Combat Recon: 5th Air Force Images from the SW Pacific 1943-45

by Robert Stava

From shipping strikes, to strafing runs on airfields, step back in time and into the violent days of World War II in the Southwest Pacific. Based on Fifth Air Force photographer John Stava's collection, and undiscovered until the mid-1990s, captured here is a broad scope of the war in the Southwest Pacific, from mundane and ordinary moments to white-knuckle combat rides. Follow he and his 5th AF colleagues as they traverse the war from the turning point days of early 1943 in New Guinea with the 5th Air Force Advon Lab, to serving in the 17th Recon Bomber Group as a tail gunner in the liberation of the Philippines by spring of 1945.

144 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2007

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Containing pictures from the author's uncle's private collection (he served in the 5th AF's photographic section), this book is a great collection of photos of the 5th AF in action, as well as at play. Some of the photos you've seen before as members of the photographic units could take copies of images for their own, but many have never been published before. There are some great shots of attacks on Japanese airfields and shipping, as well some aircraft nose art. Since the 5th was located in several locations throughout World War II, there are several photos of the local populace in various places such as Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines.

Unfortunately this book was published by Schiffer, a company not known for proof-reading. Quite a few grammatical and punctuation errors--if you are bothered about when to use an apostrophe, this book will really bother you. It's really a shame, because the pictures are great but the text at times looks like it was written by someone in elementary school.

Three stars for the text, five stars for the pictures, four overall. Buy it for the pictures if nothing else.

[Lew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book on the 5th Air Force during the SW Pacific. The book is centered on the photos from the author's Uncle's collection. His Uncle served in the 17th Recon as part of the 5th Air Force. Great collection of photos and a nice narrative.