After the huge advances made in the early months of the Pacific war, it was in remote New Guinea where the advance of Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force (IJNAF) A6M Zero-sen fighters was first halted due to a series of offensive and defensive aerial battles ranging from treetop height up to 30,000 ft.

Initially, the IJNAF fought Australian Kittyhawks, but by May 1942 they had fought themselves into oblivion, and were relieved by USAAF P-39 and P-400 Airacobras. The battles unfolded over mountainous terrain with treacherous tropical weather. Neither IJNAF or USAAF pilots had been trained for such extreme conditions, incurring many additional losses aside from those that fell in combat. Using specially commissioned artwork and contemporary photographs and testimony, this fascinating study explains how, despite their initial deficit in experience and equipment, the Airacobras managed to square the ledger and defend New Guinea.

Les mer
Introduction /Chronology/ Design and Development /Technical Specifications /The Strategic Situation /The Combatants /Combat /Statistics and Analysis /Aftermath /Further Reading /Index
This fully illustrated study describes how American Airacobras pilots battled against the Japanese Zero pilots over extreme tropical conditions in remote New Guinea in the months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Les mer
The author is positioned to provide accurate accounts from both sides, Japanese and American, citing primary source documents from Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia. In most cases, the identities of combatants can be aligned for the first time, one-on-one.
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781472823663
Publisert
2018-07-26
Utgiver
Vendor
Osprey Publishing
Vekt
294 gr
Høyde
244 mm
Bredde
180 mm
Dybde
8 mm
Aldersnivå
G, P, 01, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
80

Illustratør

Om bidragsyterne

Michael John Claringbould was raised in Papua New Guinea, where he developed his fascination for the Pacific air war. During a career in the Australian foreign service he undertook postings across Oceania and the Pacific. He is author of three books on the USAAF Fifth Air Force: The Forgotten Fifth, Forty of the Fifth and Black Sunday, and co-author of Eagles of the Southern Sky, a history of the Tainan Kaigun Kokutai in New Guinea, and The Roarin 20s, a unit history of the USAAF 312th Bombardment Group. Michael is also an associate editor of the historical aviation magazine Flightpath, to which he has been contributing articles for 18 years. He lives in Kambah, ACT, Australia.

Jim Laurier is a native of New England, growing up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil and throughout his life he has worked in many mediums creating artwork on a variety of subjects. He has worked on the Osprey Aviation list since 2000, and in that time he has produced some of the finest artwork seen in these volumes. He lives in New Hampshire, USA

Gareth Hector is a digital artist of international standing as well as an aviation history enthusiast. Gareth completed the battlescene artwork and cover artwork. He lives in Perthshire, UK.