Hell in the Heavens

by John M. Foster

Fine in Very Good jacket, True Combat adventures of a Marine Fighter Pilot in WW II, Nice photo section. Slight signs of age to book, DJ has slight damage to top of spine.

254 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Apes25]

My grandfather wrote this book!!!! It is about his expeiriences in WW2!! Pretty cool that it is on here!!

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 1961, HELL IN THE HEAVENS is among the earliest Second World War combat memoirs that I've been privileged to read. Its author, John M. Foster, was a U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) fighter pilot who saw combat with VMF 222, flying F4U Corsairs on combat missions over the Solomon Islands during the latter stages of the great air, land, and naval battles that were waged there between August 1943 and February 1944.

Foster spares no punches in conveying the full range of experiences for a typical fighter pilot and that of his squadron mates. For the Marine fighter squadrons in the South Pacific during 1943, each pilot was required to complete 3 combat tours, each of which lasted for 6 weeks. Then the squadron would be given a week of R&R in Australia (following the completion of a combat tour) and then sent to one of the outlying U.S. air bases in nearby New Caledonia, where it would await reassignment to combat duty.

From New Georgia to Bougainville, Foster's squadron flew numerous fighter sweeps, bomber escort missions, and ground attack sorties against various Japanese targets, including Japan's great citadel city of Rabaul with its airbases, army units, and port, situated on the island of New Britain (closely adjacent to the Solomon Islands). Along with the U.S. Navy and Marines, the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) are cited by Foster for the supportive roles they played in turning back the Japanese tide in the Solomon Islands during his service there.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. In Foster's words, "I have tried to tell faithfully and honestly what a man overseas does, hears, sees, and feels..." in conveying the story of one USMC fighter squadron and its pilots in the South Pacific during the Second World War. The book also made me curious to know how Captain Foster's life turned out beyond 1961 when he was in early middle age. I mounted several Google searches and was unable to find any further information about him.

For anyone who has an interest in reading candid, unvarnished wartime memoirs, I highly recommend Hell in the Heavens.