Customer Reviews

Fire In The Sky: The Air War In The South Pacific

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like its predecessor "Touched With Fire : The Land War in the South Pacific", "Fire in the Sky" brings to light a wealth of little-known information concerning warfare in the South Pacific. This is truly a groundbreaking book on the subject. Unlike many other books that I have read on the airwar in the Pacific, Eric Bergerud's book goes beyond the romanticism of descriptions of famous Aces and the vaunted Japanese Zero. This book studies in great detail the (sometimes surprising) strengths and weaknesses of the opposing sides aircraft, doctrine, training and maintenance programs, etc... By covering details often omitted by other Authors, Mr. Bergerud shows us how in the space of a half year the outnumbered and poorly equipped Allied air-forces are able to achieve parity with the Japanese, and eventually turn the tide of the air battle. In addition to interviews with pilots and descriptions of tactics and combat, his attention to the war-winning effects of such neglected topics such as aircraft maintenance bring new understanding to this topic. I cannot recommend this book too highly. It is without a doubt the most interesting book that I have read on the airwar on the Pacific and indeed one of the better Military History books available.

This book written by Professor Eric Bergerud is excellent in every respect. The organization, technical accuracy and readability is the best I have read in over 30 years of aviation history study, teaching and writing. Compared to the air war in the European Theater of Operation there are relatively few books that cover the Pacific Air War and none that are so encompassing as this book. I especially like the many detail comparisons of the military organization structures the land air bases, the men and the machines (aircraft) as well as the importance logistics played in the overall out comes. The only fault I have with the book is that it is to hard to put down. The 690 + pages provide the reader not only with the subject matter being address but also the technical and aviation history leading up to those events. Therefore, in addition to the Pacific Air War the reader will learn many interesting, important and integrated aviation facts that give the reader a clear understanding of events that shaped not only the Pacific War but World War II in total. In my opinion the book without a doubt will become a classic in it's field.

With the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at PearlHarbor, a series of stinging military disasters would punish Americanand Allied forces, and push them back across the whole of the Pacific for the next six months. The strategic victory in the Battle of the Coral Sea, followed by the staggering beating suffered by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the waters northwest of Midway island finally halted the relentless military juggernaut of Japan.

For the next two years one of the hardest fought battles raged in the South Pacific. Places like Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Bougainville and Rabaul would fill the headlines in American newspapers across the country. A great many books have been written about various aspects of this especially difficult theater of operations. However, few of these have addressed in depth the complex campaign waged by both sides for control the air. Eric Bergerud's newly released Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific, does exactly that.

This is no small work of history. There was no doubt in my mind that this was going to take a great deal of time to wade through. In all likelihood, it probably would take weeks to finish.

I finished the book within five days. Then, I read it again, cover to cover. I devoured Fire in the Sky in huge chunks, pouring over chapter after chapter for hours at a sitting.

So, you may wonder; what is the attraction of this book?

First and foremost, it is excellent history. Yet, there is no hint of the dry, colorless narration that hallmarks much of the work that attempts to encompass the breadth and scope that Mr. Bergerud has so ably captured in this remarkable volume. Nearly every page provides a revelation.

Fire in the Sky is possibly the very best analysis of a major air campaign ever placed in print. Bergerud's consummate writing style is very entertaining, his skillful use of personal anecdote combined with the detachment of a historian, blend into compelling reading and a truly enjoyable experience.

Warts? A few. I cannot imagine a 700 page monster such as this without any. Still, these are generally related to technical subject matter and in no way take away from the completeness of Bergerud's triumph, and a triumph it is. Having also read his wonderful Touched by Fire: The Land War in the South Pacific, I can say without hesitation that this new work not only complements Touched by Fire, it surpasses it.

Destined to be the definitive history of the air war in the South Pacific, no serious student of World War Two or aviation can afford not to have this book in their personal library.

