MacArthur's Eagles: The U.S. Air War over New Guinea, 1943-1944

by Lex McAulay

The successful use of strategic U.S. air power in the South West Pacific during World War II enabled Gen. Douglas MacArthur to advance from Australia to Japan. This book examines the inexorable thrust of the general's U.S. Army's 5th Air Force, under air commander Gen. George C. Kenney, in the hard-hitting campaigns against the Japanese Army Air Force bases in New Guinea. During 1943 and 1944, the 5th Air Force destroyed 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 the individual fighter pilot's level, the author chronicles what happened. 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 explains the varying degrees of understanding the concept of air power exhibited by both Japanese and U.S. commanders, including not only the type of aircraft produced by each country but the ways in which the aircraft were used. Air combat missions come vividly and dramatically to life through the use of oral history interviews that lend an authoritative air to the book.

408 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

Alexander "Lex" Hugh David McAulay was an Australian Army serviceman and veteran of the Vietnam War. He authored a dozen books, including six on World War II.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

As much as I hate the idea of giving a book a one-star rating, I think I have to in this case. Although informative, this book is so incredibly repetitive that I was already counting how many pages I had left to read by the time I was in Chapter 3. What Lex McAulay provides in this book is a day-by-day, squadron-by-squadron account of just about every single raid made by the 5th Air Force against two targets: Wewak and Hollandia. As a result, after reading account after account after account of the same kinds of attacks, made over and over against the same targets, with a few personal anecdotes provided in a failed attempt to relieve the monotony, it became a real chore to finish this book. Mr. McAulay also closes each raid's description with a discussion about the differing losses reported by various Allied and Japanese forces, as if that were somehow fascinating or important.

Yes, I did learn some things about the war that I didn't know before. I came away smarter than I went in. But I sure didn't enjoy the learning experience here.

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very good book. Author's writing style is dry and boring, and he skips around quite a bit with the timeline--makes it hard to figure out when things happen.