Description
Ken’s Men Against The Empire Volume II is the fifth hardcover book in the Eagles Over the Pacific series that concludes the history of the 43rd Bombardment Group (43rd BG). Written by Lawrence J. Hickey and co-author James T. Pettus, Jr. who was Group Commander during the B-24 era from November 1943 until the end of the Pacific War.
Volume II continues from Ken’s Men Against The Empire Volume I, when the last of their B-17 Flying Fortress bombers returned to the United States or were converted into armed transports or VIP aircraft and assigned to other units. Converting to the B-24 Liberator, the 64th , 65th, and 403rd Bomb Squadrons continue to fly long-range bombing missions against Japanese targets across the Southwest Pacific. The 63rd Bomb Squadron (63rd BS) “Sea Hawks” received radar-equipped B-24s with specially trained crews to conduct low-level night searches to locate and bomb Japanese merchant shipping.
Ranging far and wide, the group strikes Japanese airfields and bases in New Guinea, the Netherlands East Indies, and the Philippines. The 43rd participated in the missions to neutralize Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea in early 1944 and later in the year daring strikes against the oilfields at Balikpapan on Borneo. In 1945, the group bombed industrial targets, ports, and transportation infrastructure on Formosa and the mainland then strikes against the home islands of Japan.
Along the way, the 43rd BG adopted the moniker Ken’s Men after three famous theater leaders who were significant to their history: General George C. Kenney, commander of Fifth Air Force, General Kenneth Walker, C.O. of V Bomber Command, Missing In Action (MIA) on January 5, 1943, and Major Kenneth D. McCullar an early squadron commander.
Ken’s Men Against the Empire Volume II includes 464 pages, a 32-page color section including 32 full-color B-24 aircraft profiles by aviation artist Jack Fellows. Ken’s Men Against the Empire: The B-24 Era tells the extraordinary story of the second half of the Pacific War, told using every available record, diary, and firsthand accounts from hundreds of veterans.
Book Details
Publisher: International Historical Research Associates
Format: Hardcover, 464 pages, over 600 photos, 32-page color section
Size: 11.25” length x 8.75” width x 1.125” height
ISBN-13: 978-0-913511-06-0
Publication Year: 1st Edition, 2019
Language: English
Preview
Reviews
- “…exhaustively researched chronology with aircrew’s memories and a wealth of photographs tell an epic tale.” –Aviation History Magazine
- “5 Stars: This book is a massive undertaking… The result is a magnificent hard-bound volume that comprises well over 400 pages and is filled with hundreds upon hundreds of previously unpublished photographs.” –Air Classics
- “…exhaustively researched chronology with aircrew’s memories and a wealth of photographs tell an epic tale.” –Aviation History Magazine
- “This book is an essential addition to your aviation library.” –PacificWrecks.com
- “The research and time taken to write and produce this book is second-to-none …a must for 43rd Bombardment Group enthusiasts, Pacific War enthusiasts or aircraft enthusiasts…” –LiberatorCrash.com
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