Following his first two massive volumes describing the day-by-day
history of the 5th Fighter Command and associated tactical, strategic,
and grand strategy, William Wolf completes the trilogy with this volume.
The aces of the 5FC are now personalized, and their fighters described,
and Japanese aces are portrayed for the first time. American and
Japanese pilot training and their importance to the outcome of the war
is discussed and compared. Details of the 5FC Groups and Squadrons are
revealed, as are those of the Japanese Naval and Army Air Forces. The
details of the aircraft of the two combatants are compared, and the
vulnerability of Japanese aircraft is discussed. The flying of the six
aircraft types of the 5th Fighter Command is first described from Pilot
Flight Manuals, then by the aces who flew them. Japanese and American
combat maneuvers and tactics are described. The crucial importance of
logistics and the construction of airfields are also discussed, along
with maintenance and repair. Finally, the air war is presented from the
Japanese viewpoint, including the causes for the defeat of its air
forces.