This book is the second in a new series covering major air campaigns in history. This book covers the fight against the Japanese held island stronghold of Rabaul. This island fortress was blocking the allied advance to Tokyo, Home to around 100,000 troops and numerous airfields it was felt that even an all-out assault would not lead to the taking of the island. Thus the Allies began a campaign of aerial assault adding in the use of naval and land forces to reduce the ability of Rabaul to play an important part in the war. This campaign became the blueprint for further combat in the Pacific, showing that it was not necessary to occupy the island to control it.

The book is broken down into 9 sections. The introduction discusses in brief the strategic importance of Rabaul and all the reasons it was such a natural and important base for the Japanese in WWII>

This book is a follow up of his successful book Rising Sun, Falling Skies which I have also read and was a great read!

The book goes into details of the US Naval Campaign from Guadalcanal to the Solomon Islands.

It goes into incredible detail and covers some much of what appears to be a small book! The information is well written and draws you in as its rather Novel like in its narrative.

I learned so much from reading this and look forward to another book as a follow up to this one.

I found this book fascinating and made me aware of a lot of facts I have never heard before. The writing style is very factual a little dry at times, This made the book a little heavy going at times but well worth reading to the end.

I recommend this book to everyone with a deep interest in the Pacific war.

Thanks go to Osprey Publishing for providing this book to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them

Dr. Robert Forczyk is a prolific author with over 27 books published by Osprey and Pen & Sword. He graduated from Notre Dame, the University of Virginia, and the University of Maryland with a PhD PhD in International Relations and National Security. Robert was commissioned from ROTC in 1983 and ended up going to Fort Knox to become an armor officer. He trained in the both the M60A3 and the M-1 but spent his 18 year career in the M60A3 with the US 2nd, 4th, and the 29th Infantry Divisions. Dr. Forcyzk is currently living in the Laurel, Maryland and works as a management consultant at Aviation ISAC. Catch him on LinkedIn.

There are 464 pages of text and two sets of 16 glossy pages containing 60 black and white photographs. There are also ten maps with notes to depict the engagement’s progression.

Hauler always makes great sets with a lot of thought put into the subjects. From AFV sets to diorama details, it is fun just waiting for a new release. With this release, they have produced four coffins with lids in two different styles. Thinking about it, I don’t remember seeing these from anyone before and with all the war subject’s modelers build and the dioramas, this set is a natural add on and will help tell a sad but not uncommon story.

The set consists of four coffins; two are rectangular and two are, well, coffin shaped. Each coffin has a separate lid also. The coffins have casting blocks on the bottom which will need to be sanded smooth and the lids have casting blocks on one side. The parts are cast in a tan colored resin and are free of bubbles and pin holes. This set is 1/35 scale (other scales are available) and has a nice wood grain cast into the parts.

Osprey is a publishing house in the United Kingdom that should be a household name to the swarms of us. Osprey continues to expand their Warrior series with the 182nd book in this installment. The warrior series examines specific units and armies of a particular nation. In this installment the Legionnaires of Marius, Sulla and Pompey the Great are discussed.

For the Warrior series, the chapters are organized as follows: