MacArthur, Melbourne to Tokyo

the long version

This book takes a broad look at MacArthur's war as he guided his forces more than 6,500 miles to victory - from his arrival at Melbourne, Australia after his escape from the Philippines on March 22, 1942, to his entry into Tokyo on August 30, 1945. All this was accomplished with much less loss of life than in earlier major wars. MacArthur's rapid advance to Tokyo could not have been achieved without the close support of the U.S. Air Force and, especially, the troop carrier and airborne operations. The story traces the activities of the 374th Troop Carrier Group, one of MacArthur's major support units, and how MacArthur's strategy affected the small air force unit - rated the most decorated unit of its size in the Pacific war. Finally, the story contains a detailed description of the flight into Atsugi, the kamikaze training base at Tokyo, the first enemy of Japan to land on Japanese soil and the dangers this small group of 28 men of Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force personnel faced on landing.