On looking closer I see that Bloody Shambles does indeed include the Caiden
book in its bibliography--a bibliography arranged alphabetically not by author

The British may not be as aware of his reputation for fictionalizing.
Caidin is likewise cited in the new book from Grub Street: Buffaloes
Over Singapore
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...f=nosim/annals

The last book is "70 Days in Singapore" by Faulk, listed last, I guess because
the title has a numeral in it--?

The usual rule (at least in the U.S.) is to put numbers first!

As far as the japanese info, assuming it is accurate, it is interesting--as far

It's as accurate as can be done with the sources available. The
Japanese stuff was provided by a Dr Izawa, who is an aviation buff who
has written several books about the Japanese Army Air Force.

as it goes. i was interested to learn how the japs had had to pull air
resources out of southeast Asia to smash bataan, evening bringing in the big
Sally army bombers. I was even more interested to know how badly hurt they had
been by AAA from the Bataan defenders. But when I wondered what unit with what
weaponry were doing this damage, the text was silent. I also wondered what

Well, the Japanese wouldn't have known that! As always, what an
individual writes about his own side is generally fairly close to the
mark. It's when he's writing or yarning about the other side (how many
planes went down, what kind of planes they were) that he goes astray.

altitude the Sallys were bombing from, and if the Jap experience with US Army
AAA at Bataan influenced them to fly at 22,000 feet over port moresby, greatly
reducing their effectiveness, that being ironic because there was no AAA at
Moresby. I was also interested to learn that the Japs bombed the dug in troops
on Bataan with 50kg bombs, and I wondered what genius had decided on that. The

Perhaps all they had? The Japanese were always operating ahead of
their supply line. They set out to invade Burma without drop tanks for
their fighters. That's one reason the first raid on Rangoon was Dec
23, two weeks after the war began.

I suppose i am beating this to death, but I had high hopes for these expensive
volumes and it looks like the usual rehash, at least as far as US operations
go.

I found the Philippines chapters impossibly dull, and concluded that
you had to know something about the campaigns before you could
appreciate Shores & Co's day by day account of the fighting. The Burma
and Malaya accounts do stand up to the closest scrutiny. Can't say
about Indonesia, and I yield to your knowledge on the Philippines.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

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