Rating: 
Summary: Facinating book, but where the heck was the editor?
Review: A lot of the content in Fire in the Sky is great, in many ways a worthy successor to Bergerud's first-rate Touched by Fire and Red Thunder, Tropic Lightning. Even pretty knowledgeable readers will learn a lot from reading this book, and Bergerud presents the air war in a clear, dispassionate, and intelligent manner that really allowed me to understand the conflict in the Pacific at a level that I never had before.All that having been said, this book is an incredible case study for a near-total editorial failure. The narration veers into meandering pointlessness for pages upon pages on many occasions. Huge sections are almost completely unfoucussed. Where Bergerud retains his focus and has a point, the effect is excellent, and produces a result that falls just short of Keegan. But brevity is the soul of wit, and where he doesn't, the whole thing becomes a morass. It's interesting to watch the progression: Red Thunder, Tropic Lighting had tight, crisp prose and a focussed narrative, and was easily Bergerud's best book. Touched with Fire was detailed and insightful, and was absolutely first-rate despite it's tendancy to go on a bit and repeat himself a bit too often. Fire in the Sky, though, has really gone over the edge. To get the most of this book (and there really is quite a lot in there to come away with), you really have to be willing to either wade through a lot of pointless rambling or be willing to skip over large sections. Don't get me wrong, I'm giving this book 4 stars, because there is a lot of awesome content and when it's controlled, the writing is very good. This book clearly had the potential to be a definitive work with a strong editorial hand, which is how highly I think of a lot of the content. Unfortunately, the hand was clearly missing.
Rating:
Summary: a rich view of a the 'other' theater of air war
Review: Deftly weaving the macroscopic view and the microscopic view, and relying on the words of the people who were there, Eric Bergerud tells a good story about the theater of war that was never predicted to be a theater of war. In addition to the dangers of air warfare everywhere the Pacific had its own special dangers and risks. In addition the entire area and its relentless climate took a toll on pilots and equipment. Often thought of as a carrier war, Bergerud reminds us this is not so. After battering each other in 1942 both sides withdrew their carriers for two years before they squared off again. The Pacific air war was primarily a battle between land based planes. It was a weird theater where enough square feet to put a runway was the limit of control of an island otherwise useless with impenetrable jungle and malarial swamps. The ferocity of the fight for these fringe patches, such as Guadalcanal, was horrific. Bergerud adds depth and detail to his account, dwelling on each important aspect of the war, and showing how the Allies were more formidable than assumed, fighting at first with obsolete aircraft. This book is fine addition to any World War II Library and a must for students of the air war.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but disappointing
Review: Earlier this year I read the same author's "Touched by Fire," which is one of the best accounts of the land war in the Pacific that I have ever read. I just finished "Fire in the Sky." It is an above average book but is disappointing when compared to the earlier book. Unlike "Touched by Fire," "Fire in the Sky" drags in places. The book picks up considerably whenever the author uses first hand accounts of service in Pacific and of combat itself. Unlike the earlier book, however, these accounts are more limited in presenting the Japanese perspective.This is a very good book and I would certainly recommend it. However, it requires a little more patience than Mr. Bergerud's earlier book.
Rating: 
Summary: A new classic in the study of WW II
Review: Eric Bergerud has done it again. Previously he has created a standard study of the land war in the South Pacific; now he has given us a valuable analysis of the air war. Bergerud fills his book with a wonderful combination of facts and analysis. He is even handed and insightful. He has included many quotes from participants which serve to enlighten and entertain the reader. He gives the reader a review of training, strategy and tactics, leadership, and economic conditions. Also, his review of the planes that each side fought with is filled with interesting facts and information. I have reread much of this book several times. Each time I learn something new. I hope he continues to produce such outstanding and valuable books.
