.
.
by Brian Lane Herder.
Softcover (7.25×9.75 inches). 96 pages. 2025.
Subtitle: Seventh Air Force’s Island-Hopping War
From the near parity with the Japanese air forces in 1943 to the overwhelming US superiority in 1945, the Seventh Air Force’s air war across the central Pacific Ocean proved an essential element in ultimate victory. While not a major factor in bombing islands prior to amphibious invasions, the Seventh kept surrounding Japanese forces occupied and suppressed.
Per usual, opposing forces are compared and a plane by plane basis, as well as associated forces needed to support the air forces. For example, thanks to mechanization and specially designed bulldozers and other construction vehicles, 100 Seabees (US Navy construction troops) could use interlocking Marston mats atop one to two inches of crushed coral to build a 3,000-foot runway in 100 hours (p13).
The first 34 pages sets the campaign stage and the rest rolls out the hard-fought air campaign between the US and Japanese. The US learned from its tactical errors while the Japanese were slowly squeezed. You can pull some scenarios from the pages, or at least learn where to look in other sources for scenarios.
One possible typo: the photo caption (p20) mentions the B-25 armed with six 50-cal MGs, but the nose shows two 50-cal MGs and a 75mm cannon version.
The booklet contains 56 black and white photos, four color photos, five color maps, five color illustrations, and three color two-page action illustrations. A larger font size would be nice.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
