MacArthur’s Air Force: American Airpower over the Pacific and the Far East, 1941–51 Hardcover – September 17, 2019

Liked the book. We’ll written and ties WW2 together. I have not finished reading about Korea and occupation of Japan.

Lots of rarely discussed facts. I am glad I read it. Worth the read.

Good

Excellent addendum to any amateur historian’s study of the the southwest pacific in world ware 2

I really wanted to give this book 3 1/2 stars, but had to settle on 3 as Amazon disallows half points! I bought this book primarily as an introduction to the overall air war in the South Pacific and Far East. From that standpoint, the author performed his task well. He also threw in some good photographs of the relevant players. A few considerations, however, kept me from awarding 4 or 5 stars. First, while Bill Yenne clearly writes well, the book became at times a bit tedious, with too many facts crammed into a paragraph. The narrative was stronger when specific operations were described, in particular the Philippines during the opening days of the Pacific War. Second, the section on Korea seemed too hurried, and even out of place. I would have preferred a straight account of the SW Pacific air war, which would have allowed a more in-depth exploration of the topic. If an editor, I would have suggested a longer book, less rushed and with more narrative flow.

I loved this book. I felt it brought to life a story which time has forgotten. That is the story of the 5th Air Force under General Kenney or what is more commonly known as MacArthur's Air Force. I think prior historians would lose this story due to the glare from MacArthur's halo. This author has found his shades and produced a great story which I would bet most don't know about.General Kenney turned his Air Force into a huge force multiplier with a fraction of resources the other theater's had. He did this multiplication through development of new tactics, use of maneuver warfare to gain advantage and mastery of joint warfare with other services and other nations. This was at a time where 8th Air Force and others were hammering their way in a costly battle of attrition. The story of how those things won battles for General Kenney is fascinating. I also found it interesting in how he scrapped things together through multiple methods.The only downside I found was in its approach. I would have loved to hear more stories from the tactical level and less at the strategic level. Also, it tries to do to much. The story of Korea really is the subject of a second book. That dilutes the focus of this book.I liked the book just because it is almost like new history. It tells a story most books forget.

Though Mr. Wenne's book is obviously well researched, it seemed to overwhelm me at times. Perhaps if it had only covered the second world war years, I might have found it more informative. He writes in a fairly conversational style, so overall I found MacArthur's Air Force to be a good piece of reference, and a nice addition to a military history bookshelf.I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.