Rating: 
Summary: Big Book, Small Message
Review: Fire in the Sky is a book that analyses a very small portion of WWII - the South Pacific campaign. The information pertains to the fighting for the New Guinea and Guadalcanal. I feel that it might be important for the reader to make a note of this fact, because, in spite of the shear size of the book (700 pages), the scope of the study is very narrow. I was hoping for 700 pages of typical military history writing, but the book offers a very different organization of the information. Where I would expect a structured chronological expose of the campaigns, analyses of the military, political and economical factors that determined them and a scholarly attempt for objectivity, Fire in the Sky offers accounts of loosely related themes and enthusiastically patriotic tone of narrative. The author has chosen to organize the work in three parts describing the theater of operations, the airplanes involved, and the combat tactics in the South Pacific. The problem of this particular organization is that the first and the last part deal with the same issues because it is impossible to speak of the theater of operations without mentioning what strategic advantages and threats it posed for either side. As a result, I felt that the same notions are being recycled multiple times. I was also surprised by the style of the author's language. Eric Bergerud makes no attempt to hide his subjectivity. The Japanese are repeatedly described as incompetent, unorganized, even lazy. The famous Zero is ruled out as the unsophisticated product of a rudimentary economy. Every time the author speaks of an Allied victory he uses very emotional and even colloquial terms such as obliterate, pound, and wipe out. In contrast, he mentions Japanese successes in somber and restrained tone. On the positive side, I feel that I learned something about the nature of theater. The author's description of the particular problems posed by the vegetation of the jungle, navigation over huge expanses of water, etc. provides a vivid picture of the everyday dangers of the Pacific war. In addition, the chapter on American planes in the theater is very extensive and comprehensive - unfortunately, Japanese planes are not analyzed with the same objectivity. Finally yet importantly, the book provides numerous invaluable interviews with American pilots as well as two or three Japanese airmen. As a whole, I cannot summarize what the book is about. It seems to be a book about many things. It resembles a collage of statements, interviews and statistics, which all took place in the South Pacific between 1942 and 1943...
Rating:
Summary: Put me down as another Sheep in this Flock
Review: Fire in the Sky is one of the best military history books I have read. The amount of detail and research that went into it was unbelievable. The author did an amazing job of combining all the elements from the climate, logistics, base design, construction, design of the aircraft, the mental make of the pilots, pilot training, weapons, tactics, strategy and so on to explain how a little side show like the 1942-1944 battles in New Guinea/Solomons became the most crucial campaign in the Pacific. Unlike most aviation books, it did not get wrapped up in the minutae of each and every dogfight or bombing mission. The author did a skillful job of using just enough details of certain dogfights/bomb missions to explain his points and give us a taste of what it was like to fight against/with men like Saboru Sakai and Richard Bong without being boring. The other thing I enjoyed the most about this book was that he tried not to pull his punches about the mistakes/vices/war "crimes" of the Japanese or the Allies. This is the best kind of history book--an in depth warts and all. He tried to show how things were, not how we wanted them to be or to justify the mistakes of the power that be. This one of those rare books that I can not say anything critical about. The author did a great job with this book. I look forward to reading the rest of his books.
Rating:
Summary: Put me down as another Sheep in this Flock
Review: Fire in the Sky is one of the best military history books I have read. The amount of detail and research that went into it was unbelievable. The author did an amazing job of combining all the elements from the climate, logistics, base design, construction, design of the aircraft, the mental make of the pilots, pilot training, weapons, tactics, strategy and so on to explain how a little side show like the 1942-1944 battles in New Guinea/Solomons became the most crucial campaign in the Pacific. Unlike most aviation books, it did not get wrapped up in the minutae of each and every dogfight or bombing mission. The author did a skillful job of using just enough details of certain dogfights/bomb missions to explain his points and give us a taste of what it was like to fight against/with men like Saboru Sakai and Richard Bong without being boring. The other thing I enjoyed the most about this book was that he tried not to pull his punches about the mistakes/vices/war "crimes" of the Japanese or the Allies. This is the best kind of history book--an in depth warts and all. He tried to show how things were, not how we wanted them to be or to justify the mistakes of the power that be. This one of those rare books that I can not say anything critical about. The author did a great job with this book. I look forward to reading the rest of his books.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read for those interested in the subject matter
Review: Fire In the Sky must be the best book I've ever read about the air war in the South Pacific during World War II. It's outstanding. It addresses all kinds of things that most books on the subject don't, like providing a detailed description of self-sealing fuel tanks and the differences between radial and in-line engines. It also includes lengthy first-person accounts from pilots and crew of many types of planes, from both sides. It doesn't really recount the history of the battles or the war, but it does go into living conditions, mission types, analyses of plane types, morale, leadership qualities, roles of land bases, tactics, and so on. It's some 750 pages long and worth every penny, that's for sure. Highly recommended if you happen to have an interest in the subject matter...
