Naval History, October 2011
“A most useful, readable, and far-reaching account…Sears brings a vitality and dedication to fully understanding the events about which he writes…Sears has covered a huge amount of useful and interesting information in a concise and extremely readable narrative.”
 

Collected Miscellany, 9/19/11
“Popular history at its best.  Sears does an excellent job of writing about the American effort to defeat Japan during World War II in an easy-to-read format…Very entertaining.”
 
Michigan War Studies Review
“Sears writes in an engaging and fluent manner, deftly selecting the telling fact or compelling incident to bring his subject to life…Will entertain military buffs interested in rousing tales of fighter pilots ‘yankin' and bankin'’ in aerial combat.”
 

Bookviews, June 2011 “Provides a panorama of the battle against Japan…Anyone who loves military history will thoroughly enjoy the stories of the many young men who helped write it against daunting odds.”

InfoDad.com, 6/9/11
“A well-researched, well-written work…The different engineering of such planes as the TBF Avenger, F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat is well explained and will surely be of interest to the subset of readers fascinated by aeronautical design and how it affects combat success.”

Corduroy Books blog, 6/13/11
“Compulsively readable.”
 
Relaxed Fit E-Zine, 6/6/11
“A nuts-and-bolts, briefing room viewpoint…An accurate, detailed narrative, covering the War in the Pacific at squadron level…Worth reading.”
 
WWII History, September 2011
“An excellent book…Sears’s account is a tribute to the men who pioneered the aerial tactics that enabled the Navy and Marine aviators to beat the Japanese at their own game—and achieve victory.”
 
Veterans Reporter, June 2011
“The stories in this book should be taught in every American history class, and in every military basic training course.”
 

Kirkus Reviews, 5/1/11
“As a former naval officer who served during Vietnam, Sears brings an insider's knowledge of combat to this comprehensive history of the air war in the Pacific during World War II…A lively depiction of America's development of superior air power.”

Booklist, June 2011
“[An] excellent volume on the navy’s air war in the Pacific during WWII…The author has almost certainly created the best one-volume study of the subject; libraries, take note.”
 
Roanoke Times, 5/29/11
“Sears illustrates the brilliant designs and incredible productiveness of the airplane builders and the heroic fortitude of U.S. sailors and airmen, whose gallantry helped lift the nation from the blood and smoke of Pearl Harbor to triumph in Tokyo Bay.”
 
Tucson Citizen, 5/26/11
“[A] wonderfully executed new book…Combining gripping personal stories with detailed military history, this page-turning book tells reveals sobering details of how a group of superbly trained Navy and Marine pilots…destroyed more than 5,000 Japanese aircraft.”
 

Curled Up with a Good Book, 12/23/11
“A great read...Bring[s] the war to life…A great look at the Pacific War from the air, capturing all the cockiness, drama, and heartbreak as friends are lost, some never to be seen again. Anybody with an interest in World War II will find this a valuable addition to their collection.”
 
Military Review, February 2012
“A compelling, readable account of aerial combat.”

War, Literature and the Arts
“The book reads like a movie script: fast-paced, interlaced story-lines, weaving an array of historical personages into a vivid tapestry. Mr. Sears writes well and the book is difficult to put down…Sears’ history is composed of people, and the people he chooses to write about do great things. Nothing could be better.

As a former naval officer who served during Vietnam, Sears (Such Men As These: The Story of the Navy Pilots Who Flew the Deadly Skies Over Korea, 2010, etc.) brings an insider's knowledge of combat to this comprehensive history of the air war in the Pacific during World War II.

The author begins with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, so unexpected that tragically the only group of American fighters to take to the air was shot down by friendly fire. Sears juxtaposes that chaotic scene with festivities at a new Grumman Aircraft Engineering facility scheduled to open the next day. America had begun to prepare for war with an impressive buildup during the previous year. By the end of the war, Grumman had put about 30,000 planes in the air, including 12,000 advanced F6F Hellcats, which gave U.S. forces a significant advantage in the Pacific—even though at the start of the war, the Japanese Zero was a faster fighter plane with a better climb rate and turning radius. Sears also tells the less well-known, fascinating story of the fearless test pilots who risked their lives. They were employed by Grumman beginning in the 1930s—before the 1941 boom—in the aircraft industry, and many were killed testing the capabilities of dive bombers as well as the new generation of fighter planes. The author shows how American fighter pilots compensated for the early superiority of the Zero by developing new tactical formations that allowed them to outfly the enemy, and he goes behind the scenes to describe the high morale of American airmen.

A lively depiction of America's development of superior air power.