Customer Reviews

Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, 1942-1945

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Here is the whole story of the aerial assault on the Japanese home islands from 1942 to 1945. There have been other excellent works on various aspects of the campaign, but Barrett Tillman's latest effort encompasses the entire story, covering virtually every mission against the home islands flown by both American and British forces during the war.

When I first learned that this book was in the works, I initially thought that it was going to be another lengthy tome on the B-29s that carried the vast majority of the bombload against Japan. Instead, I was pleased to see that Tillman has included the entire story, from the Doolittle raid barely 3 months after the Pearl Harbor attack to last photoreconnaissance sortie over Japan after the surrender in 1945.

While the B-29 saga is not the entire book, the plane's development, deployment, and operations are nonetheless thoroughly covered. Tillman doesn't hold anything back on that score, since the B-29 story was mostly one of failure until General LeMay made a drastic, almost bizarre change in mission tactics months after the first bomb fell from a Superfort. The advent of nighttime low-level firebombing by massed B-29 formations literally changed the campaign from one of failed expectations to stunning success.

Some reviewers have given Tillman's other aviation history books low marks because of his somewhat casual writing style and his bias towards nonstop action as opposed to a more scholarly approach to the subject. It would be regrettable to see that here as other reviews accumulate, because it's Tillman's unique style that makes Whirlwind a truly great read. If you want scholarly history on the bombing of Japan or any other element of World War II, voluminous references abound. But most of us are not scholars and care little for scholarly research. Tillman knows that and writes to the audience that appreciates a historical narrative told in a manner that captures and holds the reader's interest from cover to cover. Whirlwind excels in that category while delivering its subject matter with clarity and thoroughness.

When I saw the first ads for this book I thought that somebody MUST have covered all allied air operations over Japan in one volume before--but apparently not. At least I couldn't find it. In that regard alone, Whirlwind fills a gap in military/naval/aviation history that has existed for 65 years.

It's understandable that most of what's been published focuses on B-29 missions from China and the Marianas. But Tillman does an excellent job of merging all the air forces that flew over the Japanese home islands, and the often overlooked US Navy, Marine Corps and British units receive much deserved attention. The background chapters describing the evolution of army and naval aviation are thorough without being excessive, and the author does an especially good job describing the individuals who produced operating doctrine and procedures as well as influencing the hardware: aircraft and ships.

Probably the least known aspect of the Japanese air campaign is covered in a short appendix: Army and Navy operations from the Aleutian Islands to the Kuriles. The book would not have suffered much from omitting that section, but it's definitely enhanced by the inclusion of the "Empire Express" missions.

The photo section is interesting in itself: a fine variety with good quality reproduction.

It's obvious that Tillman knows his subject, and he reports its sacrifice and horror chillingly, as in a memorable passage describing the March 1945 fire bombing of Tokyo. We can be thankful that he and other "last minute" historians are recording such stories while there are still some WW II veterans to relate their tales. A quick look at the contributors shows that many are already deceased, so this book probably could not have been written in another five years.

Author Barrett Tillman has produced a welcome reminder of the efficacy of air power in Whirlwind. The most authentic and interesting presentation yet of the powerful 1945 air campaign in which true air power was realized for the first time, Whirlwind achieves every author's aim by being both scholarly and immensely readable. In telling the story of the U.S.A.A.F.'s pell-mell growth first to maturity and then to ascendancy in the skies over Japan, Tillman combines history in painstaking detail with the warm human drama of the conflict. One unusual, difficult but very valuable contribution is the care he takes to present both the American and the Japanese points of view at every level, from combat crewmember to commander.

The author covers all aspects of the air campaign against Japan, from Jimmy Doolittle's famous strike through the searing power of General LeMay's intensive fire-bombing campaign and le coup de grace of two atomic bombs. The accounts of the remarkable results from the B-29 aerial mining campaign are a welcome addition to the book, reminding us again of just how versatile the big Boeing bomber proved to be.

Tillman pulls no punches, laying out in detail just how destructive the bombing raids were but also reminding us of what a dreadful enemy the Japanese military proved to be with their heartless slaughter of captured airmen and their demonstrated intent to use every able civilian to repel an invasion. There is much to be learned from this book about World War II, and perhaps even more on the proper conduct of warfare at the present time, when the exercise of air power seems to be shelved in favor of futile attempts to win hearts and minds.

I am not a veteran. I am not an aviator. I am not a historian. I'm just a casual reader who watches History Channel from time to time. I loved this book. I've read a couple of Tillman's other books (Dauntless, and one he co-wrote with Coyle.) Those were fiction books. Although his specialty is detailed, meticulously researched history, he's a good story-teller.

It's not dry, like a history book. History is about real stuff that really happened to real people, and what comes across strongest about this book is how the author gets into the minds of the people. Apparently, he sat down and talked to the actual participants, and reports what they were thinking and feeling when these momentous things were going on.