Corey C. Jordan, Editor

The Planes and Pilots of WWII Internet Magazine

Having read dozens of books on the Pacific Theater of WW II in the past few years, I would rate this book as the best. Beautifully researched and written, Bergerud captures the essence of the air war in the South Pacific as he did in his book on the land war in the South Pacific (Touched by Fire...) a few years ago. Gives both the big picture and the details (including interviews with combatants) in a compelling and informative style. I was engrossed from page 1 to 670. Non fiction of this caliber is rare. A must read for anyone interested in the complete story and an in-depth analysis of this long and hard fought campaign. I enjoyed Fire is the Sky more than Touched by Fire.......can't wait for the third volume in this series (if he chooses to write it) a definitive account of the sea war in the South Pacific. I would be his first customer.

Given the other reviews regarding the present book, I think it's important to begin my review of Fire in the Sky by explaining what Eric Bergerud does, and what he doesn't do. This will also serve to explain what this book is, and what it isn't.

1. Eric Bergerud doesn't write narrative histories of battles or campaigns. The previous book of his that I read (Red Thunder, Tropic Lightning) was not a narrative history, neither is this, and apparently his other two books aren't either. Saying they're poor narrative histories (several reviewers, notably fellow historian Eric Hammel, do this or imply it) is like saying a Ferrari is bad for carrying lumber to a construction site. It's intended for picking up girls; you buy a pickup to haul lumber. Bergerud's books are all thematic rather than narrative in content; comparable books would include Bell I. Wiley's The Life of Billy Yank and The Life of Johnny Reb, and John J. Elting's Swords around a Throne.

2. Bergerud doesn't do oral histories, either. His books, because of their thematic nature, are attempting to make points rather than just provide a you-are-there realism. The first person accounts that he uses are therefore not sorted chronologically or by battle, but to illustrate points the author is making in the text. If you try and figure out what sort of chronological order the author was using to sort the accounts he recounts, you'll be lost.

3. This leads us to what this book *is*. It's a thematic account of the Air War in the South Pacific during the period from the summer of 1942 to the spring of 1944. This is the crucial period where the Japanese Air Forces started with a seemingly overwhelming advantage, and ended with a catastrophic defeat. How and why this occurred is the meat of this book.

Since the author is freed from a narrative form for the bulk of the book, the structure is different from what you would normally encounter when opening such a volume. Instead of getting an account of the individual maneuvers, battles, and campaigns of the conflict, you instead get chapters on the terrain, the weather, the airplanes of the combatants, and the nature of combat over the course of the period covered by the book. Such mundane things as airfield contruction, airplane maintenance, squadron morale, operational accidents, and supply aircraft, normally relegated to a footnote or not mentioned at all in other books, get a fair treatment here. The result is a wonderful book that includes so much information that's not in other works that it would be futile to try and list it all. Suffice to say that the book is one of the best on any campaign ever written in my view. I disagree strongly with most of the criticisms on this site.

I will concur in one minor criticism. While I disagree that the book needed an editor in the sense of shortening the text, I will agree that a *copy*editor was needed, perhaps a better proofreader. There are several spots where the text uses "sunk" and clearly should say "sank," and on one occasion uses "cryptographer" when it should say "cartographer." Most of these occur in the last 200 pages of the book: you get the idea that the production staff was in a hurry or got tired.

Other than this minor flaw, this is a near-perfect book on the South Pacific Air War, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.

Once again Eric Bergerud has produced an outstanding book, this one covering the air war in the Pacific. This is a great companion volume to his last book covering the land campaign, `Touched with Fire: The Land War in the South Pacific'. This new book offers the reader a great story about air combat in the Pacific and the author's research and passion for the subject shows. It is hard to find a decent one-volume account of this period that covers all combatants, their weapons, tactics and strategy.

I enjoyed reading about the pilots and how they coped in one of the toughest theatres of the Second World War and it was a pleasant change to see that the Australian and New Zealand efforts were not forgotten or lost in within the larger American commitment. I found some the of pilots stories quite funny although I am not too sure what the Aussie pilot would had thought about an Australian flag being painted on an American fuselage after the Yank mistook a Australian Wirraway for a Jap aircraft and shot him down!

