| Description |
vii, 498 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits, maps ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 439-478) and index. |
| Summary |
"November 1942: Japanese and American forces have been fighting for control of Guadalcanal, a small but pivotal island in Japan's expansion through the South Pacific. Both sides have endured months of grueling battle under the worst circumstances: hellish jungles, meager rations, and tropical diseases, which have taken a severe mental and physical toll on the combatants. The Japanese call Guadalcanal 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. The men have, until recently, been serving in their respective squadrons aboard the USS Lexington and the USS Yorktown, fighting in the thick of the Pacific War's aerial battles. Their skills have been honed to a fine edge, even as injury and death have inexorably depleted their ranks. When their carriers are lost, many of the men end up on the USS Enterprise. Battle damage to that carrier then forces them from their home at sea to operating from Henderson Field, a small dirt-and-gravel airstrip on Guadalcanal. With some Marine and Army Air Force planes, they help form the Cactus Air Force, a motley assemblage of fliers tasked with holding the line while making dangerous flights from their jungle airfield. Pounded by daily Japanese air assaults, nightly warship bombardments, and sniper attacks from the jungle, pilots and gunners rarely last more than a few weeks before succumbing to tropical ailments, injury, exhaustion, and death. But when the Japanese launch a final offensive to take the island, these dive-bomber jocks answer the call of duty--and try to perform miracles in turning back an enemy warship armada, a host of fighter planes, and a convoy of troop transports"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Contents |
Preface -- 1. "It's All Exciting As Hell" -- 2. Rocky, Swede, and "The Master" -- 3. "Hit-And-Run Attack In Impossible Weather" -- 4. "I Wanted To Hit 'Em Hard" -- 5. Deck Dodgers Find A Home -- 6. First Strikes In The Solomons -- 7. "Scratch One Flattop!" -- 8. "I Am Going To Get A Hit" -- 9. "A Real Rooster Fight" -- 10. "You Are On Your Own" -- 11. Transitions -- 12. "I Hope I Won't Disappoint You" -- 13. "Blood And Thunder" Over Hell's Island -- 14. "We'd Better Go Get The Carrier" -- 15. Battle Off The Eastern Solomons -- 16. "Heroes All" -- 18. Strong's Salvation -- 19. Action At Santa Cruz -- 20. Ace In A Day -- 21. "Back To Sea In A Pitiable Condition" -- 22. Desperation In The Slot -- 23. "Unflinching Courage" -- 24. Hard Losses And Hard Promises -- Appendix: Decorations Awarded To Dauntless Airmen For Action From December 7, 1941, to November 15, 1942 -- Sources -- Bibliography -- Chapter Notes -- Index. |
| Subject |
Allied Air Forces in the Solomons.
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United States. Army Air Forces. Air Force, 13th.
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Allied Air Forces in the Solomons. (OCoLC)fst01923394
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United States. Army Air Forces. Air Force, 13th. (OCoLC)fst00565225
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Guadalcanal, Battle of (Solomon Islands : 1942-1943) (OCoLC)fst00948685
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World War (1939-1945) (OCoLC)fst01180924
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Guadalcanal, Battle of, Solomon Islands, 1942-1943.
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations.
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HISTORY -- Military -- World War II.
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HISTORY -- Oceania.
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HISTORY -- Australia & New Zealand.
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Military operations, Aerial. (OCoLC)fst01710198
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Solomon Islands. (OCoLC)fst01204144
|
| Chronological Term |
1939-1945
|
| ISBN |
9780451473752 (hardback) |
|
0451473752 (hardback) |
|
9780451473769 |
|
0451473760 |
|
