{"title":"Thomas McKelvey Cleaver","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThomas McKelvey Cleaver\u003c\/strong\u003e delves into the gripping realities of 20th-century warfare, blending meticulous research with compelling narrative. His works transport readers to defining moments of history, revealing the courage and complexity of military campaigns across various theatres, from the skies of World War II to pivotal naval battles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFans of history and military literature will appreciate Cleaver’s vivid storytelling and attention to detail, which illuminate both strategic challenges and personal heroism. His books offer a thought-provoking exploration of conflict, ideal for those seeking insight into the human and tactical dimensions of war.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"i-will-run-wild-by-thomas-mckelvey-cleaver-9781472841346","title":"I Will Run Wild","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn many popular histories of the Pacific War, the period from the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor to the US victory at Midway is often passed over because it is seen as a period of darkness. Indeed, it is easy to see the period as one of unmitigated disaster for the Allies, with the fall of the Philippines, Malaya, Burma and the Dutch East Indies, and the wholesale retreat and humiliation at the hands of Japan throughout Southeast Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, there are also stories of courage and determination in the face of overwhelming odds: the stand of the Marines at Wake Island; the fighting retreat in the Philippines that forced the Japanese to take 140 days to accomplish what they had expected would take 50; the fight against the odds at Singapore and over Java; the stirring tale of the American Volunteer Group in China; and the beginnings of resistance to further Japanese expansion. In these events, there are many individual stories that have either not been told or not been told widely which are every bit as gripping as the stories associated with the turning tide after Midway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI Will Run Wild\u003c\/i\u003e draws on extensive first-hand accounts and fascinating new analysis to tell the story of Americans, British, Dutch, Australians and New Zealanders taken by surprise from Pearl Harbor to Singapore that first Sunday of December 1941, who went on to fight with what they had at hand against a stronger and better-prepared foe, and in so doing built the basis for a reversal of fortune and an eventual victory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849347584236,"sku":"9781472841346","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10550983482712.jpg?v=1759043049"},{"product_id":"mediterranean-sweep-by-thomas-mckelvey-cleaver-9781472863454","title":"Mediterranean Sweep","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFilled with personal accounts of the action, this book details the USAAF’s tactical and strategic campaigns in the skies over Italy in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith the defeat of the Germans and Italians on Sicily in mid-July 1943, the focus of the war in the air shifted toward the battle for the Italian mainland itself. This campaign took place in the context of the coming invasion of northwest Europe, with many of the best units from the North African and Sicilian campaigns withdrawn to prepare for the new front, while those units that remained had a lower priority for replacements of men and material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDespite these difficulties, the air war in the Italian campaign is a study in the successful application of tactical air power. \u003ci\u003eMediterranean Sweep\u003c\/i\u003e describes how USAAF forces, alongside Free French, Italian Co-Belligerent, British and Commonwealth units, and even a squadron of the Brazilian Air Force, took the war to the Axis in both the fighter-bomber war and Operation \u003ci\u003eBingo\u003c\/i\u003e, the successful bombing campaign to withhold supplies from the German forces fighting on the Gothic Line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBuilding on the story of the USAAF in North Africa and over Sicily told in his previous work \u003ci\u003eTurning The Tide\u003c\/i\u003e, renowned aviation expert Tom Cleaver uses a wide range of first-hand accounts from American, Allied, German, and Italian pilots and other aircrew to bring to life the bitter struggle in the skies over Italy from mid-1943 through to the end of World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849563132140,"sku":"9781472863454","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10772063482712.jpg?v=1759051133"},{"product_id":"the-cactus-air-force-by-thomas-mckelvey-cleaver-9781472851086","title":"The Cactus Air Force","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eUsing diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts, this vivid narrative brings to life the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive operation undertaken by the US and its allies in the Pacific War. The three months of air battles between August 20, 1942, when the first Marine air unit arrived on the island, and November 15, when the last enemy attempt to retake the island was defeated, were perhaps the most important of the Pacific War. \"Cactus,\" the code name for the island, became a sinkhole for Japanese air and naval power, as they experienced losses that could never be made good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor 40 years, the late Eric Hammel interviewed more than 150 American participants in the air campaign at Guadalcanal, none of whom are still alive. These interviews are the most comprehensive first-person accounts of the battle assembled by any historian. More importantly, they involved the junior officers and enlisted men whose stories and memories were not part of the official history, and thus provide a unique insight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Cactus Air Force\u003c\/i\u003e, Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver worked closely with Eric to build on his collection of diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts to create a vivid narrative of the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46850007040236,"sku":"9781472851086","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10648383482712.jpg?v=1759074240"},{"product_id":"turning-the-tide-by-thomas-mckelvey-cleaver-9781472860255","title":"Turning The Tide","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePacked with personal accounts of the action, this is a vivid narrative history of the often-overlooked USAAF campaign in North Africa and Sicily in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1942, the Western Allies needed to take the offensive against the Axis powers to relieve pressure on the Soviet Union. With planning for a cross-Channel invasion beset by logistical and operational difficulties, in May, President Roosevelt ordered his military leaders to prepare to support the British in the Mediterranean. This led to the first USAAF units arriving in the Middle East in July, firstly as reinforcements for the British and later as part of the Operation \u003ci\u003eTorch\u003c\/i\u003e landings in French Morocco and Algeria in November.