Book for downloading THEY FOUGHT WITH WHAT THEY HAD. Concerns the War in the Pacific. http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-101001-051.pdf Link to the book THE HIGH ROAD TO TOKYO BAY http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100927-022.pdf
P.A.Dutchman Welcome aboard ! With your many informative posts, you have certainly hit the deck running and I have no doubt at all that we shall be hearing more from you. One of the resident Brits. Ron
Honestly I have been learning and sharing what little I find on an American Army Air Corp/Force Forum. While it helped me make contact with my father's Unit the 11 TH BGH and even communicate with some men he trained and served with it was 99.9% concerned with the Eighth Air Force. It was frustrating only a few were interested or involved with anything in the Pacific Theater. When I stumbled on to this site the other day all I could say was PTL!! Unless you had someone serve in the Pacific you have NO idea how challenging it was to serve in the Pacific. I have made contact with a half dozen or so families whose loved ones served and were with my father in the 11 TH BGH the 42 Squadron. My father was one of the few who came back, if someone was shot down over the Pacific there was no way to mark the site few were recovered. In Europe the Germans often documented the site and buried and recorded the POWs not so in the Pacific. On February 1, 1943 the 42 Squadron sent out it's last three B-17s all three were lost along with their entire crews. What remained of the Squadron was brought back to Hickam to begin training on B-24. My mother died a year ago before she did she gave me my fathers papers and documents from his service time. He had many documents and papers that many of those families only heard about and needed to confirm some of their requests. The 11 TH BGH was at the Attack on Hickam on 12/7/1941, my father lost friends within minutes of the first Japanese planes coming over the field. They fought at Midway, Guadalcanal, Esposito Santos, the Solomons etc having gone into the Pacific in spring of 1942. Their Commander was a Naval Admiral for sometime. My father talked about the huge rats that ate everything leather, canvas and wiring, bad water, diseases, damp and rotten everything, lack of supplies, trained crews, plane parts, ammunitions, medical supplies, dry sleeping quarters, hot food was a rumor and on and on. When they came back from a mission they did not go into London for a drink at the Pub. In the European Theater, they served and died too for sure, but few knew or wanted to hear about the conditions in the Pacific Theater. It seems like you folks know what it was like and how much it took for our Veterans of the Pacific to bring the victory home to all our countries.
Yesterday, 12:09 AM #2 (permalink) Ron Goldstein Yesterday, 12:09 AM #2 (permalink) Ron Goldstein Ron, I appreciate the heart and souls of Eighth Air Force, but all the sites I have been to are all for the Eighth Air Force. There wasn't even an Eighth Air Corp/Force when the Pacific bases were attacked in 1941. To many they won the war. My father was in the Pacific from early 1942 to 1944 fighting, station from 1937. He talked about the rats, lack of medications, lack of ammunition, bombs, lack of men and trained crews, lack of dry bedding, no room in the medical tents for all those who needed aid, lack of good water, lack of hot or good food, using parts off damaged planes until the 42 Squadron was down to 3 bombers. Those three were shot down on February 1, 1943. I know I mentioned before there was no going into London to a Pub, no dances just trying to stay alive and do the opposite to the enemy. The day I came upon this site a site dedicated to the heroes of the Pacific Theater was a day I will never forget and I thank God for.
It's curious they way things happen, and where... My grandfather was MN, on the long runs across the Pacific to Australia and NZ; he lost his second ship (SS Cambridge - first ship lost in that theatre) off the coast of Australia to a German mine (the first was a German torpedo in WWI). Ended up with the Burma, Pacific and Atlantic Stars - was on the Sussex in Singapore a couple of days before the fall... Just wan't meant to be lost to the sea... 54 years at sea and couldn't swim a stroke...
OLDER POST, NEW REPLY... And a new THANKS for this terrific book. Another thread mentioned it and I had the book's title jotted down to locate. Thanks so much for this.
