Air Apaches

I have just finished reading a prepublication galley of "Air Apaches," thoughtfully provided to me by Stackpole Books and written by Jay Stout. If you are at all interested in the air war in the Pacific Theater of action during WWII, this is a worthwhile read. At the center of the action are a group of heavily modified B 25 Mitchell bombers which were expressly armed for low level attacks and strafing runs designed to cripple IJN air and sea forces in the South Pacific. The text is engaging and heavily documented through primary sources. For those of you not immediately familiar with the aircraft and their exploits, these are the medium bombers, often garishly painted in a manner not very different than the better known Flying Tigers. They learned to use special weapons and tactics to engage their enemies at very low level, often relying on the element of surprise since they had been stripped of the defensive armaments ordinarily associated with medium U.S. bombers of the time in order to allow them to support the weight of a massive battery of forward firing heavy caliber machine guns. In effect they were as much gunships as bombers, and the men who flew and maintained them in often abysmal conditions deserve to have their stories told. The text is sometimes somewhat ponderous in its use of lengthy quotes from primary sources, but this is easily overlooked once you become engaged in the author's tale.

4 1/2 STARS!

This book provides a detailed depiction and documentation of events, accomplishments and losses of the Air Apaches in the WWII Pacific Theater. It takes us on a journey of the missions the group encountered, sharing a history of the aircraft , ordinance and instruments used. The human story of the pilots including the relationship with their loved ones, each other and even the enemy is a generous part of the book. It provided a realistic and detailed picture of a pilot during these times, and I highly recommend it to those that enjoy the history of WWII.

This was a free book from NetGalley
A Review of “Air Apaches” by Jay Stout

The 345th Bomber Group was part of the AAF (Army Air Force) that fought in the Pacific Theater during World War Two under General MacArthur, and the Fifth Air Force. Made up of the 498th, 499th, 500th and 501st Bomber Squadrons, they mainly flew Mitchel B-25 bombers. They were active from September 1942 thought December 1945. They went combat operational from July 1943 through the end of the war.

The men of the 345th Group, were involved in every campaign in the Pacific Theater, beginning with the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the Philippines, Formosa, and Okinawa. They were positioned on Io Shima (near Iwo Jima), at the end of July 1945, preparing to support the invasion of the Japanese main islands, which were superseded by the Surrender after the dropping of the A-Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They stayed on Io Shima until the disbanding of the Group at the end of 1945.

Originally known at the “Tree Top Terrors” because of their propensity to fly at altitudes of under 300 feet when attacking a target with bombs and 50 caliber machine guns, they later changed to the “Air Apaches” because it sounded more military. After the war, Japanese veterans remembered the 345th as the most feared and effective of all the bombardment groups in the Pacific.

The book is a paean of a marine retired fighter pilot (he flew in Iraq as part of Desert Storm), who has written about other fighter and bomber groups from World War 2. He writes using information, daily logs, and personal diaries and interviews, to give a seat of the pants feeling of being a member of these bomber groups. He tells the story with all the warts and follies, as well as the everyday heroism of these civilian flyers.

Zeb Kantrowitz zebsblog@gmail.com zworstblog@blogspot.com

The author has written a detailed meticulously well researched book on the subject that is both educational and informative to the reader. As one who had family in WWII that flew bombers I enjoyed this read and learned more about the Air Apaches.
This book is broad in scope including the implementation of the mission strategy of B-25's, used heavily for low level bombing in the American 345th Bomb Group. in the Pacific Theater of war.
The airmen were primary in destroying Japanese supply lines, ships and garrisons. The inroads they made with their bombings made a important differance in the fight. They were able to often fly undetected and surprised their victims .
The author has brought the war to our armchairs in a very realistic and educational way that is enthralling and at times heart stopping. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and highly recommend this book for all that enjoy reading about history. .These men need their story to be known . Their efforts were remarkable and their time in history is respectfully well documented here. Very well done to the author. This book is a excellent addition to any history buff of WWII to add to their library.

This is a true and factual account of the 345th Air Apaches that fought the Japanese in WWII.
While most of the world was fixated on Hitler and the war in Europe,thousands of our men were living and dying in a Japa ese nightmare.
This book was very hard to read,because of all the personal stories of the men who fought and the many that didn't make it home.
There was a lot of technical information
about the Airplanes used and the size of the bombs and the destruction they wrought.
I could only read this a little at a time,as my father served in the War

and never talked about his time spent there.
Now I understand why?
The Japanese were very cunning and when they saw a plane fall from the sky,they raced to it.If they didn't kill the Airmen immediately,they took them captive and tortured them by withholding food and denying them medical care.
Towards the end of the War,when the Japanese men were starving,there was even talk of cannibalism.
Anyone interested in a story about Planes and Airmen will certainly enjoy this book,but remember this isn't a made up story it's all true.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review
and also to the publisher and the author Jay Stout,for writing such a factual account of a horrible time in our History.

"Air Apaches" eBook was published in 2019 and was written by Jay A. Stout (https://www.jayastout.com). Mr. Stout has published more than 10 books on military aviation.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Vionence. The story is set in the South Pacific during World War II, starting in 1943 and continuing thru the end of the war. The book did not focus on one set of men, but covered the entire 345th Bomb Group. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the nearly 12 hours I spent reading this 432-page history of World War II. I learned a lot about the B-25 bomber which the 345th flew more as a fighter bomber. With the large number of .50 caliber machine guns, it proved to be a formidable gunship. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a 4 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Air Apaches is a well researched and extremely engrossing history of the 345th (B-25 bombers) in the Pacific Theater during WWII. It was not dry. It was organized, well sourced, conversational rather than lecture, and didnt read like history. That's a compliment in my scheme of things, I want to read about the people, not just the missions, and Jay Stout delivers. I purchased the book for my brother's collection and will be seeking out more from Mr. Stout.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.