General Douglas MacArthur is one of the towering figures of World War II, and indeed of the twentieth century, but his leadership of the second largest air force in the USAAF is often overlooked. When World War II ended, the three numbered air forces (the Fifth, Thirteenth and Seventh) under his command possessed 4004 combat aircraft, 433 reconnaissance aircraft and 922 transports. After being humbled by the Japanese in the Philippines in 1942, MacArthur and his air chief General George Kenney rebuilt the US aerial presence in the Pacific, helping Allied naval and ground forces to push back the Japanese Air Force, re-take the Philippines, and carry the war north towards the Home Islands. Following the end of World War II, MacArthur was the highest military and political authority in Japan and at the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 he was named as Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command. In the ten months of his command, his Far East Air Forces increased dramatically and saw the first aerial combat between jet fighters.
Written by award-winning aviation historian Bill Yenne, this engrossing and widely acclaimed book traces the journey of American air forces in the Pacific under General MacArthur's command, from their lowly beginnings to their eventual triumph over Imperial Japan, followed by their entry into the jet age in the skies over Korea.
About the Author
Bill Yenne is the author of more than three dozen non-fiction books, as well as ten novels. His work has been selected for the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Reading List. He is the recipient of the Air Force Association’s Gill Robb Wilson Award for the ‘most outstanding contribution in the field of arts and letters [as an] author whose works have shaped how thousands of Americans understand and appreciate airpower.’ He lives in California, USA.
Industry Reviews
"A book by Bill Yenne is always a treat, and this one exceeds his own best efforts. I can guarantee that you will be engaged by his master storytelling from his opening words to the very last page of what I consider to be his finest work yet."
Col. Walter J. Boyne, USAF (Ret.), combat veteran and aviation historian
"Bill Yenne has given readers another fact-filled, chronological book detailing the Pacific War with MacArthur's Air Force... [This book] is for the reader who wants a broad history filled in with the fun details. Who else but Bill Yenne would quote messages back and forth of American air commanders trying to rein in air ace Richard Bong as he kept wanting to fly? The tongue-in-cheek admonishments of the generals to Bong to be careful in the air are worth the price of this book"
Clint Johnson, author of Tin Cans & Greyhounds: The Destroyers that Won Two World Wars
"This authoritative and engaging work of military nonfiction traces the history of the air forces commanded by General Douglas MacArthur, from the B-17 bomber crews defending the Philippines against Japanese invasion in 1941 to the F-86 jet pilots dueling with Communist MiGs over Korea a decade later. A must-read for anyone interested in American airpower and the epic career of one of the nation's most famous-and controversial-military leaders."
Steven K. Bailey, author of Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942-1945
"In this book, Bill Yenne expertly guides the reader through the development of MacArthur's air force, from just a few planes and crews to the force that would dominate the skies and lead to the final days of the Rising Sun. This revelatory and groundbreaking chronicle reinforces the legacy of a general who stands alone in modern military history."
Brian Sobel, author of The Fighting Pattons
