* Detailed exploration of US air strategy in the South West Pacific during World War II *Supported by first-hand accounts *Expansive coverage of both individual actions and general tactics The successful use of strategic US air power in the South West Pacific during World War II enabled General Douglas MacArthur to advance from Australia to Japan. This book examines the inexorable thrust of the general's 5th Air Force, under air commander General George C. Kenney, in a series of hard-hitting campaigns against the Japanese Army Air Force bases in New Guinea. During 1943 and 1944, the 5th Air Force near decimated its Japanese opponent three times, eventually opening the way for the advance- ahead of schedule - of MacArthur's Allied forces through New Guinea to the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. No other book describes these crucial operations in such breadth or detail- from the national level to that of the individual fighter pilot. Of particular merit is Lex McAuley's portrayal of the Japanese side of the conflict, including an inside look at the problems of the Japanese Air Force High Command. The author explores the varying degrees of understanding of the requirements of air power exhibited by both Japanese and US commanders, covering not only the type of aircraft produced by each country but the ways in which they were used. Air-combat missions come vividly and dramatically to life through first-hand accounts that cement the book's authoritativeness.