Lots of stuff in here I never knew. Everybody knows about Kamikaze pilots flying into ships, but I did not know there were Kamikaze pilots who flew into B29s. Why isn't that as well known?

I never knew about the bitter, bitter animosity between the Japanese Army and the Japanese Navy. Apparently, that had a profound effect on the conduct and outcome of the war. Maybe military historians knew about that, but I never did, and that seems like the sort of thing that the general public should know.

What I really love about the book, though, is the insight into the people. What a soap opera! There were people who were so brave, and so brilliant, that if Hollywood tried to make a movie about them, they would be almost unbelievable. (Think Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List.) There were also people who had been "promoted to their level of incompetence" and, after they royally screwed up and got lots of men killed, were promoted/"kicked upstairs" to get them out of the way. No punches pulled here.

This book emphasis the "story" part of "history." Fascinating book.

The story of the B29 campaign against Japan is a microcosm of how the USA did its part to win World War II. Whirlwind tells the remarkable stories of:

1. The stupendous achievement in engineering technology and industrial production that went into the design, production, and deployment of the plane. The B29 was a gigantic plane, two of which would placed wing-to-wing would cover an entire football field. It was highly advanced with fire control by analog computing and remote-control of multiple gun turrets by a single crewman. The USA was able to produce thousands of these planes and create in the remote areas of China and the Pacific Islands the almost inconceivable infrastructure required to keep them flying.

2. The astounding degree of cooperation among engineers, production workers, and the branches of the armed forces to get this weapon into the war. A remarkably short time passed between the conception of this plane, its production, and its deployment. This was one aspect of America's wartime spirit of intensively hard work to win the war.

3. The huge amount of resources the USA committed to the effort. The first B29's were flown from bases deep inside Japanese-occupied China (I did not know this). The logistics of setting up these remote bases and keeping them stocked with fuel was a war within a war. Then the B29s were rebased to the Pacific islands and the effort scaled up a 100 fold.

4. The amount of effort required to work the "gremlins" out of the highly complex plane and to make it effective. Nearly 20% of the planes aborted due to mechanical failures on the early missions. Most of the planes that did get airborne missed their targets due to bad weather and poor bombing control. Careers of many famous Army Air Corps men were ended while others were advanced in the course of dealing with these problems and turning the planes from a liability into a weapon of terrible effectiveness.

5. The human stories of the men who flew the planes, the generals who conceived of the air campaign, and of the Japanese pilots who tried to defend against them. The story is vividly told through their perspectives and made to come to life. The reader will experience these events so vividly as to feel that he took part in them.

Whirlwind is a well-written, easy-to-read book that provides a detail of information and color that will provide fresh insights even of those who have intensively studied the B29 campaign in other books.

Barrett Tillman is arguably America's finest aviation historian, having produced 30-something well-received military aviation titles over the years. WHIRLWIND, THE AIR WAR AGAINST JAPAN, 1942-1945 is his latest book. A comprehensive account of the American bombing campaign against the Japanese homeland, it brings together a wide range of events, personalities, policies and weapons and synthesizes them into one easy-to-understand, insightful whole. A valuable book for air war buffs, WHIRLWIND is a masterful performance by an author at the top of his form.

After detailing the April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan, Tillman backtracks and discusses the early development of strategic air warfare and latter day proponents such as Mitchell and Arnold, the USAAF's creation of strategic warfare doctrine and development of bombers such as the B-17, B-24 and B-29 to implement that doctrine. Early American schemes to bomb Japan died aborning and it wasn't until the - premature - deployment of the B-29 to Chinese bases in 1944 that effective strikes could be mounted. It took the capture of Pacific islands such as Saipan, Guam and Tinian and the arrival of Curtis LeMay to turn the B-29 effort into a war-winning endeavor.

As stated, WHIRLWIND, perhaps for the first time in a book, brings together all the pieces of the puzzle, lays them out in easy-to-understand terminology and relates how and why they played a part in the American air campaign against Japan. Further, Tillman's narrative looks at both sides of the equation, noting military developments in America and Japan and how they impacted events. Mistakes were made on both sides and Tillman evenhandedly chronicles these as well. Likewise, he transitions seamlessly from top-level policy matters to B-29 design developments to in-the-cockpit air battle descriptions.

In short, Tillman manages to cram an incredible amount of information and insight into the book's 316 - not 336! - pages. Whatever the page length, WHIRLWIND may well be THE definitive account of the American air campaign against Japan. Highly recommended.

