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

by John B. Lundstrom

Hailed as one of the finest examples of aviation research, this comprehensive 1984 study presents a detailed and scrupulously accurate operational history of carrier-based air warfare. From the earliest operations in the Pacific through the decisive Battle of Midway, it offers a narrative account of how ace fighter pilots like Jimmy Thach and Butch O'Hare and their skilled VF squadron mates--called the “first team“--amassed a remarkable combat record in the face of desperate odds. Tapping both American and Japanese sources, historian John B. Lundstrom reconstructs every significant action and places these extraordinary fighters within the context of overall carrier operations. He writes from the viewpoint of the pilots themselves, after interviewing some fifty airmen from each side, to give readers intimate details of some of the most exciting aerial engagements of the war. At the same time he assesses the role the fighter squadrons played in key actions and shows how innovations in fighter tactics and gunnery techniques were a primary reason for the reversal of American fortunes. After more than twenty years in print, the book remains the definitive account and is being published in paperback for the first time to reach an even larger audience.

Genres: History, World War II, Military Fiction, Naval History, Aviation, Military History, War

576 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1984

About the author

John B. Lundstrom is Curator Emeritus of History at the Milwaukee Public Museum where he has worked since 1967.

Reviews

[Sweetwilliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Team by Lundstrom is the finest tribute to the WWII Naval Aviator in the Pacific theater of war that I have ever read. The book’s focus is the carrier engagements of the War in the Pacific starting with Pearl Harbor and ending with Midway. It includes the detail of every raid and carrier movement in between including the battle of Coral Sea and the Doolittle raid on mainland Japan.
Lundstrom does not delve into politics or motivation for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Nor does he spend much time analyzing grand strategy from the joint chiefs in Washington or in Tokyo for that matter. His focus is the men of the carrier war.

After an aviator dies Lundstrom typically devotes a few sentences to summarize the aviator’s naval career. In this way, the book actually serves as a tribute to that small family of Naval Aviators that were first to face the Japanese with inferior equipment when the war was still in doubt. Lundstrom also includes testimony of several of the Nippon's most notable pilots.

The first Naval Aviator to die in WWII was a carrier pilot trying to land at Pearl Harbor a day or so after the battle. In spite of having his running lights on and landing gear down he was brought down by friendly fire. This was the first naval aviator shot down by friendly fire and certainly not the last. In fact, I think the edgy troops at Pearl Harbor may have shot down the first three carrier planes in a row that tried to land. The book is jam packed with stories of fratricide. Also, I think that more US aircraft were lost due to accidents then were ever shot down by the Japanese. These accidents were due to numerous reasons such as weather, equipment malfunction such as debris from the cemented self-sealing gas tanks clogging fuel lines, ditching due to lack of fuel because of bad homing devices or radio failure, friendly fire (sometimes from their own ships!!!), bouncing off the deck and missing the tail hook etc.

Our devastator torpedo planes were slow and our torpedoes rarely worked. This I knew. However, I didn’t realize what a dog the Grumman F4F Wildcat was compared to the Zero. The Wildcat was slow, heavy, and had a very limited practical range. The Navy knew they had problems with the Wildcat fighter in terms of speed, range, and maneuverability. Also, the Navy knew that they needed to fit more fighter planes on a carrier deck. The F4F-3 and 3A had wings that could not be folded. Grumman introduced a new model Wildcat - the F4F-4 which came with the Sto-Wing folding wing system. This gave a parked aircraft a 50% smaller foot print. The F4F-4 model was 900 pounds heavier than the 3 and 3A. The added weight was due to several factors including the extra two machine guns that the US Navy did not ask for and the addition of unnecessary cams that folded the wings (the author suggested that sailors on the flight deck could have folded the wings manually saving substantial weight). So even though the latest fighter was more of a dog then the previous version of the Wildcat fighter, the fact that they could fold the wings allowed for the carriers to increase the number of fighters from 18 to 27 before the battle of Midway and finally 27 to 36 after Midway.

