Shoestring's End

a Novel of the SW Pacific Air War Dec 1942 - March 1943 (No Merciful War Book 8)

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Dec 18 2020 | Archive Date Jan 22 2021

Talking about this book? Use #ShoestringsEnd #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

By the end of 1942, the Japanese base at Rabaul on the island of New Britain is still the major strategic factor in two theaters, the South Pacific, which includes Guadalcanal at the southern end of the Solomons chain, and the Southwest Pacific, which includes New Guinea. Possession of Rabaul allows the Japanese to strike Allied forces in either theater.

Jimmy Ardana returns to the 35th Fighter Group after recovering from malaria and assorted jungle fevers. The war of the 35th Fighter Group revolves around air support for the Allied troops fighting the Japanese Army at Gona and Buna. The 35th has one squadron equipped with P-38s, but the rest of the group soldiers on with increasingly worn P-39D Airacobras.

Danny Evans is now command pilot of Bronco Buster II, the aging B-17E he inherited from Charlie Davis. The 19th Bomb Group has left the theater. Danny Evans and Bronco Buster II now fly for the 43rd Bomb Group. The only other heavy bombardment group in the 5th Air Force, the 90th, equipped with B-24s, suffers continual failures of equipment and training but are gradually improving. Neither group is up to full strength.

Tommy “Chinkerbell” Bell makes a major mistake and finds his true home.

New replacements arrive, still largely untrained beyond graduating flight school. Jimmy and Danny will have to deal with these pilots as best they can. Some will live. Some won’t.

The Japanese have given up on reinforcing Buna and Gona by sea. Instead, they will reinforce their southernmost base at Lae on the Huon Gulf. While the action in the South Pacific theater centers around the Marines and the naval battles around Guadalcanal, in the Southwest Pacific it’s still the Royal Australian Army and Air Force and the American 5th Air Force taking the fight to the Japanese.

Turn the page. The time is one minute after midnight, December 24, 1942.

By the end of 1942, the Japanese base at Rabaul on the island of New Britain is still the major strategic factor in two theaters, the South Pacific, which includes Guadalcanal at the southern end of...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781736375808
PRICE $3.99 (USD)

Average rating from 2 members


Featured Reviews

Having read the first in this series I was eager to get my hands another instalment of this compelling account of the aerial campaign in the south west pacific. All the positive features I admired in book 1 are present in generous measure in Shoestring’s End: careful attention to the historical parameters of this little known, but fiercely contested campaign; excellent and compelling accounts of the mix of tedium and terror that were standard fare for many pilots and aircrew in the Second World War; and a developing narrative that helps the reader to get to know the characters that are central to this story.
Whilst the books can be read and enjoyed on a standalone basis the enjoyment is likely to be enhanced by reading them sequentially. Strongly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Tom Burkhalter (https://thomasburkhalter.com) is the author of six novels. Shoestring’s End was published in 2020 and is the sixth novel in his No Merciful War series. It is the 85th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature language, I categorize this novel as R.

The novel begins in late 1942 on the island of New Guinea. The Japanese still have a strong base at Rabaul on the island of New Britain. With that position, they can strike across a large swath of the Pacific.

While the plot touches on many, there are three primary characters. Jimmy Ardana is a pilot with the 35th Fighter Group. The unit mostly flies P-39D Airacobras but has begun the transition to P-38 Lightnings. Jimmy has already qualified as an Ace. Danny Evans pilots a B-17E with the 43rd Bomb Group. Another significant character is Tommy Bell, who has transferred to flying the A-20 Havoc. He is not as well-liked and is more the cocky loaner.

The story tells of their missions and air combat experiences. They all fly out of the same area. The plot weaves around these pilots and their crews as each experiences the war in the Pacific in their own way.

I enjoyed the 10 hours I spent reading this 422-page WWII-era historical fiction novel. While this novel is fiction, it paints a good picture of front-line air combat in the Pacific. I had the chance to also read Everything We Had. It is one of the earlier novels in his No Merciful War series. Both novels have been good WWII fiction. The cover art is monochrome and dull, but that is consistent with photos of the era. I give this novel a rating of 4.2 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Was this review helpful?