Book Review of
South Pacific at War, Vol. 4
Buna & Milne Bay
June-September 1942
Authors: Michael Claringbould & Peter Ingman
Avonmore Books
ISBN: 978-0-6486659-7-7
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: $46.95
ISBN: 978-0-6486659-7-7
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: $46.95
THE BOOK:
Avonmore Books is based in Australia.
This book is soft-cover of 180 pages in 7” x 9 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a P-40 flying above the clouds. It is in a wave pattern camouflage of 2 shades of green with a yellow spinner and a shark mouth on its nose. It carries the yellow fuselage letter W below its windscreen on the sides and a white no. 28 on its rudder.
The book contains 3 color map illustrations, 2 color photos of author Michael Claringbould and 7 data lists.
The text covers all the battles between the Japanese and the Allies in the South Pacific.
There are 15 color illustrations, but it is hard to determine if they are photos or paintings?
These show:
A “Beaufort”, a “Liberator” and squadron logo, a “Marauder”, a A6M2-N “Rufe” floatplane, a KU-J1N1 “Irving”, Tainan Zeros shooting down a Dauntless A-24, a “Rufe” floatplane attacking a B-17, a “Babs” being shot down by a P-30, a P-40 being chased by a Zero, a model 21 Zero on fire ready to ditch, and a Airacobra attacking a Zero that is just taking off.
The book begins with the introduction, glossary, abbreviations and exploratory notes.
There are 55 black and white wartime photos.
These include:
Four photos of Japanese pilots, the mountain township of Bulolo before the war, 2 photos of Australian soldiers around a damaged P-40 at Port Moresby, a photo of Port Moresby, an Australian pilot, a SNLF soldier, the wreck of the Aytbsan Maru, the B-26 “Miss Snafu”, a Japanese Betty bomber, 4 photos of B-17’s, the wreckage of a A-24, a view of the Townsville Harbor, an Australian soldier, a navigator inside a Japanese “Betty” bomber, crew-member of a B-17D “The Swoose” pointing at the fuselage emblem, a “Marauder” bomber, U.S. Generals, Australian coastal Vestal Manutu, B-17E “Jap Happy”, men cleaning weapons, a “Betty” bomber shot down in the ocean, USN Heavy Cruiser U.S.S. Astoria, 2 photos of a RAAF Kittyhawk, an Australian Army truck stuck in mud at Milne Bay, a photo of Milne Bay, B-17E “Chief Seattle” with crew, 3 photos of debris on 7-mile runway, a P-38 “Lightning”, another B-17E, a Japanese barge and stores abandoned at Mile Bay, a “Liberator” on fire, Milne Bay from the air, Japanese crewmen with a “Val”, a “Hudson”, Anshum in Milne Bay, a wrecked “Beaufighter”, a model 32 Zero, wreckage of a “Betty” and Australian destroyer HMAS Arunta.
The color profiles include:
A Bristol “Beaufort” with a black and white photo of the actual aircraft illustrated. a “Catalina” PBY-5 flying boat with a black and white photo of the actual aircraft, a Martin B-26 nicknamed “Martin’s Misscarraige” with a black and white photo of the actual aircraft, a Mitsubishi F1M2 “Pete” floatplane, a Mitsubishi G4M1 model 11, a “Hudson” Mk. IIIA, an Aichi E13A1 floatplane, a Nakajima E8N1 “Dan” floatplane, a Kawanishi H6K “Mavis” flying boat, a Boeing B-17E, a P-40E-1 “Kittyhawk”, a A6M3 model 32 Zero, a A6M model 21 Zero, an Aichi D3A1 “Val” with black and white photo of actual aircraft illustrated, a Douglas A=20A and a Mitsubishi G3M1 model 11 “Betty”.
At the end of the book there are:
7 pages of Appendices
2 ½ pages of Sources an Acknowledgements
An 8 page Index
The last page is blank.
This book pretty much covers all the action in the South Pacific during WWII. It will be of great interest to aircraft modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review copy. All Avonmore book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Avonmore Books is based in Australia.
This book is soft-cover of 180 pages in 7” x 9 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a P-40 flying above the clouds. It is in a wave pattern camouflage of 2 shades of green with a yellow spinner and a shark mouth on its nose. It carries the yellow fuselage letter W below its windscreen on the sides and a white no. 28 on its rudder.
The book contains 3 color map illustrations, 2 color photos of author Michael Claringbould and 7 data lists.
The text covers all the battles between the Japanese and the Allies in the South Pacific.
There are 15 color illustrations, but it is hard to determine if they are photos or paintings?
These show:
A “Beaufort”, a “Liberator” and squadron logo, a “Marauder”, a A6M2-N “Rufe” floatplane, a KU-J1N1 “Irving”, Tainan Zeros shooting down a Dauntless A-24, a “Rufe” floatplane attacking a B-17, a “Babs” being shot down by a P-30, a P-40 being chased by a Zero, a model 21 Zero on fire ready to ditch, and a Airacobra attacking a Zero that is just taking off.
The book begins with the introduction, glossary, abbreviations and exploratory notes.
There are 55 black and white wartime photos.
These include:
Four photos of Japanese pilots, the mountain township of Bulolo before the war, 2 photos of Australian soldiers around a damaged P-40 at Port Moresby, a photo of Port Moresby, an Australian pilot, a SNLF soldier, the wreck of the Aytbsan Maru, the B-26 “Miss Snafu”, a Japanese Betty bomber, 4 photos of B-17’s, the wreckage of a A-24, a view of the Townsville Harbor, an Australian soldier, a navigator inside a Japanese “Betty” bomber, crew-member of a B-17D “The Swoose” pointing at the fuselage emblem, a “Marauder” bomber, U.S. Generals, Australian coastal Vestal Manutu, B-17E “Jap Happy”, men cleaning weapons, a “Betty” bomber shot down in the ocean, USN Heavy Cruiser U.S.S. Astoria, 2 photos of a RAAF Kittyhawk, an Australian Army truck stuck in mud at Milne Bay, a photo of Milne Bay, B-17E “Chief Seattle” with crew, 3 photos of debris on 7-mile runway, a P-38 “Lightning”, another B-17E, a Japanese barge and stores abandoned at Mile Bay, a “Liberator” on fire, Milne Bay from the air, Japanese crewmen with a “Val”, a “Hudson”, Anshum in Milne Bay, a wrecked “Beaufighter”, a model 32 Zero, wreckage of a “Betty” and Australian destroyer HMAS Arunta.
The color profiles include:
A Bristol “Beaufort” with a black and white photo of the actual aircraft illustrated. a “Catalina” PBY-5 flying boat with a black and white photo of the actual aircraft, a Martin B-26 nicknamed “Martin’s Misscarraige” with a black and white photo of the actual aircraft, a Mitsubishi F1M2 “Pete” floatplane, a Mitsubishi G4M1 model 11, a “Hudson” Mk. IIIA, an Aichi E13A1 floatplane, a Nakajima E8N1 “Dan” floatplane, a Kawanishi H6K “Mavis” flying boat, a Boeing B-17E, a P-40E-1 “Kittyhawk”, a A6M3 model 32 Zero, a A6M model 21 Zero, an Aichi D3A1 “Val” with black and white photo of actual aircraft illustrated, a Douglas A=20A and a Mitsubishi G3M1 model 11 “Betty”.
At the end of the book there are:
7 pages of Appendices
2 ½ pages of Sources an Acknowledgements
An 8 page Index
The last page is blank.
This book pretty much covers all the action in the South Pacific during WWII. It will be of great interest to aircraft modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review copy. All Avonmore book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.