground victory against Japan and, most importantly, the Pacific War's turning point. Published on the 75th anniversary of the battle and utilizing vivid accounts written by the combatants at Guadalcanal, along with Marine Corps and Army archives and oral histories, Midnight in the Pacific is both a sweeping narrative and a compelling drama of individual Marines, soldiers, and sailors caught in the crosshairs of history.

The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume Four: The Pacific, Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944

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Author :
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1428915893
Total Pages : 900 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (289 download)

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Book Synopsis The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume Four: The Pacific, Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944 by :

Download or read book The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume Four: The Pacific, Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944 written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 900 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Guadalcanal

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Author :
Publisher : Zenith Press
ISBN 13 : 9780760331484
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (314 download)

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Book Synopsis Guadalcanal by : Eric Hammel

Download or read book Guadalcanal written by Eric Hammel and published by Zenith Press. This book was released on 2007-08-15 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On August 7, 1942, a scant nine months after Pearl Harbor, the Marine Corps struck back against Japan on a small island half a world away: Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands. The stakes were high. The Japanese had been running roughshod across Asia and the Pacific and even into the Indian Ocean. If the Marines failed in the Solomons, New Guinea would almost certainly fall, mortally threatening Australia. The victory of the 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal, told here in pictures for the first time, ranks with the most heroic, dramatic, and enduring of military history. The six-month long Guadalcanal campaign was by far the longest and most complicated operation the Marines faced in the Pacific War. It began with the weapons and tactics of the Marine Corps 1918 combat in France and ended with the revised weapons and tactics that would sweep aside the Japanese defenders of numerous formidable bases all across the wide Pacific--bringing the United States armed forces to total victory in the Pacific in World War II. This book is a fitting tribute to the men who sacrificed so much in winning this first stepping stone on the path to Tokyo Bay and victory over Japan.

Fire In The Sky

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Author :
Publisher : Westview Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 784 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (318 download)

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Book Synopsis Fire In The Sky by : Eric M Bergerud

Download or read book Fire In The Sky written by Eric M Bergerud and published by Westview Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 784 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign

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Author :
Publisher : Naval Institute Press
ISBN 13 : 1612511651
Total Pages : 658 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (125 download)

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Book Synopsis The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign by : John B Lundstrom

Download or read book The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign written by John B Lundstrom and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2005-07-01 with total page 658 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From huddled command conferences to cramped cockpits, John Lundstrom guides readers through the maelstrom of air combat at Guadalcanal in this impressively researched sequel to his earlier study. Picking up the story after Midway, the author presents a scrupulously accurate account of what happened, describing in rich detail the actual planes and pilots pitted in the ferocious battles that helped turn the tide of war. Based on correspondence with 150 American and Japanese veterans, or their families, he reveals the thoughts, pressures, and fears of the airmen and their crews as he reconstructs the battles. These are the story of the Wildcat and Zero fighters, and the Dauntless, Avenger, Betty, Kate, and Val bombers. Lavishly illustrated with drawings, maps, and photographs, this fresh look at the campaign set a standard for aviation histories when first published in 1994.

The Army Air Forces in World War II: The Pacific, Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 912 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (31 download)

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Book Synopsis The Army Air Forces in World War II: The Pacific, Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944 by :

Download or read book The Army Air Forces in World War II: The Pacific, Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944 written by and published by . This book was released on 1948 with total page 912 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Solomons Air War

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780645246933
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (469 download)

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Book Synopsis Solomons Air War by : Michael Claringbould

Download or read book Solomons Air War written by Michael Claringbould and published by . This book was released on 2022-10 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This first volume chronicles aerial warfare in the opening phase of the war in the Solomons Islands theater, being the critical period of August-September 1942.

Guadalcanal

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin Books
ISBN 13 : 9780140165616
Total Pages : 844 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (656 download)

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Book Synopsis Guadalcanal by : Richard B. Frank

Download or read book Guadalcanal written by Richard B. Frank and published by Penguin Books. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 844 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Brilliant...an enormous work based on the most meticulous research.”—LA Times Book Review The battle at Guadalcanal—which began eight months to the day after Pearl Harbor—marked the first American offensive of World War II. It was a brutal six-month campaign that cost the lives of some 7,000 Americans and over 30,000 Japanese. This volume, ten years in the writing, recounts the full story of the critical campaign for Guadalcanal and is based on first-time translations of official Japanese Defense Agency accounts and recently declassified U.S. radio intelligence, Guadalcanal recreates the battle—on land, at sea, and in the air—as never before: it examines the feelings of both American and Japanese soldiers, the strategies and conflicts of their commanders, and the strengths and weaknesses of various fighting units.

Guadalcanal

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Author :
Publisher : BDD Promotional Books Company
ISBN 13 : 9780792458579
Total Pages : 413 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (585 download)

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Book Synopsis Guadalcanal by : John Miller

Download or read book Guadalcanal written by John Miller and published by BDD Promotional Books Company. This book was released on 1993 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed account of the Americans' first ground offensive against the Japanese in World War II, which occurred in August 1942 on the island of Guadalcanal.

13th Fighter Command in World War II

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Publisher : Schiffer Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9780764320675
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (26 download)

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Book Synopsis 13th Fighter Command in World War II by : William Wolf

Download or read book 13th Fighter Command in World War II written by William Wolf and published by Schiffer Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the savage air combat over Guadalcanal and then the equally bloody air battles up Solomon chain, New Georgia and Bougainville, 13th Fighter Command took a back seat to Marine aviation in personnel, equipment, supply, operations, and publicity.

The Battle for Hell's Island

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0451473760
Total Pages : 514 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (514 download)

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Book Synopsis The Battle for Hell's Island by : Stephen L. Moore

Download or read book The Battle for Hell's Island written by Stephen L. Moore and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Pacific Payback, the true story of how a patchwork band of aviators saved Guadalcanal during WWII. November 1942: Japanese and American forces fight for control of Guadalcanal, a small but pivotal island in the South Pacific. The Japanese call it Jigoku no Shima—Hell's Island. Amid a seeming stalemate, a small group of U.S. Navy dive-bombers is called upon to help determine the island’s fate. When their carriers are lost, they are forced to operate from Henderson Field, a small dirt-and-gravel airstrip on Guadalcanal. They help form the Cactus Air Force, tasked with making dangerous flights from their jungle airfield while holding the line against Japanese air assaults, warship bombardments, and sniper attacks from the jungle. When the Japanese launch a final offensive to take the island, these dive-bomber jocks answer the call of duty—turning back an enemy warship armada, fighter planes, and a convoy of troop transports. The Battle for Hell's Island reveals how command of the South Pacific, and the outcome of the Pacific War, depended on control of a single dirt airstrip—and the small group of battle-weary aviators sent to protect it with their lives. INCLUDES PHOTOS