South Pacific Air War Volume 4

Buna & Milne Bay June - September 1942

Michael Claringbould, Peter Ingman

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English

Avonmore Books
01 November 2020

History; Second World War

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 theatre 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 theatre 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 theatre.

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.

By: Michael Claringbould, Peter Ingman
Imprint: Avonmore Books
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 250mm, Width: 176mm,
ISBN: 9780648665977
ISBN 10: 0648665976
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 01 November 2020
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

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

Raised in Port Moresby, Michael Claringbould is a globally recognised 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.

Reviews for South Pacific Air War Volume 4: Buna & Milne Bay June - September 1942

...another outstanding contribution to a full understanding of aerial warfare in the theater, skillfully integrating information from the Allied perspective with less familiar material from the Japanese point of view. [...] Recommended. * Stone & Stone * ...came away with a new appreciation for how the air war was fought in this theatre. * Wargames Illustrated 08/11/2021 *