Rating:
Summary: Good Background Often Overlooked
Review: Fire in the Sky presents colorful detail and personal anecdotes which provide a rich backdrop to the air war in the South Pacific. Unlike chronological histories or battle-specific works, Bergerud approaches the campaign in broader strokes. Although massive, the narrative is enlivened by numerous first-hand accounts, resulting in a highly readable effort. Both the Solomons and New Guinea campaigns receive detailed treatment during the bleak and desperate days before Allied superiority grew overpowering. Frequent referral to post-war Japanese accounts gives a more balanced approach than many histories. Background data often taken for granted, or only superficially acknowledged, is the scope of this effort. The organization of the book, by topic rather than chronology, unfortunately, lends itself to repetition and disorder. With in-depth personal accounts supporting every facet of the story, it reads like the remembrances of reminiscing veterans. Discussions are back and forth and unrelated events become associated to illustrate a point. This is much in the manner of conversation and it often strays from the original theme (as when P-38 Lightnings used for reconnaissance come up under the subject of bombers). It's not a benefit, but doesn't kill the effort. In light of Bergerud's approach, however, two critical areas are ignored. One is the weather. It was extraordinarily important, referenced on numerous occasions, and gets oblique commentary but does not get the detailed treatment it deserves in comparison with other significant elements. The other is an examination of combat victory claims. Bergerud presents absorbing detail on many aspects of combat but ignores contemporary efforts to clarify actual losses compared to often erroneous claims. Neither is excusable based upon the author's approach. There are mistakes but the work is mostly anecdotal and relies heavily on previously published sources for analysis. His evaluation of aircraft type is particularly superficial, but sets up, as do most of his subjects, interesting commentary by participants. Overall, we get valuable insight and perspective to an intriguing period in American military history. For readers with a fascination for the Pacific air war, this is well worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Good Background Often Overlooked
Review: Fire in the Sky presents colorful detail and personal anecdotes which provide a rich backdrop to the air war in the South Pacific. Unlike chronological histories or battle-specific works, Bergerud approaches the campaign in broader strokes. Although massive, the narrative is enlivened by numerous first-hand accounts, resulting in a highly readable effort. Both the Solomons and New Guinea campaigns receive detailed treatment during the bleak and desperate days before Allied superiority grew overpowering. Frequent referral to post-war Japanese accounts gives a more balanced approach than many histories. Background data often taken for granted, or only superficially acknowledged, is the scope of this effort. The organization of the book, by topic rather than chronology, unfortunately, lends itself to repetition and disorder. With in-depth personal accounts supporting every facet of the story, it reads like the remembrances of reminiscing veterans. Discussions are back and forth and unrelated events become associated to illustrate a point. This is much in the manner of conversation and it often strays from the original theme (as when P-38 Lightnings used for reconnaissance come up under the subject of bombers). It's not a benefit, but doesn't kill the effort. In light of Bergerud's approach, however, two critical areas are ignored. One is the weather. It was extraordinarily important, referenced on numerous occasions, and gets oblique commentary but does not get the detailed treatment it deserves in comparison with other significant elements. The other is an examination of combat victory claims. Bergerud presents absorbing detail on many aspects of combat but ignores contemporary efforts to clarify actual losses compared to often erroneous claims. Neither is excusable based upon the author's approach. There are mistakes but the work is mostly anecdotal and relies heavily on previously published sources for analysis. His evaluation of aircraft type is particularly superficial, but sets up, as do most of his subjects, interesting commentary by participants. Overall, we get valuable insight and perspective to an intriguing period in American military history. For readers with a fascination for the Pacific air war, this is well worth the effort.
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