South Pacific Air War Volume 4: Buna & Milne Bay, September 1942

ISBN: 0648665976

Author: Claringbould, Michael

Condition: New

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 ContentsIntroductionChapter 1 OverviewChapter 2 Night Raids: Regional Operations 19-30 JuneChapter 3 Independence Day: Regional Operations 1-7 JulyChapter 4 The Lull Before the Storm: Regional Operations 8-20 JulyChapter 5 Buna Landing: New Guinea 21-31 JulyChapter 6 Target Townsville: Solomons & North Queensland 21 July-1 AugustChapter 7 150 Bombers Destroyed! New Guinea 1-8 AugustChapter 8 D-Day: The Solomons 1-8 AugustChapter 9 Prelude: Milne Bay 4-22 AugustChapter 10 Buna Resupplied: New Guinea 9-22 AugustChapter 11 Emergency: Milne Bay 23 August - 8 SeptemberChapter 12 Tainan Ku Annihilated! New Guinea 23 August - 8 SeptemberChapter 13 ConclusionAppendix 1 Allied Aircraft Losses & FatalitiesAppendix 2 Japanese Aircraft Losses & FatalitiesAppendix 3 Cumulative LossesSourcesIndex