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A fighter pilot who flew 75 combat missions in World War I, George
C. Kenney was a charismatic leader who established himself as an
innovative advocate of air power. As General MacArthur's air
commander in the Southwest Pacific during World War II, Kenney
played a pivotal role in the conduct of the war, but until now his
performance has remained largely unexplored. Thomas Griffith offers
a critical assessment of Kenney's numerous contributions to
MacArthur's war efforts. He depicts Kenney as a staunch proponent
of airpower's ability to shape the outcome of military engagements
and a commander who shared MacArthur's strategic vision. He tells
how Kenney played a key role in campaigns from New Guinea to the
Philippines; adapted aircraft, pilots, doctrine, and technology to
the demands of aerial warfare in the southwest Pacific; and pursued
daring strategies that likely would have failed in the European
theater. Kenney is shown to have been an operational and
organizational innovator who was willing to scrap doctrine when the
situation called for ingenuity, such as shifting to low-level
attacks for more effective bombing raids. Griffith tells how Kenney
established air superiority in every engagement, provided close air
support for troops by bombing enemy supply lines, attacked and
destroyed Japanese supply ships, and carried out rapid deployment
by airlifting troops and supplies. Griffith draws on Kenney's diary
and correspondence, the personal papers of other officers, and
previously untapped sources to present a comprehensive portrayal of
both the officer and the man. He illuminates Kenney's relationship
with MacArthur, General ""Hap"" Arnold, and other field commanders,
and closely examines factors in air warfare often neglected in
other accounts, such as intelligence, training, and logistical
support. MacArthur's Airman is a rich and insightful study that
shows how air, ground, and marine efforts were integrated to
achieve major strategic objectives. It firmly establishes the
importance of MacArthur's campaign in New Guinea and reveals
Kenney's instrumental role in turning the tide against the
Japanese.
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