The Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII profiles of aircraft which served in the South Pacific theatre. Volume Seven covers the Douglas C-47, including numerous derivatives such as the C-53, R4D and DC-3. This was the most universal aircraft type to appear in the South Pacific and was deployed from day one to the cessation of hostilities. It was utilised by every military organisation including eighteen Fifth and Thirteenth Air Force USAAF squadrons, and also by the USN, USMC, RAAF, RNZAF, RAF and Dutch Air Force. Most profiles are presented for the first time, alongside a full explanation of the markings. Frequent trading of airframes between units resulted in wide-ranging heraldry, unit markings and nose art. In particular until now there has been a paucity of information about the markings of Thirteenth Air Force C-47s and USMC R4Ds, a gap largely filled by this volume. This volume illustrates the development of unit markings from the first commandeered DC-3 airliners in Australia through to the RNZAF C-47s used in the last days of the Pacific War in the Solomons. The profiles are accompanied by unit histories and photos. A wide range of reference material has been consulted including photos, colour movies, official records, diaries and information from wreck sites. The author, Michael Claringbould, is world-renown for his expertise on the Pacific air war. Never before have such meticulous colour profiles of the C-47 series been illustrated with such detailed and accurate markings.

This first volume of Solomons Air War chronicles aerial warfare in the opening phase of the war in the Solomons Islands theatre, being the critical period of August-September 1942. After occupying the Solomon Islands capital of Tulagi with ease in May 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy commenced building an airfield on the adjacent island of Guadalcanal. The indispensable airfield was over 600 miles distant from their main base of Rabaul and promised to extend the reach of their aircraft into the Allied occupied island chains of Fiji, the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. Much was at stake and the airfield would be held at all costs. Then, in early August 1942 a bold American invasion of both Tulagi and Guadalcanal caught the IJN completely off guard. Nevertheless, Japanese air power responded swiftly and in some cases desperately. So began the knife-edge struggle for Guadalcanal. An ever-increasing variety and number of IJN units was poured into the struggle, met initially with USN carrier-based Wildcats backed up by SBD Dauntless dive-bombers and the new TBF torpedo bomber. These were soon joined by USAAF fighters operating from the newly operational Henderson Field. From late August, Japanese carriers entered the fight, adding more complexity to the intense and frenzied air battles. For the first time belligerents are closely matched and the rationale of the IJN’s sometimes erratic response is explained. The full extent of both Japanese and US involvement is outlined to a level of detail never before presented.

Any USAAF pilot who flew the mission to Hollandia on the fateful afternoon of 16 April 1944 in New Guinea would remember it for the rest of their lives. So would anyone else in the theatre, for the weather-related losses that fateful day earned it the eternal epithet “Black Sunday”. The way home for more than three hundred bombers and fighters was blocked by a towering weather front whose thunderstorms rose well above any altitude they could reach. Over enemy territory and caught between mountains and the sea, there was no option but to confront nature. By dusk that evening 37 aircraft were missing or had been destroyed. A handful of survivors somehow made it back to valley and coastal bases in a series of arduous misadventures. It was, and remains, the biggest non-combat loss of any air force of any nation in the world. More than seven decades later, aircraft from the day are still missing somewhere in the New Guinea jungle. This major revision to the original version includes dozens of rare photos, complemented by a suite of maps, indexes, and colour profiles of participant aircraft. Japanese diaries reveal the fate of unlucky P-38 pilots forced to bail out. The text liberally cites veteran interviews, post-war wreck surveys and official USAAF records. The narrative tracks down the fate of every aircraft and every crew member, including those who rescued them. Put yourself in the cockpit against nature’s massive odds over hostile terrain and watch a composite picture evolve. The accelerating narrative from dozens of different perspectives is both fascinating and overwhelming.

This Volume Four of Pacific Adversaries conveys detailed stories of aerial warfare in the Solomons theatre, chosen because both Japanese and Allied records can be matched for an accurate accounting. Often the actual outcomes are very different to the exaggerated claims made by both sides as outlined in most traditional histories. In some cases, this factual approach enables long-standing mysteries to be solved. Further, for each chosen story photographic or other evidence enables accurate depictions of the aircraft involved. Through these chosen snapshots, Pacific Adversaries portrays the South Pacific conflict as accurately as possible. This fourth volume focuses exclusively on confrontations between the Japanese Naval Air Force (JNAF) and Allied air power in the Solomons theatre between 1943 and 1944. Following the bloody 1942 Guadalcanal campaign, the JNAF fought a largely defensive war in the Solomons against gathering Allied forces. Perhaps surprisingly, right through to the end of 1943, the JNAF offered significant resistance to the Allies and never ceded air superiority in the vicinity of its key base of Rabaul. Only in 1944, when units were withdrawn to the Central Pacific and the Philippines, was the JNAF presence in the South Pacific finally wound down to just a token force. Never before have detailed accounts matched up adversaries so closely, and in doing so, shine light on key events in Pacific skies so many years ago.

This is the illustrated diary of Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane pilot Warrant Officer Nemoto Kumesako, dating from the early months of the Pacific War. His recollections offer an intimate perspective into his life, along with insights into Japanese thinking of the times. Unusually, these memoirs are presented in a style consistent with the Japanese manga (illustrated cartoon) format. The curious floatplanes of the time, some of which verge on the steampunk, come to life with the author's uncanny sense of humour. Nemoto defies every stereotype of the Samurai warrior, for his diary betrays coveted romanticism. Although an exceptional character, he was certainly a man of his times. Not particularly close to his comrades, Nemoto prided himself in his worldly credentials. For example, he read Tolstoy's War& Peace in German between missions. Nemoto's writing style, cultivated and matter of fact, is tinged with insight and assurance. He never envisaged it would wind up in the wrong hands, and for this reason the reader will savour its frankness and insights. Michael Claringbould is a globally renown Pacific War author. This is his first attempt at getting away from conventional formats, instead producing an entertaining hybrid tale, garishly illustrated yet historically accurate. Its humorous format is also guaranteed to tell readers many things about this fascinating period they did not know.

This volume conveys detailed stories of aerial warfare in the South Pacific, chosen because both Japanese and Allied records can be matched for an accurate accounting. Often the actual outcomes are very different to the exaggerated claims made by both sides upon which many traditional histories have relied to date. Further, for each of the chosen stories photographic or other evidence enables an accurate depiction of the aircraft involved. Through these chosen snapshots Pacific Adversaries portrays the South Pacific conflict as accurately as possible. This first volume describes confrontations between the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) and the Allies in New Guinea and the Solomons. JAAF units first arrived in the South Pacific in December 1942 and effectively ceased operations in mainland New Guinea in April 1944. Theirs is a rich and colourful history about which many myths persist. Perhaps the biggest is that their Allied counterparts thought they were mainly fighting "Zeros", a falsehood still published and accepted to this day. In New Guinea the Allies ratcheted up a grueling, coordinated and unrelenting campaign, destroying most JAAF air power on the ground, not in the air. Their assault against Wewak's key bases involved an interwoven and complex strategy which eventually overpowered the Japanese. Never before have detailed accounts matched up adversaries so closely and in doing so shine light on key events in Pacific skies so many years ago.