The Fifth Fighter Command in World War II

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.

Dr. William Wolf is a retired dentist whose passion is WWII air combat. He has over 22,000 books and three miles of microfilm on WWII in his library, and is the author of sixteen books and numerous articles on WWII aviation history.