Avonmore Books | Solomons Air War: Volume 3
Reviewed by Kevin Williams
Publisher: Avonmore Books
Author: Michael John Claringbould & Peter Ingman
Publishing Date: 2024
ISBN: 978-0-975-64233-7 (Softcover)
Pages: 184
An excellent series from Avonmore, and one that I strongly suspect will be very well received, is this look at the Solomons air war. A nice addition to those with a passion for this theater of operations during WW II. This third volume of the Solomons Air War chronicles aerial warfare in the Guadalcanal phase of the war in the Solomons Islands theater, specifically being the period of November to December 1942.
This particular book (Volume Three in the series), depicts some of the more rather well known Pacific combatants, specifically the legendary Grumman F4F Wildcat, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator and P-38 Lightning, and it’s chock full of representative material; plenty of ground shots, variations in painting schemes, as well as showing the incredible wear on the finishes of these Pacific birds, as well as several color profile drawings.
This work, being dedicated once again to the South Pacific (1942 time-frame) arena, and specifically the Solomon islands, offers up some worthwhile coverage of quite a few aircraft in that theater; a great wealth of information to add for those that seek information regarding these types of aircraft working from those environments.
By now I've learned to truly respect this author, as his research and attention to details and dates, is truly worthwhile.
Typical Photo/Illustration Quality to be Found Throughout
To me, the high point of this volume, is the overall appeal of the subject matter, combined with numerous interesting facts about the campaigns in the Pacific, all packaged in a smooth, attractive presentation that I have to say makes this book a very good value, given the overall intensity of the content.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rate this book as a solid 10, no question about it.
Well-written, easy to comprehend, and informative. It is an excellent source for the Pacific air war enthusiast.
My review copy compliments of Casemate Publishers. Many thanks to Casemate, it's truly an outstanding reference book for the Pacific theater of war in general, really top-notch stuff.
© Kevin Williams 2026
This review was published on Thursday, June 25 2026; Last modified on Sunday, June 28 2026