New Guinea Skies-92

Rothgeb's detailed and immediate memoir, based heavily on his wartime diaries, establishes the human dimensions of a still-neglected aspect of WW II: the role of the Army Air Force in the southwest Pacific. The author flew P-38 Lightnings in the 39th Fighter Squadron of the 5th Air Force in an arena where the operations were on a small scale compared to those in Europe. Rothgeb, whose 139 combat missions mainly involved escorting bombers or transports, vividly depicts the living conditions and the operational environment of war waged on a shoestring from improvised airstrips on the island of New Guinea. Navigation over the oceans and jungles was as big a challenge as the Japanese fighters. The pervasively hostile conditions generated high levels of cohesion and comradeship among the 39th, who suffered relatively few casualties. Recommended for readers interested in aviation history and in WW II. (Dec.)