Don't be fooled by the cover - this book is not solely about the B-29 bomber offensive. Instead, it's a book that addresses the air war against the Japanese home islands and the surrounding coastal waters in all its forms, including naval air strikes. While comprehensive in scope, it is not particularly deep or detailed. Mr. Tillman keeps the prose very readable, even for the casual historian. Mr. Tillman also raises questions about the value of different air activities, such as the naval air strikes against the remains of the Japanese fleet. And of course, he also addresses the issues surrounding the atomic bombs. Overall, I found this book very light, readable, informative, and sometimes insightful. Highly recommended.

Barrett Tillman scores again, with this comprehensive work on the battles in the skies over Japan. From the opening chapter, where he establishes the basic concept of air power as seen through the eyes of Mitchell, Trenchard, and Douhet, thru the creation, teething pains, and eventual deployment of Boeing's massive B-29 Superfortress, Tillman socks one out of the park. Not merely a treatise on 'Victory Through Airpower', he covers all the bases. Each chapter transitions nicely--from the AAC's precision bombing campaign, thru the fast carrier strikes of Mitscher and McCain, and back to the employment of the long-legged P-51 Mustang, finishing finally with the climactic use of 'Fat Man' and 'Little Boy', and their legacy. Much of what I learned by reading this book was new to me...such as the enormous amount of labor involved in setting up those island airfields, the back story on napalm and incindiaries, and most especially, the woeful lack of adequate fire-fighting ablity and equipment in the Japanese cities. Most of the works out there concern the 'getting there' part of the war with Japan. This one covers the 'are there' part.

This book, like Barrett Tillman's other excellent book, the Clash of Carriers, provides the personal experiences of the men who were involved in bombing Japan. However, it also provides the strategic context for these events. Of course, the personal experiences are what makes this book. We are coming to the point where these men will no longer be with us, and sharing their experiences in print is priceless.

Here are a couple of examples to whet your appetite for this book. (1) There is the story of the gunner who was blown out of a B-29 at 29,000 feet and thanks to a make shift chord connecting him to the plane was dragged outside of the plane until a number of the crew could pull him in. (2) There is the story of the individual who accidentally fired off a flare in the plane. If the flare was not thrown out the window, it would burn through the plane's floor and detonate the bombs. Although he was blinded by the accident, he picked up the flare and threw it out the window. He received the Medal of Honor for his action.

Like his previous book, the author shares some insight on how things were accomplished in this period. For example, he shares how a bombadier made a Norden bombsight work, how a landing officer on a carrier helped a plane land on a bouncing deck, and the experiences of a P-51 fighter pilot who flew from Iwo Jima to Japan in a cramped uncomfortable space for 7 hours.

These are just some examples. He also shares the experiences of the men who were on the planes that dropped the first two atomic bombs, the experiences of the crews who fire bombed Tokyo in March, 1945, the carrier pilots who flew over Japan and had dog fights over their cities in the last few months, and the crews of bombers other than the B-29, e.g. the B-25 and B-24, who bombed Japan at the end of the war.

This is an excellent book and recommended for all individuals who are interested in reading about WWII in the Pacific.

In "Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan 1942-1945", Barrett Tillman has provided the full story of how and why the United States believed it necessary to obliterate vast areas of Japan in order to bring a stubborn and unyielding enemy to its knees in surrender. Making a case in support of killing hundreds of thousands of civilians is not an easy task. Yet, without appearing to justify the insanity of "total-war", Tillman does, at least to this reader's satisfaction, show the necessity of the massive bombing campaign that culminated at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Building on the understanding that Japanese leadership had totally involved almost all of Japanese society in the war (e.g.: closing schools above 6th grade while assigning teachers and students to national defense work, and establishing a Patriotic Citizens Fighting Corp for all males aged 15 to 60 and females aged 17 to 40), Tillman quotes the 5th Air Force's Weekly Intelligence Review as saying:

"The entire population of Japan is a proper military target...THERE ARE NO CIVILIANS IN JAPAN. We are making war and making it in the all-out fashion which saves American lives, shortens the agony which war is and seeks to bring about an enduring peace."

Also, Tillman includes such telling assessments as: "Against an enemy who seemed bent upon extinction, there was precious little middle ground for the Allies", (p. 257) and,

"...the hell-bent warlords' zealous view from Tokyo surveyed their pitiful, starving subjects and determined that they had not yet suffered enough to warrant surrender." (p. 262)

In "Whirlwind", the author makes it evident that the Japanese leadership was STILL unwilling to accept defeat and surrender, even after the massive destruction produced by two super-bombs. Had the emperor not overruled their decision, the war might have lasted "decades" to use their words, or resulted in the necessity of an invasion of the mainland, producing a far greater loss of life for all concerned.

"Whirlwind" is not an easy book to read. It is, however, an important book to read for anyone wanting to see the war from the perspective of those whose lives were on the line, and those who were charged with the responsibility of protecting American (and Japanese) lives. Tillman provides yet another proof of why war is a thing to be avoided, and proof of the old maxim "War is hell!"