Operation Vengeance: The Astonishing Aerial Ambush That Changed World War II
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- Create Date：2021-07-17 16:30:57
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dan Hampton
- ISBN：006293810X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Enzo
，
World War II was always one of my favorite courses。 But this very detailed telling of what needed to occur before "Operation Vengeance" is really great。 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto， knew better then anyone else in the Japanese forces what America could become back then。 He knew time would work against the Empire once it entered into wat with the United States。 But having his hands tied up by the necessities and by the American government at the time。 Japan could not expand to the East without havin World War II was always one of my favorite courses。 But this very detailed telling of what needed to occur before "Operation Vengeance" is really great。 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto， knew better then anyone else in the Japanese forces what America could become back then。 He knew time would work against the Empire once it entered into wat with the United States。 But having his hands tied up by the necessities and by the American government at the time。 Japan could not expand to the East without having to deal with the Americans。 So they chose to head into the wind and take their turn at the dice。 The attack on Pearl Harbor was viewed by all Americans as treacherous （Adm。 Yamamoto， had asked for War to be declared before hand but the Japanese Embassy failed him。） because they saw an attack without honorable warning， no formal declaration of hostilities。 Just a murderous act。 Adm。 Yamamoto became the most hated figure of the nascent War。 Everyone knew exactly who to blame and who they needed to beat。Japanese belief that Americans were inferior fighters cost them dearly in Guadalcanal。 Once the Americans took hold of the Island they would never let it go。 Cactus Air and the Marines would see to it。 The Japanese would end up losing more ships and plane at any other point of the war。 Going after Adm。 Yamamoto was a huge logistical risk， it would hint to the Japanese that the Americans had deciphered their communications codes。 But the rewards to doing so where huge。 In hindsight it is believed that after that loss the Japanese never really recovered any sort of initiative。 Going back to their Generals that fought in Manchuria for planning never gave them any sort of global vision。 。。。more
Bob
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A fascinating description of the mission to intercept General Yamamoto and kill him。 This operation was done by USAF Pilots based at Guadalcanal flying P38 Lightnings in April of 1943。 The word Vengeance refers to pay back for the attack on Perl Harbor which was planned by Yamamoto。The author is a pilot himself who flew F16s in the first Gulf War so it is full of flying and piloting descriptions that are rich in detail。 Hampton tracks the careers of the pilot Rex Barber who is generally consider A fascinating description of the mission to intercept General Yamamoto and kill him。 This operation was done by USAF Pilots based at Guadalcanal flying P38 Lightnings in April of 1943。 The word Vengeance refers to pay back for the attack on Perl Harbor which was planned by Yamamoto。The author is a pilot himself who flew F16s in the first Gulf War so it is full of flying and piloting descriptions that are rich in detail。 Hampton tracks the careers of the pilot Rex Barber who is generally considered to be the one who actually got the plane flying the general although there was some controversy as to which pilot actually did it。 At the end of the book， Hampton gives evidence to convince that it was Barber who actually got the kill。Hampton gives a very detailed description of the battle for Guadalcanal as a lead up to the actual operation。 Of course， this is a battle that is fairly well known to most people familiar with WWII and the Pacific campaign。 But he tells this story from the standpoint of a pilot which makes it a little more than a rehash of familiar territory。Although I knew about this mission there is quite a bit of information that fills out the story in this book。 One interesting thing that I think most people do not know is that Barber went on to fly P38s in China after this mission and was shot down。 He lived in hiding several months with the help of several Chinese boys until he finally was able to make it back to safety。Although there is no question that Barber was a very brave and patriotic guy， I am still left wondering what really motivated him？ Was he a daredevil who thrilled in danger or did he really view this as his duty to the country that he deeply loved and supported？ Perhaps is was a bit of both。 。。。more
Rob Tonkinson
