Setting the Rising Sun: Halsey's Aviators Strike Japan, Summer 1945

by Kevin A. Mahoney

By the summer of 1945, Adm. Bull Halsey's U.S. Third Fleet had fought its way far enough in the Pacific that its carrier-based fighters could launch attacks on Japan itself in preparation for the invasion of the home islands, planned for the fall of 1945. This mission U.S. Navy fighters, fighter-bombers, dive-bombers, and torpedo-bombers--Hellcats, Avengers, Helldivers, and more--carried out with a vengeance, striking airfields, industrial targets, and coastal facilities while flying into the teeth of Japanese air defenses. Meanwhile, the fleet's aircraft continued to attack the Japanese navy (sinking a submarine from the air, attacking--but not sinking--the famous battleship Nagato, and attacking other ships), interdict enemy merchant shipping, and defend against kamikaze attacks on Third Fleet. As late as the morning of August 15--the day the ceasefire took effect (before the formal signing on September 2)--the fighters saw hard fighting, downing Japanese fighters making last-ditch, almost literally last-minute attacks on the U.S. fleet.

Numerous books have covered the American bomber war against Japan in World War II, from the Doolittle Raid to Curtis Lemay's strategic bombing campaign, the firebombing of Tokyo, and the dropping of the atomic bombs. But other than memoirs and bit parts in air war histories, fighter and fighter-bomber operations have received short shrift. Setting the Rising Sun corrects that oversight, zooming in on fighters during the war's final two months. In this carefully researched narrative history, Kevin Mahoney recounts this vital period of the Pacific War with drama and attention to detail. He draws on both American and Japanese perspectives to reconstruct intense combat missions and place them in the context of a war that was hurtling toward its conclusion in two mushroom clouds in Japan.

Genres: World War II

325 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2019

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the final months of the Pacific War, after Okinawa had finally been conquered, the U.S. Navy staged a series of strikes up and down the coast of Japan. Sailing with near impunity in Japanese waters, the vast American carrier forces launched thousands of sorties at airfields, harbors, power plants, munition works and factories all over the Japanese homeland with virtually no interference from Japanese air power. These strikes continued right up until the Japanese formally accepted the Allied terms of surrender, since the possibility of an invasion of Japan might still be necessary.

The author has done a good job of chronicling virtually all of the strikes carried out in July and August, 1945, along with some discussion of the U.S. Navy's naval bombardment operations carried out during this same period. However, while pretty much all the attacks are covered and much detail is provided, this book is a bit of a slog to get through. The author uses After Action Reports as the primary source of his research and seems to just regurgitate their contents with a little filler to tie them together. Very little personal recollections of the various actions and pretty much all the information presented excludes any post-war research into actual bombing results and claims.

I had high hopes for this book. While I did find the detail of the air strikes interesting, the narrative had virtually no flow and just seemed to be a repeat of what was originally written up 75 years ago. It was hard for me to sit and enjoy this book for extended periods of time, so I don't really think I'd recommend this.

[Kevin O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprising account of a historically neglected part of the Pacific war

Well researched and written, the author provides knowledge that is not readily available. I am grateful that he explored this part of history and shared it.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the final two or three months of World War II in the Pacific, the U.S. Third Fleet had fought its way far enough in the Pacific that its carrier-based fighters could launch attacks on Japan itself in preparation for the invasion of the home islands, planned for the fall of 1945. For this mission U.S. Navy fighters, fighter-bombers, dive-bombers, and torpedo-bombers Hellcats, Avengers, Helldivers, and more--carried out attacks on Japanese airfields, industrial targets, and coastal facilities and Japanese air defenses. Meanwhile, the fleet's aircraft continued to attack the Japanese navy sinking a submarine from the air, attacking the battleship Nagato, attacking other enemy merchant shipping, and defending against kamikaze attacks on the Third Fleet. Numerous books have covered the American bomber war against Japan in World War II, from the Doolittle Raid to Curtis Lemay's strategic bombing campaign, the firebombing of Tokyo, and the dropping of the atomic bombs. But other than memoirs and bit parts in air war histories, fighter and fighter-bomber operations have received little mention. Setting the Rising Sun corrects that oversight, focusing on these fighters during the war's final two months. In this carefully researched narrative history, the author recounts this vital period of the Pacific War with drama and attention to detail. He draws uniquely on both American and Japanese perspectives to reconstruct intense combat missions and place them in the context of a war that was hurtling toward its conclusion in two mushroom clouds in Japan.