Schiffer Publishing LTD

Combat RECON 5th Air Force Images from the SW Pacific 1943-45

by  Robert J. Stava

Reviewed By  Jim Pearsall, IPMS# 2209

MSRP: $39.95 ISBN: 9780764327773 Hard cover, 144 pages, 9" X 12", over 200 b/w photos. Website: www.schifferbooks.com I asked to review this book for 2 reasons. First, my father spent almost all of World War 2 in the SWPA, particularly New Guinea, Biak, Owi, and the Philippines. That's the area this book covers. Second, I went through some training to be a photo interpreter, although I never got much of a chance to use this training. I thought it'd be keen to see what the 5th AF did for recon and photo interpreting. Well, there's some of that in there. There's also some real "blood & guts" photography. But there's more than that. First and foremost, it's the story of Technical Sergeant John H. Stava's war, written and compiled by his nephew, Robert Stava, who got his deceased uncle's stash of hundreds of wartime photographs and 16mm color film(!) which are the basis for this book. Sergeant Stava joined the U S Army in 1940, when there wasn't a lot of sentiment supporting American involvement in Europe, but he thought that if war came, he would be in it. He went through Aerial Photographer's school at Lowry Field, Denver, and then was sent to Aerial Gunnery School at Laredo. The idea was that every crewman on a bomber was important, and a photographer had better be able to shoot too.

Because of the length of the schools, John graduated from gunnery school in January of 1943, already a Technical Sergeant. He was then assigned to the 5th Air Force Advanced Echelon Photo Section, which formed in Pittsburg, California, then moved to Brisbane, Australia for training. A month later they moved to Port Moresby in New Guinea, where the story really begins. In 1944, the Photo Lab moved to Nazdab, New Guinea, followed by moves to Owi, Mindoro in the Philippines and to Luzon, where the lab merged with the 2nd Air Force Intelligence Section. He then transferred to the 17th Recon Bomber Group as a tail gunner.

John Stava didn't take all the pictures shown on the wall behind him, but these are some of the most memorable images from World War 2. The photograph of Marge on Dick Bong's P-38 originated in this photo lab. And Major Bong came around every month or so for a new picture, either because he'd lost the aircraft it was on, or the photo was damaged by weather and wear and tear.

Most of the pictures you see from this theater were taken by an automatic camera in the tail of the bomber. When the bombs were released, the camera would automatically take a picture after a delay. These were real combat footage, with exploding bombs and parafrags falling, not the usual "we came, we took pictures, we left" reconnaissance photos.

There is one of these automatic photos from April 6th, 1945, which is annotated "Beginning of Bomb blast" and "Empty shells from my tail guns" which tells us that he was up close and personal with a Japanese destroyer from the tail gunner's position of a B-25. There are also pictures from everyday life in New Guinea and the Philippines, and leave in Sidney, Australia.

I was amused by the description of the New Guinea natives' grass huts. They were "infested with every description of vermin, including spiders, centipedes, scorpions, lizards and even birds. Luckily they were highly flammable." There is a collection of nose art photos. Someone with better research skills than I could probably figure out all the markings to go with the aircraft, such as serial numbers and unit markings. This photo is not in the book. It's my father with a B-24.

OK, I've written about the subject, and some of the content. Do I think it's a worthwhile book? Yes. Recommended. If you're just interested in the aircraft, this book will have limited use to you. There are a number of photos of the last moments of real IJAF aircraft and IJN ships, not some captured wreck. If you're interested in the generals and the campaigns, there is some info that would be useful, as Stava was at 5th AF HQ. These pictures are of General Macarthur and General George Marshall at different times, during visits to Nazdab.

There are many histories written about the war, but very few which give the feel for the day-to-day life of the participants. This book doesn't just hit the high points, it tries to cover the discomfort, the loneliness, and the fear which haunt the combat airman every day. But there were also good times, and they're included.

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