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Incredible historical event written in a way that made you feel like you were there， in the jungles of Guadalcanal， in the cockpit of a p-38， and in countless other places in the story。 Exceptionally well written and enjoyable to read。
Curt
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Only a minor point， why are unions mentioned as detrimental to the war effort for striking during the war and businesses are praised as an engine driving the war effort。 There were many businesses profiteering on the war， isn't that also detrimental to the war effort？ Only a minor point， why are unions mentioned as detrimental to the war effort for striking during the war and businesses are praised as an engine driving the war effort。 There were many businesses profiteering on the war， isn't that also detrimental to the war effort？ 。。。more
Michael
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Excellent book from start to finish。 I enjoy reading American military history and this is a story I was not familiar with。 The author has done a wonderful job of following the events from both sides （ the United States and Japan）。 The story is woven together so well。 It also brings to light how the credit for the elimination of Admiral Yomamoto has been discredited all the years。 I hope one day this can be corrected。
David Cervantes
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Excellent accountDetailed story of the killing of Isoroku Yamamoto over the island of Bougainville in World War II。 The author covers the lives of the major characters， both Americans and Japanese， as well as the progress of the war in the Pacific。 The author's account of the fight that killed Yamamoto reads like the best thriller。Spoiler alert: Rex Barber， not Tom Lanphier， did it。 Excellent accountDetailed story of the killing of Isoroku Yamamoto over the island of Bougainville in World War II。 The author covers the lives of the major characters， both Americans and Japanese， as well as the progress of the war in the Pacific。 The author's account of the fight that killed Yamamoto reads like the best thriller。Spoiler alert: Rex Barber， not Tom Lanphier， did it。 。。。more
Bob T
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Really good story of WWII in the South Pacific and specifically the mission to kill Admiral Yamamoto。 Only criticism is the lack of maps that would have greatly helped understand the various battles and tactics discussed。 The version I had （from the Wall Street Journal） had a surprising number of typos - perhaps it was an advance copy。
Aaron VanAlstine
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Poorly written and poorly edited。 This is not the work of a military historian。 Some of the mistakes are glaring （the bomb dropped on Nagasaki was “Fat Man，” not “Fat Boy”） and you might believe this is self-published。 The technical details about flying P-38’s and the recounting of the Guadalcanal campaign were very interesting， however。
Annette
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While I found this author a little hard to follow at times， the story is very interesting。 The mission's aftermath was particularly surprising。 While I found this author a little hard to follow at times， the story is very interesting。 The mission's aftermath was particularly surprising。 。。。more
Bill Bolen
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This is Hampton’s best work to date。 He spends sufficient time on background， historical setup and personal development leading up to the actions that happened on 18 April 1943。 Detailed steps and actions from a cockpit view are well done and detailed to give the reader the feel of the pilot and their experience。 This should be considered a definitive work on this topic and should be a basis for getting the credit right for all time。 A minor nit regarding the publication I read， which was a hard This is Hampton’s best work to date。 He spends sufficient time on background， historical setup and personal development leading up to the actions that happened on 18 April 1943。 Detailed steps and actions from a cockpit view are well done and detailed to give the reader the feel of the pilot and their experience。 This should be considered a definitive work on this topic and should be a basis for getting the credit right for all time。 A minor nit regarding the publication I read， which was a hardcover first edition， are the number of typographical errors。 I didn’t mark them all， but there must have been a couple dozen or more。 I’m sure these will get corrected in future releases。 。。。more
Mark Phinney