So how did the US Navy win? The Japanese planes had no armor and lacked self-sealing gas tanks. The Japanese Naval Aviators called them “lighters.” Also, the Grumman had 4-6, devastating 50 caliber Browning machine guns and significant armor plating that could protect the Wildcat from the lighter Japanese 7.7 round. They also employed tactical strategies such as the Thatch weave and practiced deflective fire so as to take advantage of the key strengths of the Grumman.

The book contains several detailed maps and diagrams to help understand movements and formations. The maps in the addition I have could stand to be a little larger. It is hard to make out the details without a magnification. The book also contains several appendices entitled the Making of a Fighter Pilot, Fundamentals of Ariel Fixed Gunnery, the Thatch Weave, Japanese Combat Tactics, and finally a list of all the US Naval Aviators.

This book was recommended by a salesperson in the Renaissance book store located in the Milwaukee Billy Mitchel airport. This is the best bookstore in any airport that I have ever traveled to. The salesman (whose name escapes me) was probably the best military historian on the Pacific war I have ever met in a bookstore. He also knew his Civil War history. Anyway, he recommended The First Team by Lundstrom and Silent Victory by Clay Blair. He described these books as must reads. The First Team Part II which covers the Guadalcanal campaign is on order. So is Silent Victory. Stop in this bookstore if you have a chance. Pick up a copy of the First Team.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a very detailed examination of USN fighter detachments in the opening days of the Pacific War.

The prose is straightforward, if a little dry. All the terminology is correct.

There are a good number of maps. Although their style is very spartan. A quibble, I have is that a list of the maps is missing from the Table of Contents. Tables have limited usage in the book. Reproduction of photographs was poor. A lot of detail was lost. They looked like second-generation Xeroxs. Figures and diagrams in the Appendices are very good. Unfortunately, there are few figures and diagrams used in the body of the book. I thought that the author could have made a larger use of figures and diagrams throughout.

The general organization is chronological. It begins shortly before Pearl Harbor, with the Navy already engaged in the Atlantic. However, this book is focused on the Pacific theater.

There is a very large amount of accurate and detailed information in this book. The narration hovers back and forth between tactical and operational. There is little or no strategic discussion.

Tactically, the book describes the personnel and their equipment participating in the early campaign cruises. Most of it is unit-related information comes from squadron (VF) Action/Operation reports. Key naval aviators, like Jimmy Thatch, are called-out and their contributions discussed.

For example, an individual pilot’s aerial activity and the make and model of his aircraft including its serial number for a particular day can likely be found.

Operationally, the book describes squadron assignments to carriers, and overall campaign mission, organization and movements of a Task Group (TG) with the campaign and the results of the air/sea battles, if any. The operational discussion provides context for the tactical, which is the book's primary focus.

If I have a complaint, it is that this book gets lost in the details. There is some tactical analysis, a little operational analysis, and no strategic analysis. Considering the detail of the information, I would expect greater discussion on the evolving squadron organizational behavior and lessons learned while war fighting.

There are some very interesting explanations of carrier operations. However, the author considers them a digression. They are very short, little more than two or three paragraphs.

For example, there is a very good description of the coordination of the CAP to defend a TG using the radar, radio and IFF technology available in 41-42. The FDO's job was very difficult and the defense of the TG was on his shoulders.

There are several examples of opportunities that could have been expanded upon. Early in the war there were three distinct cadres of aviators in a VF: Naval Academy graduates, Naval Reservists, and enlisted Naval Aviation Pilots (NAPs). Little more than a paragraph is devoted to the working relationships between the groups. Considering the circumstances, I might find this interesting.

Another example is that there were three (3) fighter aircraft in-use with Naval (VF) and Marine (VMF) squadrons: F4F-3 (Wildcat), F4F-3A and the obsolescent F2A-3 (Buffalo). The ‘A’ model Wildcat was more durable with self-sealing fuel tanks and an armoured cockpit. It was also heavier. This gave it a lower top speed and range than the other model.

It appears that originally a VF could have a mix of F4F-3 and F4F-3A and sometimes F2A-3 aircraft. F4F-4s appeared later. It also seems that F4F-3s and F4F-3As were randomly mixed in the production pipeline. A carrier putting out to sea might get replacement aircraft of either type. Were they? How did the different performance profiles and mechanical designs affect tactics, maintenance, training and supply?

