Will Iredale

The title is somewhat misleading in that the searching for and destruction of the Kamikaze units was part of their mission, the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) main purpose was join the USA forces in the Pacific War in finishing off Japan. USA Admiral King opposed the British contribution but fortunately Admiral Nimitiz and President Roosevelt welcome Britain's small and limited but important participation.

Iredale covers how the FAA contribution was raised, organized and employed. The reader learns much about aircraft carriers especially the different features that were different between British and American designs. The big difference was the flight deck of Us carries was made of wood while British decks were steel. As a result, after a Kamikaze crashed on an American deck, the carrier was in Pearl Harbou for 6 months being repaired. British carriers swept away the debris, patched any holes or dents with quick setting cement and resumed flight activities.

The author interviewed many servicemen who were there so the text is full of personal memories of the action in the Pacific. Highly recommended.… (altro)