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The Inside Details of One of the Most Important Missions of WW IIVery interesting tale alternating between the detailed descriptions of the flight to intercept Admiral Yamamoto's plane， the importance of Adm。 Yamamoto to Japanese war plans， and the flight of Adm。 Summit's plane。 The author deals with the controversy concerning which pilot actually shot down Adm。 Yamamoto's plane。 The Inside Details of One of the Most Important Missions of WW IIVery interesting tale alternating between the detailed descriptions of the flight to intercept Admiral Yamamoto's plane， the importance of Adm。 Yamamoto to Japanese war plans， and the flight of Adm。 Summit's plane。 The author deals with the controversy concerning which pilot actually shot down Adm。 Yamamoto's plane。 。。。more
Randall Thomas
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A good book。 Not great， but good。 The story was disjointed。 Too much background in other aspects of the war that have been covered by others。 More time on the backgrounds of the pilots involved would have helped the story。
Bob Crawford
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Mission AccomplishedThis book offers a factual， fast-paced account of a pivotal encounter during the war in the South Pacific。 We know in hindsight that losing Admiral Yamamoto was difficult for the Japanese and changed the course of the war and led to ultimate defeat for the emperor。This book records that clash， with all its improbabilities， with clarity for posterity to remember。
Robert A。 Lodge
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Mystery answeredWell written 。 。 。 easy to read and understand the hardships of WWII aviation 。 。 。 definitively answers the question as to who shot down Yamamoto。
Steve
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This had the potential to be a really good book， but instead it is unfocused， disjointed and emotionally-written。 Most of the book is consumed by "background" -- such as the history of aerial warfare， U。S。 naval operations in the Pacific during WWII， and an overly long account of the action on Guadalcanal。 Hampton is not a historian， and there's nothing new in any of that information; it acts a filler in the apparent desire for a thicker volume。 As for Operation Vengeance， his coverage of that s This had the potential to be a really good book， but instead it is unfocused， disjointed and emotionally-written。 Most of the book is consumed by "background" -- such as the history of aerial warfare， U。S。 naval operations in the Pacific during WWII， and an overly long account of the action on Guadalcanal。 Hampton is not a historian， and there's nothing new in any of that information; it acts a filler in the apparent desire for a thicker volume。 As for Operation Vengeance， his coverage of that seems rushed and thin by the end of the book: Dinner's over and there's no time to finish the main course。 Hampton is a master when it comes to writing about aeronautics and aerial combat， but that is wasted here and only evident in bits and pieces。 He deserved a better editor。 。。。more
Bob
，
Dan Hampton has written quite a fascinating tale of Operation VENGEANCE， the 18 April 1943 mission in the Southwest Pacific by USAAF P-38 Lightings。 Tipped off by an intercepted Japanese message， the Americans flew from Guadalcanal to Bougainville， where they successfully intercepted and shot down the aircraft carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto， the mastermind of the Pearl Harbor attack of 7 December 1941。 Hampton tells the story of the raid， mixing in tales of how the US and Japan came to a coll Dan Hampton has written quite a fascinating tale of Operation VENGEANCE， the 18 April 1943 mission in the Southwest Pacific by USAAF P-38 Lightings。 Tipped off by an intercepted Japanese message， the Americans flew from Guadalcanal to Bougainville， where they successfully intercepted and shot down the aircraft carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto， the mastermind of the Pearl Harbor attack of 7 December 1941。 Hampton tells the story of the raid， mixing in tales of how the US and Japan came to a collision course， the development of the P-38， the Guadalcanal campaign， and the lives of Yamamoto and Rex Barber， the American fighter pilot who shot down Yamamoto。 I did notice a few errors in the text--stating that Singapore fell on 25 December 1941; actually， it was Hong Kong--but overall， a very fine read for anyone interested in World War II in the Pacific。 。。。more
Dan
，
Way， way， way too long， I think most amateur WWII historians know about the battles for Guadalcanal and dont need page after page after page all about the entire battle start to finish。 Same with other smaller operations by pilots。 The operation itself was enough for a book， maybe some info on other battles to obtain and keep the canal， but not so much。 Of course the treatment by their superiors （thats questionable in itself） was abhorent， really just plain wrong。 Great operation by brave， skill Way， way， way too long， I think most amateur WWII historians know about the battles for Guadalcanal and dont need page after page after page all about the entire battle start to finish。 Same with other smaller operations by pilots。 