The Cactus Air Force: Air War Over Guadalcanal

Using diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts, this vivid narrative brings to life the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942. The battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive operation undertaken by the US and its allies in the Pacific War. The three months of air battles between August 20, 1942, when the first Marine air unit arrived on the island, and November 15, when the last enemy attempt to retake the island was defeated, were perhaps the most important of the Pacific War. “Cactus,” the code name for the island, became a sinkhole for Japanese air and naval power, as they experienced losses that could never be made good. For 40 years, the late Eric Hammel interviewed more than 150 American participants in the air campaign at Guadalcanal, none of whom are still alive. These interviews are the most comprehensive first-person accounts of the battle assembled by any historian. More importantly, they involved the junior officers and enlisted men whose stories and memories were not part of the official history, and thus provide a unique insight. In The Cactus Air Force, Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver worked closely with Eric to build on his collection of diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts to create a vivid narrative of the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.

Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1: BEFORE – January 4–July 31, 1942 CHAPTER 2: RXI – May 25–August 6, 1942 CHAPTER 3: HEAVY BOMBERS – June 10–August 6, 1942 CHAPTER 4: HELPLESS – August 7–August 20, 1942 CHAPTER 5: THE CAVALRY ARRIVES – August 20, 1942 CHAPTER 6: FIRST CONTACTS – August 21–August 25, 1942 CHAPTER 7: EARLY DAYS – August 26–September 4 CHAPTER 8: EDSON'S RIDGE – September 1–September 13, 1942 CHAPTER 9: GROWING INTO THE JOB – August 30–September 15, 1942 CHAPTER 10: DECISIONS – September 1942 CHAPTER 11: TIT FOR TAT – September 15–30, 1942 CHAPTER 12: NIMITZ – September 1942 CHAPTER 13: STORMY WEATHER – October 1–11, 1942 CHAPTER 14: THE NAVAL BATTLE OF CAPE ESPERANCE – October 12, 1942 CHAPTER 15: CRISIS – October 13–15, 1942 CHAPTER 16: RELIEF – October 16–18, 1942 CHAPTER 17: DOG DAYS – October 19–23, 1942 CHAPTER 18: THE MOST DIFFICULT TIME – October 23–30, 1942 CHAPTER 19: BACKS TO THE WALL – November 1–14, 1942

About the Author :
The late Eric Hammel is recognized as one of the leading American military historians, with more than 40 well-received books that are considered authoritative on their subjects published over a 50-year career. Co-author Thomas McKelvey Cleaver is one of Osprey's most successful authors, and is also a recognized authority on the Pacific War. With his best-selling books Pacific Thunder, Tidal Wave and now The Cactus Air Force, he brings a lifetime of study to the project.

Review :
Hammel and Cleaver have once more brought Guadalcanal front and center. Theirs is a harrowing tale of unpreparedness, intelligence and leadership failures, of learning hard lessons in the furious crucible of war, of sacrifice and loss, of great courage, and, ultimately, of a great victory secured at a fearsome cost. Overstating Eric Hammel's impact as a military historian is impossible. His focus on aviation-and Guadalcanal in particular-has seen few equals. Today, we benefit not only because Hammel had the foresight to capture the first-person accounts of thousands of veterans, but also because he possessed the knowledge to place them in the proper context. Eric Hammel's research, done when no one else was interested in learning these stories, has allowed a story we all think we know well to be told anew, through the words of those whose stories were never told before. The Cactus Air Force is a vital contribution that provides new information about this crucial battle. Eric Hammel was outstanding among us in finding participants and conducting interviews. His best work glowed that way, notably in his Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima publications. This superbly written description of the conflict in the Pacific chronicles these battles with reference to official records and, more importantly, personal accounts of the US participants taken from interviews and diaries. These graphic and moving accounts create a vivid narrative for the reader.