How Dive-Bomber Aircraft Won the War in the Pacific

When Japanese aircraft swooped over Pearl Harbor, dive-bombers were among the primary planes that devastated the harbor. These were planes that could dive toward and take out land and naval targets at lower altitudes than more standard aircraft. At a time when the accuracy of aircraft bombs was somewhat short of the 100% mark, they…

Ben Kuroki, Japanese-American WWII hero, dies at 98

After the Pearl Harbor attack, Ben Kuroki volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps. He would become the first Japanese-American war hero, surviving 58 missions as an aerial gunne Ben Kuroki, He has passed away at the age of 98. Ben Kuroki was born on May 16, 1917 in Hershey, Nebraska, USA and was married to Shige Kuroki….

Yamamoto's WWII Crash site opened to tourists in Bougainville

The World War II crash site of a military plane carrying Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who was the commander-in-chief during the decisive early years of the Pacific War and was responsible for major battles such as Pearl Harbor and Midway, has been opened to visitors in Bougainville for the first time in more than five…

Five Events that led to the Pacific War

The Pacific War was a part of World War II that began at Pearl Harbor. There more than 300 Japanese planes bombed the US Pacific Fleet battleships and aircraft at the airfields. That began the war in the Pacific that continued up to 1945, and included the USA, British Empire, China, Holland and Japan. These…

Amazing story about an American top turret gunner on a B-17 bomber

Millions of Americans served in the armed forces during World War II. They have been called the Greatest Generation. The following is the story of one such man from that generation and his B-17 crewmates. Jack Flynn’s wartime story started like any other Sunday for a seventeen-year-old in December of 1941. However, this Sunday was…

Joseph Rochefort – The Forgotten Hero of the Battle of Midway

Joseph John Rochefort, the man whose decoding of the Japanese codebook led to the American victory at the Battle of Midway, had enemies other than the Empire of Japan. His feats at cryptanalysis were phenomenal, but not universally appreciated, particularly by the codebreakers in Washington, D.C.  Naval jealousy and internal machinations would rob Joseph Rochefort…

Storm Clouds over the Pacific 1931-41

Review by Martin Koenigsberg Peter Harmsen is an “Old China Hand” with Degrees from Asian Universities and a long respected career as an East Asia correspondent, so his First book of a trilogy on the Roots and Prosecution of the Pacific War is a really good read. He starts in Chins, and its tortured relationship…

Chennault’s Forgotten Warriors

Being there . . . with one of the greatest Major, then Brigadier Generals in U.S. military history,Claire L. Chennault, a warrior-chief of nonpareil bravery, brilliant strategy, and impeccablecharacter, honesty, and integrity. Simply put, be there with a darn, darn good America officerwhose subordinates truly loved and respected him as much as this reviewer does…