The operation itself was enough for a book， maybe some info on other battles to obtain and keep the canal， but not so much。 Of course the treatment by their superiors （thats questionable in itself） was abhorent， really just plain wrong。 Great operation by brave， skilled pilots but terrible treatment afterwards。 If it were not so long I would have to rate the writing of the book as very good， engaging， worth reading altho ultimately I skipped thru some things like too much detail about operations like the names of Jap pilots， aircraft numbers， miles from there to there， all way too much detail， very forgettable or skippable。 Ultimately the book is just plain too long but well written and engaging。 Good book for today， Dec 7， we all love revenge and this was all about just that。 。。。more
David Lubin
，
Dan Hampton does a fine job of reconstructing the events of April 18， 1943 when a group of sixteen P-38 fighters under the command of John Mitchell navigated over 400 miles at an altitude of less than 200 feet to stay undetected by radar so that they could ambush the Commander of the Japanese combined Army-Navy forces Admiral Yamamoto， the engineer behind the Pearl Harbor attack。 It is customary to praise Hampton's diligence in his research and this book is exemplary of that dedication。 More imp Dan Hampton does a fine job of reconstructing the events of April 18， 1943 when a group of sixteen P-38 fighters under the command of John Mitchell navigated over 400 miles at an altitude of less than 200 feet to stay undetected by radar so that they could ambush the Commander of the Japanese combined Army-Navy forces Admiral Yamamoto， the engineer behind the Pearl Harbor attack。 It is customary to praise Hampton's diligence in his research and this book is exemplary of that dedication。 More importantly for me was how he describes the individuals who actually flew the mission。 Heroic men who did not consider themselves heroes at all but rather just every day aviators doing their jobs no matter what the risks。 。。。more
Glenn
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Allot more to the story other than the Yamamoto ambush， tons of info on Guadalcanal and the heroic Marines and Airmen who truly were the "Greatest Generation " Allot more to the story other than the Yamamoto ambush， tons of info on Guadalcanal and the heroic Marines and Airmen who truly were the "Greatest Generation " 。。。more
Alan Debban
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Well researched book on a fairly well-known incident from World War II。 The author has an agenda and states it clearly upfront: Show that USAAF Lt Rex Barber shot down the plane carrying Japanese Admiral Yamamoto。 As he builds his story of the flight mission， there is an extensive story on the battle for Guadalcanal。
Kursad Albayraktaroglu
，
Another stellar military aviation book by Dan Hampton - this time telling the fascinating story of the aerial ambush that killed Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto， the commander-in-chief of the Japanese navy。 While some people still consider the killing of Yamamoto an "assasination" （it was not - Yamamoto was a uniformed officer， a combatant flying in a military aircraft in a combat zone）， there is no doubt that his death shortened the war and prevented many more Japanese and Allied lives。Hampton describ Another stellar military aviation book by Dan Hampton - this time telling the fascinating story of the aerial ambush that killed Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto， the commander-in-chief of the Japanese navy。 While some people still consider the killing of Yamamoto an "assasination" （it was not - Yamamoto was a uniformed officer， a combatant flying in a military aircraft in a combat zone）， there is no doubt that his death shortened the war and prevented many more Japanese and Allied lives。Hampton describes the main characters （Yamamoto， other US and Japanese commanders， and Rex Barber - the pilot who shot Yamamoto's aircraft down）; provides a very detailed and complete history of the Pacific War until the operation， and proceeds to re-enact the attack at a level of detail only a real military pilot can。 While the attack on Yamamoto's aircraft was an amazing feat of flying， it was also a triumph of US electronic intelligence and cryptanalysis， as his exact route was obtained through a radio message that was intercepted and decrypted by the US。 My only criticism of the book is that Hampton gave relatively few details of the signals intelligence aspect of the operation。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Theron Walker
，
