The High Road To Tokyo Bay — The AAF In The Asiatic-Pacific Theater [Illustrated Edition]

By Daniel Haulman

Includes over 10 photos and maps
In early 1942, Japanese military forces dominated a significant portion of the earth’s surface, stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Bering Sea and from Manchuria to the Coral Sea. Just three years later, Japan surrendered, having lost most of its vast domain. Coordinated action by Allied air, naval, and ground forces attained the victory. Air power, both land-and carrier-based, played a dominant role.
Understanding the Army Air Forces’ role in the Asiatic-Pacific theater requires examining the context of Allied strategy, American air and naval operations, and ground campaigns. Without the surface conquests by soldiers and sailors, AAF fliers would have lacked bases close enough to enemy targets for effective raids. Yet, without Allied air power, these surface victories would have been impossible.
The High Road to Tokyo Bay concentrates on the Army Air Forces’ tactical operations in Asia and the Pacific areas during World War II. A subsequent pamphlet will cover the strategic bombardment of Japan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tannenberg Publishing
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781782898917

Daniel Haulman

See Book Description

Book preview

This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – [e-mail]

Or on Facebook

Text originally published in 1993 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

The U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II

The High Road to Tokyo Bay — The AAF in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

by

Daniel Haulman

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

The High Road to Tokyo Bay 4

Rogue Nation—Japan Becomes a Global Threat 4

Organizing for Global War—British and U.S. Leaders Build a Coalition 5

Into the Breach—Flying Tigers and Airlift Save China 6

Desperate Struggle—Air Power’s Role in the Burma and China Conflicts 8

Boeing Behemoth—The Superfortress Goes to War 13

Holding the Line—The AAF In the South and Southwest Pacific, 1942 14

Operation CARTWHEEL—The Encirclement of Rabaul 20

One-Two Punch—The MacArthur-Nimitz Two-Pronged Offensive 22

Straight Up the Middle—Nimitz’s Central Pacific Offensive 23

By Stealth from the South—MacArthur’s Advance to the Philippines 26

A Promise Fulfilled—The Liberation of the Philippines 27

The Invasion of Borneo—Seizing Japan’s Source of Raw Materials 28

The End in Sight -Iwo Jima and Okinawa 30

The Legacy of Valor—Courage, Sacrifice, and the Defeat of Japanese Militarism 31

Suggested Readings 33

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 35

The High Road to Tokyo Bay

In early 1942, Japanese military forces dominated a significant portion of the earth’s surface, stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Bering Sea and from Manchuria to the Coral Sea. Just three years later, Japan surrendered, having lost most of its vast domain. Coordinated action by Allied air, naval, and ground forces attained the victory. Air power, both land-and carrier-based, played a dominant role.

Understanding the Army Air Forces’ role in the Asiatic-Pacific theater requires examining the context of Allied strategy, American air and naval operations, and ground campaigns. Without the surface conquests by soldiers and sailors, AAF fliers would have lacked bases close enough to enemy targets for effective raids. Yet, without Allied air power, these surface victories would have been impossible.

The High Road to Tokyo Bay concentrates on the Army Air Forces’ tactical operations in Asia and the Pacific areas during World War II. A subsequent pamphlet will cover the strategic bombardment of Japan.

Rogue Nation—Japan Becomes a Global Threat

In the 45 years between 1895 and 1940, the Japanese empire expanded enormously. Before World War I, it had absorbed Formosa, Sakhalin, and