History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II

History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II by Robert Lee Sherrod. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780891411116.

From Foreword: "It is not too strong a statement to say that Marine Corps aviation came of age in World War II. We are fortunate that the distinguished journalist-historian Robert Sherrod has detailed the process by which it came of age in his History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Originally published in 1952 by the Combat Forces Press, the book has long been out of print....Readers will find it a highly concentrated work. An examination of the table of contents will reveal the organization of the book: two introductory chapters carrying Marine aviation from its beginning up to World War II, then a chapter-by-chapter narrative account through the war, followed by a carefully researched set of appendices. The last of these appendices is a tour de force in itself, a compilation of thumbnail histories of virtually all Marine squadrons and other Marine aviation units involved in the war. The book can be read as a rousing war story. It can also be read as a case study of the evolution of organization and doctrine. It is all here, including the diversions, digressions, and sometimes maldeployments from the main purpose of Marine aviation - to serve as the air element of an integrated air-ground team...."