The Brereton Diaries: The war in the air in the Pacific, Middle East and Europe, 3 October 1941-8 May 1945,

by Lewis H. Brereton

Hardback book with dust jacket titled THE BRERETON 3 October 1941 - 8 May 1945 by Lewis H. Brereton. Published by William Morrow in 1946. Illustrated with decorated end-papers (map). See my photographs (4) of this book on main listing page. Bookseller since 1995 (LL-Base2BS-11-bottom) rareviewbooks

Genres: World War II, History

450 pages, Hardcover

First published July 17, 2014

Reviews

[Ruppert Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A forgotten war classic? Perhaps. This 80-year-old book is an amazing personal diary of Lt Gen Lewis Brereton, the only US general to serve in every theater of WWII. Assigned the job of building up and organizing US air power barely 2 months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines. His work to build US airpower, tactics, strategy, and technology were instrumental in the building of what would become the largest air force on the planet by the end of the war. His insights and personal views are interesting. If your a student of WWII, aerial warfare, and even politics, this is an amazing book.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptionally well written and thoughtful, these memoirs cover the war from start to finish. Brereton was in almost every theater of the conflict at one time or another. He started out as MacArthur's air force chief in the Philippines, but was moved to the North African campaign prior to the collapse of the American forces. He was in charge of the air force division responsible for close air support, supply transport, and airborne operations from the months before D-Day to the end of the war.

Brereton's diaries reveal a compassionate leader who was generous in his praise of others. He seemed to have a particular affinity for war correspondents, and an appreciation for the sacrifices made by the rank and file. The diaries end abruptly up German surrender. One of his last entries noted that he was to be the military commander of Berlin after the war. It would have been nice to read his observations of the immediate post war scene in Germany.

[Russell Macphail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book