Pacific Sweep - The 5th and 13th Fighter Commands in World War II

The history of the U.S. 5th and 13th Fighter Commands in World War II began in tragedy with a handful of pilots flying obsolete aircraft as they tried desperately to stop the Japanese onslaught in the Philippines in 1941-42. With the fall of the islands, the surviving men and machines were evacuated to Australia, where there gallant aerial defense of that continent and New Guinea provided one of the few bright spots in those very dark days.

Here, told quite often in the words of the men themselves, based on official records and personal diaries, is the remarkable history of the 5th and 13th Fighter Commands; a history illustrated with over 70 photographs, many taken from the personal collections of the veteran pilots.