Description:
During the first three days of the Japanese assault on American Pacific bases in December of 1941, the 24th Pursuit Group, the only unit of interceptor aircraft in the Philippine Islands, was almost destroyed as an effective force. Yet the group's pilot, doomed from the start by their limited training, an inadequate air warning system, and lack of familiarity with the few flyable pursuit aircraft they had left, fought on against immensely superior numbers of Japanese army and navy fighters.
Review Quotes:
"Ignoring the point of view of the top brass, Bartsch's book becomes a triumph of human interest rather than another statistical account ... A winning account of a losing campaign defended by courage and honor." -- Stars and Stripes
-- "Stars and Stripes"