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of how, in only 11 months, the USAAF grew from these small beginnings in North Africa to become the senior partner in the region, providing aircraft and crews the other Allies were unable to match. In those 11 months, the Axis forces that had controlled almost the entire southern shore of the Mediterranean had been swept from the African continent and the island of Sicily – thanks in no small part to the efforts of the USAAF.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUsing first-hand accounts from pilots and other aircrew, renowned aviation historian Tom Cleaver describes how the USAAF units that landed in 1942 faced an intense baptism of fire in combat with veteran Luftwaffe units, and how the experience gained in the skies over North Africa and Sicily was invaluable in developing the air forces that would dominate the skies over Europe in the latter years of the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTurning The Tide\u003c\/i\u003e by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver provides an in-depth look at this crucial phase of World War II and highlights the bravery and strategic prowess that helped shift the course of the conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46851919479020,"sku":"9781472860255","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10740073482712.jpg?v=1759134175"},{"product_id":"under-the-southern-cross-by-thomas-mckelvey-cleaver-9781472838223","title":"Under the Southern Cross","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA vivid narrative history of the Solomons and New Guinea campaigns of World War II, which represented key turning points in the U.S. Navy's campaign against the Japanese in the Pacific.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom August 7, 1942, until February 24, 1944, the US Navy fought the most difficult campaign in its history. Between the landing of the 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal and the final withdrawal of the Imperial Japanese Navy from its main South Pacific base at Rabaul, the US Navy suffered such high personnel losses that for years it refused to publicly release total casualty figures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Solomons campaign saw the US Navy at its lowest point, forced to make use of those ships that had survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and other units of the pre-war navy that had been hastily transferred to the Pacific. 140 days after the American victory at Midway, USS \u003ci\u003eEnterprise\u003c\/i\u003e was the only pre-war carrier left in the South Pacific and the US Navy would have been overwhelmed in the face of Japanese naval power had there been a third major fleet action.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the same time, another under-resourced campaign had broken out on the island of New Guinea. The Japanese attempt to reinforce their position there had led to the Battle of the Coral Sea in May and through to the end of the year, American and Australian armed forces were only just able to prevent a Japanese conquest of New Guinea. The end of 1942 saw the Japanese stopped in both the Solomons and New Guinea, but it would take another 18 hard-fought months before Japan was forced to retreat from the South Pacific.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnder the Southern Cross\u003c\/i\u003e draws on extensive first-hand accounts and new analysis to examine the Solomons and New Guinea campaigns which laid the groundwork for Allied victory in the Pacific War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072958709996,"sku":"9781472838223","price":55.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10519753482712.jpg?v=1765134322"},{"product_id":"bloody-skies-by-thomas-mckelvey-cleaver-9781472865625","title":"Bloody Skies","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFilled with personal account of the action, this book details the operations of the USAAF’s 15th Air Force during the strategic bombing campaign against the Romanian oil fields at Ploesti, World War II.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFormed in the fall of 1943 from the strategic bomber forces of the Ninth and Twelfth Air Forces that saw action in North Africa and Sicily, the Fifteenth Air Force was sold to the Air Force high command as a strategic force that would take advantage of the better weather in Italy and southern Europe to bring increased pressure on Germany. However, \"Sunny Italy\" was only slightly less cloudy than \"Foggy England,\" while the Fifteenth Air Force rapidly became known as \"The Forgotten Fifteenth,\" as its war and achievements were overshadowed by the air war fought over Germany by the Eighth Air Force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNevertheless, the Fifteenth Air Force’s contribution to Allied victory was crucial. Between April and July 1944, the B-17s and B-24s and their escorting fighter groups took on the campaign against the Romanian oil fields at Ploesti. The campaign was bloody and brutal as the Germans threw everything they could into the defence of their sole remaining source of oil. The loss of Ploesti in July, combined with the attack on the synthetic oil industry in Germany by the Eighth Air Force, was the body blow that ended any chance for the German armed forces to do more than delay the inevitable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe fighter force that escorted the Fifteenth’s B-24s and B-17s included the famous Red Tails – the Tuskegee Airmen – as well as the P-38s of the 82nd Fighter Group and the P-51s of the 325th’s \"Checkertail Clan\". The story of the Fifteenth’s air war is told through first-person accounts from such famous units as the Red Tails, the Tuskegee Airmen, the 82nd Fighter Group, and the 325th’s \"Checkertail Clan\", along with Thomas McKelvey Cleaver’s ability to place wartime events in their greater context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47495287046380,"sku":"9781472865625","price":56.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781472865625-bloody-skies.jpg?v=1775794196"},{"product_id":"turning-the-tide-by-thomas-mckelvey-cleaver-9781472860262","title":"Turning The Tide","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePacked with personal accounts of the action, this is a vivid narrative history of the often-overlooked USAAF campaign in North Africa and Sicily in World War II.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1942, the Western Allies needed to take the offensive against the Axis powers to relieve pressure on the Soviet Union, and President Roosevelt ordered his military leaders to support the British in the Mediterranean. 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