This book provided a deeper understanding of what it was like for those young men during the darker days of the war whilst fighting in the Pacific. The story of their efforts and that of their enemies in the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy has been presented in a excellent and non-biased account. The narrative flowed along effortlessly but on occasion I felt that the author had diverged off track slightly. Regardless of that it was still an enjoyable book to read and I a now eagerly awaiting his third book. This book and `Touched with Fire' should be sitting in every serious library about WW2.

One point for both the editor and author, A.I.F. stands for Australian Imperial Forces not Australian Independent Force.

Pros: Incredible narrative and detail, expert analysis, well documented.
Cons: Not for the casual reader due to technical detail and length.
The Bottom Line: Original analysis of factors not often addressed by other writers, engaging first person narratives.
Recommended: Yes

I recently attended a lecture by Dr. Robert Ballard touring for his new book "Graveyards of the Pacific War". He told us that the generation that fought World War 2 are disappearing fast. The veterans will soon all be gone. Along with the same concerns voiced by Stephen Ambrose, it's important to get the oral history recorded before these men and women are no longer with us.

Eric M. Bergerud has achieved a readable approach to writing history by including such personal narratives collected from his countless interviews with veterans, and personal research. I find all of his books totally engaging. Unlike other writers, Bergerud examines all aspects of the subject: the technological development of the aircraft and design theory, the men and their training, the terrain and its effects on the men and machines, the evolution of combat in the war over the south Pacific.

A good example of his narrative story telling comes from his chapter on the terrain of the battlefield. (I will add the exact quote in an update.) The south Pacific boasts some of the world's deepest jungles and most deadly shark infested waters. Pilots taking off from New Guinea could look down and see schools of sharks below them in the clear blue water. Yet if they were forced down and had a choice between landing in the water or the jungle, they always chose the water. The jungles were so impenetrable, if they landed there they were as good as dead. At least in the water, they might be spotted and picked up be a rescue plane.

How would one assume this might affect battle? In Europe a downed aviator could at least expect a chance to escape with help from the resistance, find people (of his own race) who spoke English and possibly could help him, in a terrain that he was at least familiar with. At worst he could expect capture and internment, more or less by the rules of war. Not so in the Pacific. The terrain was (and remains) among the most hostile to human life in the world, distances were vast, some of the natives on New Guinea and in the Solomons still practiced head hunting, while others were allies with the Japanese. Those unlucky enough to fall into Japanese hands alive, were usually tortured for information, executed, or shipped off to slave labor camps in Japan and elsewhere. Thus, pilots were understandably very cautious about accepting battle unless circumstances gave them the advantage.

As a student of the Pacific War and aviation history I can say this is the best historical work on the air war I have ever read. This is not simply a history of force x engaging force z on such and such a day. This is a story of two cultures, with different philosophies of training and technological design that came to be embraced in mortal combat. Thus the aircraft manufactured by each side reflected those cultures as much as the men who flew them. What this book most accurately depicts is the evolution of two industrial nations at war over the most remote battlefield of World War 2.

Japan, lacking an industry in depth, produced variants of aircraft trying to compete with the United States. By the first months of 1943 the US was flying second generation fighters: the F4U Corsair, the P38 Lightning, the F6F Hellcat. At the same time the ranks of elite Japanese pilots were rapidly disappearing. So too did their technological advantages as the Americans arrived in battle flying aircraft that, with proper tactics, could outfly, outgun, and destroy their Japanese counterparts. Without the ability to achieve air superiority, it spelled doom for the Imperial Japanese Navy beginning from Guadalcanal. As each island garrison was isolated or overtaken, the Allies crept close to Rabaul, the main Japanese anchorage in New Britain. The aeriel siege of Rabaul was among the final blows that brought down the Japanese empire, and an example of some of the bravest flying of World War 2.