I also would have liked to know why the Marine (VMF) squadrons got stuck flying obsolescent Buffaloes? Was it because they flew from airfields more often, and the F2A's didn't last long making carrier landings, or something more institutional?

I found the half-page "Conclusion" section to a 450-page book to be peculiar. I expected there to be a longer summation of the book's contents.

At the end of the book are the Appendices. These include important high-level information on both USN and the IJN. I frankly think this information should be in the front of the book.

This book is a very detailed description of USN fighter operations in the beginning of the Pacific war. Unfortunately, its too focused on the minutia of personnel. Every serving pilot gets mentioned. Too much text is spent on describing the pilot's service history, aircraft serial number, date and time when he suffered a tail-hook malfunction during a carrier landing. To a lessor extent, the same treatment is applied to the IJN. A better use would be to analyze and clearly summarize the organization, tactics, deployments and key personality's contributions to the campaign and how they changed over time. As such, this book can only be a secondary source and useful to readers with a deep background on the Pacific naval air war.

Readers interested in a more general history of this period in the naval conflict may be interested in reading Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 (my review).

[Rolf Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very detailed, almost granular level look at Carrier air ops in the Pacific from Pearl Harbor to Midway, especially the fighters. You really come away with a much greater understanding of the day to day experiences of the flight crews. The combat in those first few months is described as precisely as a historian can do.
Some take aways:
- The Wildcats far greater toughness and survivibility combined with much greater offensive firepower than the Zero combined with US Navy pilots arguably being the best shots of all fighter pilots made the tubby and slow Wildcats sometimes a match for the Zeros.
- Flying in that era was very dangerous, never mind enemy fire! Repeatedly one reads of stalls at take off and ditching. Often, but not always, the crews were recovered. Some times a plane flies away from its carrier and is never heard from again.

[Devin Poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read this book every few years. I was actually quite surprised to see that I haven't reviewed it yet on Goodreads. Thoroughly researched, Lundstrom set the tone in 1984 for all of the new research histories that would come out in the decades since. This is a focused tale, concentrating on the fighter pilots of the carriers in the first 6 months of the Pacific war. By picking this point of view, he's able to cover the entire story of the, at that time, radically new warfare brought on by the aircraft carrier. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

[Patrick Pillow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The “First Team” is a detailed and immersive look into the role of US Navy fighter squadrons (VF’s) in the first seven months of the war in the Pacific. Lundstram details the early carrier sorties following Pearl Harbor and builds up to the pivotal engagements at Coral Sea and Midway.

While inferior in several flight characteristics, the Wildcat, especially with able squadron leaders such as Thatch and Flatley, is proven to be a match in combat with the Japanese Zero.

Lundstram does a great job of putting the reader in those tense early months of the war, when the mystique and aura of the Imperial Japanese Navy reigned supreme. This work does a great job of detailing the hard lessons learned in those first few months that would lead to success and put in place the tactics for superior US aircraft (such as the Hellcat and Corsair) to fully turn the tide.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed book

I quite enjoyed this book. If you are interested in a highly detailed, very well sourced of naval air combat in the Pacific then this book is for you. There are accounts of every carrier action through the battle of Midway including not just the big ones (Coral Sea and Midway) but every single raid of the US carriers on Japanese held bases. I learned a lot about the early stages of the air war in the Pacific by reading this and I'm sure I'll come back to it again and again to get the details that other books leave out. However, if you are interested in a more general overview of the Pacific war you probably should stay away from this one.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lundstrom sets the bar very high in both original research and attention to detail as well as readability. This book fills in many gaps as to what transpired between often reported events and details actual formations and pilot assignments in major encounters in the heady days leading up to and including Midway. A special treat is his recounting of how the Beam Defense Maneuver (Thach Weave) was developed and implemented. My very favorite book on period and subject!

[Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seed corn of WW II Naval Aviation. Early squadrons of enlisted Naval Aviation Pilots in VF-2 as well as USNA careerists in other squadrons, such as Butch O'Hare, Jimmmy Thach, John Waldron, all of whom became the foundation of the greatest naval aviation arm ever formed. We kept ours alive while the Japanese lost theirs at Midway.

Walker

[Brads · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Jonathan Parschall said: "Without Peer". This book is an in-the-weeds look at Naval Aviation in the Pacific from December 1941 to June of 1942, and covers the first strikes on the Marshals, the Doolittle Raid, Coral Sea and Midway in amazing detail. If you like "Incredible Victory", "Miracle at Midway" or "Shattered Sword", you will love this book.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read if you like Naval History. Winston called the the men in the RAF who flew in the Battle of Britain and saved England "the Few". The Naval Aviators who flew from the 5 surviving aircraft carriers after Pearl Harbor and ultimately stopped Japan at Midway against all odds were our "Few". The book recounts the team work that beat Japan.

[Heikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive book on the initial phases of the Pacific Air War, followed by the First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign. Puts you in the cockpit and tells you who flies wing for you, and who is in the second flight of Zeroes that meet you at 20,000 feet. Amazing, nothing less.

[Dave Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed, sometimes exhaustively so, but in particular when the action starts the book is a delight to read. Particularly impressive is the author's real grasp of air combat maneuvering and it's implications in a given encounter

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book by John Lundstrom. The best and most detailed account of USN fighter operations in the first months of World War 2.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent account of the early war naval air battles. Very detailed history and quite readable. The men who held the line early in the Pacific come to life once more.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read this twice, cover to cover, and plan to re-visit it again. Lundstrom is THE towering figure in the history of air warfare in the Pacific during 1942.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finest aviation history I have read. Outstanding book about how a team can be improved systematically

[Marshall Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive book on naval fighter combat in the first 6 months of the war in the Pacific. Incredibly detailed and comprehensive. Despite much historical hype, it shows the the US F4F and Japanese Zero were evenly matched. The Zero was a better dog fighter, but had to pilot armor or self-sealing fuel tanks. The F4F was slower and less maneuverable, but was rugged and more durable.

[Kevin Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a while to finish, work and the desire to absorb every bit of information layered throughout this book. It was worth all the time I gave it. I feel like I sat next to those four aircraft carriers throughout the first seven months of world war II. A fantastic read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was very comprehensive. More so than most. While the details were covered, the story still shone through. Many contributors to this research also aided in providing a comprehensive book on the subject.

[Jay Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much detail in this book I felt I needed to take notes. Exhaustive in being inclusive of the pilots and their stories. My only criticism is that like so many histories of the Pacific naval war they treat the naval war as if it ended with the Battle of Midway

[Michael Romo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding account of the U.S. Carrier war in the 6 months after Pearl Harbor. I recommend that you read the appendix first in order to better understand the challenges faced by both U.S. and Japanese pilots.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reference that will always be on my bookshelf.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book of the Year (2015) (Winner) Part One of a two-part series on U.S. naval aviation (specifically fighters) in the first year of the Pacific War. This series is unique, because the author manages to have a flair for technical details while not losing sight of the big picture. What could easily have turned into a monotonous flight log (although he does capture the horrifying boredom of routine dangerous operations) also keeps the reader informed on what the Navy was up to, unit morale, and the evolution of the tactics and equipment kept evolving. Hint: everyone improvised. He also understands and integrates Japanese military records. So when trying to sort out an aerial engagement, he'll tell you what the U.S. claimed, then what the Japanese claimed, then what probably happened in actuality. The author also wrote "The First South Pacific Campaign", which examines how the U.S. and Japan essentially collided in the Coral Sea / New Guinea region in the first few months of the war.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essential part of an aviation or WWII history buffs collection. Lundstrom extensively researched the people, planes and tactics on both sides of the Pacific War to produce a history that doesn't just talk about the grand strategy and fleet movements - he focuses on those who found themselves suddenly caught up in the whirlwind. Lundstrom often pauses to talk about the lives of those who fought - and many who died - to remind us of the personal cost of war.