The Burma Air Campaign, 1941–1945: 1941-1945

The book opens with an overview of the RAF and Japanese Air Force at the start of the conflict, and explains the origins of the American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) in China. It describes air operations during the Japanese invasion of Indo-China, Malaya, and Singapore, with detailed coverage of the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse and how this engagement shifted the balance of air and sea power. The primary focus is on air power—offensive, defensive, and transport operations—during the Burma Campaign. This includes operations in the Arakan and the various Chindit long-range penetration expeditions, which depended almost entirely on air supply and evacuation. In the war's later stages, US and RAF forces combined operations, which generated some controversy. The book also covers US B-29s operating from India that attacked Japan itself, and examines how ground attack aircraft against retreating Japanese forces contributed significantly to the Allied advance in Burma.