I recommend this book if you are interested in the history of World War 2, combat aviation or technological histories. The level of detail may but off the casual reader. Anyone interested in the ground war should read "Touched With Fire, the Land War in the South Pacific", also by Bergerud ISBN: 0140246967 . (I am currently reading his second book, "Red Thunder, Tropic Lightning: The World of a Combat Division in Vietnam" ISBN: 0140235450 another great read.) He is currently working on a third volume covering the naval carrier operations.

This book does what a anyalitical history book is supposed to do but rarely does. Prove something that was not known to be true. I like most people viewed the air war in the south pacific to be a waiting game till more and better hardware and vast numbers of crewman arived from the states. This book clearly shows that a warn-out, ad-hoc, and whatever was available 5th airforce achived a strategic defeat of Japan before the calvary arivied in the form of the vast fleets of Essex's class cariers.

The book also destroys the fighter centric view of most pacific historys. Fighers without bombers are shown to be basically useless. It also neatly skewers the endless my figher is better than yours arguments that run through most air war history by of all things lots of analysis of figher capablities with the conclusion that most modern fighers are pretty much the same and give the will the side with the technically inferior force can win.

This work is also another chip in the wall of the book "Brute Force" but Ellis. Just because the allies had more resources does not mean they could not have lost or did not win by other means.

Finally the book is a masterfully written and integrates a lot of purely quantitative data withouer bogging down the book.

"Fire in the Sky" is an extraordinarily detailed yet highly readable account of the air war in the South Pacific. While lengthier than its predecessor--"Touched With Fire," a chronicle of the land war in that godforsaken portion of the Pacific theatre of operations--Dr. Bergerud's book is an excellent companion volume and is a must-read for anyone who has read "Touched With Fire" or who is a student either of the South Pacific battles of World War II or of airpower. The impact of both Allied and Japanese airpower--bombers, fighters, and the all-important but unsung transport services--are analyzed in keen detail, along with the effects of radar and antiaircraft units. Interspersed throughout, as in Dr. Bergerud's prior works, are compelling and captivating first-person interviews and vignettes with veterans. The book also provides full justice to the other "half" of the Allied airpower team whose story is somewhat less well known in the U.S., the Royal Australian and Royal New Zealand Air Forces, but whose contributions were most impressive and served as another critical tool for Allied victories over Japan in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It is hard for this reader to imagine any future book that would be the last word on this topic or excel over Dr. Bergerud's well-written (and incredibly well-researched) text.

A lot of the content in Fire in the Sky is great, in many ways a worthy successor to Bergerud's first-rate Touched by Fire and Red Thunder, Tropic Lightning. Even pretty knowledgeable readers will learn a lot from reading this book, and Bergerud presents the air war in a clear, dispassionate, and intelligent manner that really allowed me to understand the conflict in the Pacific at a level that I never had before.

All that having been said, this book is an incredible case study for a near-total editorial failure. The narration veers into meandering pointlessness for pages upon pages on many occasions. Huge sections are almost completely unfoucussed. Where Bergerud retains his focus and has a point, the effect is excellent, and produces a result that falls just short of Keegan. But brevity is the soul of wit, and where he doesn't, the whole thing becomes a morass.

It's interesting to watch the progression: Red Thunder, Tropic Lighting had tight, crisp prose and a focussed narrative, and was easily Bergerud's best book. Touched with Fire was detailed and insightful, and was absolutely first-rate despite it's tendancy to go on a bit and repeat himself a bit too often. Fire in the Sky, though, has really gone over the edge. To get the most of this book (and there really is quite a lot in there to come away with), you really have to be willing to either wade through a lot of pointless rambling or be willing to skip over large sections.

Don't get me wrong, I'm giving this book 4 stars, because there is a lot of awesome content and when it's controlled, the writing is very good. This book clearly had the potential to be a definitive work with a strong editorial hand, which is how highly I think of a lot of the content. Unfortunately, the hand was clearly missing.