Books by Barrett Tillman

Victory in Japan Day (VJ Day) on August 15, 1945 officially marked the end of World War II, but in fact conflict continued throughout the month. This fascinating title from Barrett Tillman explore the final weeks of the war, until the shooting finally stopped.In the 44 months between December 1941 and August 1945, the Pacific Theater absorbed the attention of the American nation and military longer than any other. Despite the Allied grand strategy of "Germany first," after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. especially was committed to confronting Tokyo as a matter of urgent priority. But from Oahu to Tokyo was a long, sanguinary slog, averaging an advance of just three miles per day. The U.S. human toll paid on that road reached some 108,000 battle deaths, more than one-third the U.S. wartime total. But by the summer of 1945 on both the American homefront and on the frontline there was hope. The stunning announcements of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 seemed sure to force Tokyo over the tipping point since the Allies' surrender demand from Potsdam, Germany, in July. What few understood was the vast gap in the cultural ethos of East and West at that time. In fact, most of the Japanese cabinet refused to surrender and vicious dogfights were still waged in the skies above Japan.This fascinating new history tells the dramatic story of the final weeks of the war, detailing the last brutal battles on air, land and sea with evocative first-hand accounts from pilots and sailors caught up in these extraordinary events. Barrett Tillman then expertly details the first weeks of a tenuous peace and the drawing of battle lines with the forthcoming Cold War as Soviet forces concluded their invasion of Manchuria. When the Shooting Stopped retells these dramatic events, drawing on accounts from all sides to relive the days when the war finally ended and the world was forever changed.

A riveting Vietnam War story--and one of the most dramatic in aviation history--told by a New York Times bestselling author and a prominent aviation historian

The Godfather of Topgun tells the never-before-told story of the risk-takers, disruptors and innovators who revolutionized the art of aerial combat and created the center for excellence and incubator of leadership that thrives to this day.

Focuses on the American air aces who flew the Grumman Wildcat in America's hasty defence against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. This book covers the bloody battles at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal, and examines in detail their tactics and their secrets of survival and success.

The Grumman Avenger, in service from 1942, meted out severe retribution on the Japanese fleet thanks to a bomb bay large enough to carry the Navy's biggest torpedo. This detailed text presents scale drawings of the plane with crews explaining their experiences in battle in the Pacific.

Described as a rugged, dependable workhorse of a fighter, this book examines the US-built Hellcat, which went on to achieve a kill-to-loss ratio of 8 to 1. The Hellcat was the chosen plane of over 250 US Navy aces.

The SBD Dauntless of 1942 was a revolutionary all-metal stressed-skin design with an airframe strength that made it ideal for dive-bombing. It proved its worth in the Battle of Midway, sinking four Japanese carriers. This book examines the aircraft's record and includes interviews with crews.