The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway

For the hardcore Pacific War enthusiast, particularly for one with a hankering to understand the Japanese side of the story, it's hard to find better work than that produced by John Lundstrom. This volume, as well as his subsequent work on the Guadalcanal campaign, set new standards for how one treated the topic of air-to-air combat. Lundstrom is not only intimately familiar with the American side of the battles he covers, but is able to produce an equal wealth of detail regarding the Japanese side. In the course of preparing my own forthcoming Midway volume, this book has been one of my bibles--it's absolutely indispensable for understanding both the battles of Coral Sea and Midway. -jon parshall- Imperial Japanese Navy Homepage http://www.combinedfleet.com

Both this book and the subsequent Guadalcanal volume deserve at least six stars on a five-star scale. John Lundstrom broke new ground with publication of The First Team in 1984 and continued with the sequel in '94. (By that schedule, it's about time for his Next Book, a long-awaited biography of Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher.) Previously, few American authors had access to so much detailed Japanese material, and none made such excellent use of it. Lundstrom raised the bar for WW II aviation history, and reminds us that the majority of leading authors in the field are nonprofessionals, or at least lack a string of letters behind their names. Rich Frank and the late Jeff Ethell are two more who immediately come to mind. More power to 'em. Though a nonflier, Lundstrom possesses a thorough understanding of carrier aviation and the Pacific War circa 1942. The same cannot be said of some others with longer lists of publications or best sellers to their credit. Nearly 20 years after its release, "The First Team" remains the standard against which similar volumes are measured.

John Lundstrom has written an authoritative and definitive account of US Naval fighter combat in the South Pacific in the earliest days of WWII. It can truly be called a masterpiece of research and writing. While many of the early skirmishes and battles leading up to Midway have been covered in many books, Mr Lundstrom brings a detailed perspective virtually on a daily basis and from both sides of the conflict. In key battles such as Coral Sea and Midway, he lays out tactics and formations down to names of opposing aircrew and where they flew. He also does a superb job of describing the earlier carrier raids that counted as the First Teams initial scrimmages before the big game. This has set an entirely new standard rivaled only by his sequel that picks up where this volume leaves off. As a modern day naval flight officer with carrier combat experience in the F-14 Tomcat, I found myself able to draw direct correlations with the experiences of the First Team thanks to his illuminating writing style. Of particular note is his depiction of day by day and sometimes moment by moment experiences of the First Team in battle (and between battles). This made the book very real and topical and I give it the highest recommendation to anyone in the business or with the slightest interest in the subject. Both books have a very special place in my collection. I found myself hoping that he will continue to address the entire war at this same superlative level of detail.