South Pacific Air War

South Pacific Air War Volume 3 is one of a series of books providing perhaps the best coverage of such topics I have seen to date. Though this review covers the third volume of a larger series, do note that these books can be read alone. The focus of this volume is on the May 1942 Operation MO launched by the Japanese with its goals featuring taking Tulagi and Port Moresby. Notably, the combat covered in this book includes that of the first carrier-on-carrier battle in history (duirng the Battle of the Coral Sea).

There is much to recommend about this volume. However, perhaps most importantly it offers an important and well researched and explained corrective regarding conventional wisdom as to the impact of the Battle of the Coral Sea on Japanese plans. This book shows that contrary to normative beliefs the outcome of the battle forced the Japanese to abandon their plan to capture Port Moresby, that instead Japanese regional forces were more than sufficient to have shrugged off their losses and taken advantage of the sinking of the U.S. aircraft carrier Lexington to invade and likely quite easily take Port Moresby. 

The book also covers the surrounding aerial campaign of April-July 1942 between mostly land-based air forces in the region. Another strength of this book is its ample mining of Japanese sources to provide a well-rounded look at these events and strengthen the author's conclusions regarding why the battles in the region progressed in the manner in which they did. 

Finally, this book offers (like the author's other works reviewed here) an absolute treasure trove of detail regarding the aircraft and combat that defined this phase of the war. This includes detailed orders of battle, very well done color maps and illustrations, descriptions of missions, war-time photos, aircraft profiles, and an incredibly thorough appendix listing aircraft losses on both sides. This book is also well organized. It is a must read for anyone interested in carrier and land-based aircraft operations during this crucial period of the war.