This second volume chronicles aerial warfare in the South Pacific for
the two crucial months of March and April 1942 when a deadly struggle
for Port Moresby played out. It can be read alone or as part of a
trilogy that culminates in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942.
The period begins with the stunning 10 March US Navy carrier strike
against Lae and Salamaua, which caused the Japanese to pause their
advance until their own carriers were available. Instead, they tried to
grind the Allied forces at Port Moresby into submission through an
unrelenting air assault by their Betty bombers and superlative Zero
fighters. After a long wait, Allied land-based fighters finally arrived
in the form of Royal Australian Air Force No. 75 Squadron Kittyhawks.
These were backed up by a growing collection of United States Army Air
Force bombers, including A-24 Banshees, B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-25
Mitchells and B-26 Marauders (the latter two types making their
worldwide combat debut over the skies of New Guinea).
Together, this motley force took the fight to the Japanese, resulting in
a complex aerial campaign that saw units from both sides reach
exhaustion. Never before has such a detailed chronicle of this air war
been published, and for the first time the authors match Allied accounts
with Japanese records. The result is both thrilling and surprising, with
the resulting dispositions of the air forces of both sides setting the
scene for the Battle of the Coral Sea in May.