I couldn't put this book down。 Hampton weaves together big historical events， the technology of the planes， combat descriptions， with painstaking research into the individuals involved， telling the "big" story through the "small" of actual people is a unique gift。 I'm not a "military" or "aviation" geek， but I'd guess those who are would love this book， as did I。 I couldn't put this book down。 Hampton weaves together big historical events， the technology of the planes， combat descriptions， with painstaking research into the individuals involved， telling the "big" story through the "small" of actual people is a unique gift。 I'm not a "military" or "aviation" geek， but I'd guess those who are would love this book， as did I。 。。。more
Bo Becker
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Love the description of all the aerial impact in the Pacific of this campaign as well as ultimate mission。 Extremely well written and will keep aviation enthusiasts intrigued。 Don't be fooled by the title， the majority of this book focuses on the campaigns and build up of Guadalcanal and its impact on the war， with maybe 1/4 or less dealing about this mission。 It is a great read， and an incredible mission， just making sure you are ready for a historical buildup prior to getting to the "title"。 Love the description of all the aerial impact in the Pacific of this campaign as well as ultimate mission。 Extremely well written and will keep aviation enthusiasts intrigued。 Don't be fooled by the title， the majority of this book focuses on the campaigns and build up of Guadalcanal and its impact on the war， with maybe 1/4 or less dealing about this mission。 It is a great read， and an incredible mission， just making sure you are ready for a historical buildup prior to getting to the "title"。 。。。more
Jim
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The last chapter has the climax and the reason for the story。 The first part of the book details the battle of Guadalcanal。 Without Henderson field on Guadalcanal， there probably would not have been “Operation Vengeance”。 This detail describes how much effort and sacrifice preceded one shot victories of WW2。
Brendan
，
While the subject of Operation Vengeance is the WWII mission to intercept and shoot down a plane on which Admiral Yamamoto， the architect of Pearl Harbor， was a passenger， most of the book is not about the mission itself。 The first third of the book discusses the history of Japan from the mid-19th Century up to World War II， including the biography of Yamamoto。 The second section of the book is mostly about the Battle of/for Guadalcanal and its airstrip from which Operation Vengeance was launche While the subject of Operation Vengeance is the WWII mission to intercept and shoot down a plane on which Admiral Yamamoto， the architect of Pearl Harbor， was a passenger， most of the book is not about the mission itself。 The first third of the book discusses the history of Japan from the mid-19th Century up to World War II， including the biography of Yamamoto。 The second section of the book is mostly about the Battle of/for Guadalcanal and its airstrip from which Operation Vengeance was launched。 These sections are interspersed with the planning and progress of Operation Vengeance until the final section narrates almost second-by-second through the ambush。It's an interesting but not entirely successful approach。 While Yamamoto's personal biography parallels the rise of Japan in the 19th and 20th Century and gives useful background， the account of the Battle of Guadalcanal - and several other Pacific battles - really belongs in a different book。 Also， there's a lot of repetition as the narrative goes backwards and forwards in time， with some facts repeated within a page or two。 I learned a lot about Guadalcanal and Operation Vengeance， about which I previously knew little， but there's a lot more in this book than just the titular Operation。 。。。more
Donna Woodard
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Definitely a book for a pilot， an person devoted to technical accuracy and military nomenclature。 This is a book of trees that prevents one from seeing the forest。 Too much nit picky detail and no story flow。 An after action report。 A thesis。 A brief in defense of “who done it。” I’m sorry to say this book did not tell the story of Operation Vengeance but it did include all the facts down to the exact military nomenclature of a tent！
Rick Mitchell
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This is a terribly detailed book and I write that in both senses of the word。 The operation to kill Yamamoto is ostensibly the reason for book。 The operation does not start until page 235 except for a few pages introducing Yamamoto and the pilot who got him。 Even then， there are divergences。 The author is a pilot。 Perhaps this would be interesting to other pilots， but I do not need to know every reading of every gauge in the cockpit - especially when it has no bearing on the story being told。
Bob Stenberg
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Well done and very interesting storyline。
David Marsico
，
Very interesting and very detailed。 It takes a while to get to the actual of shooting done of the general but it is interesting to understand the background。
Miguel
，