THEY FOUGHT WITH WHAT THEY HAD

This is one of a projected series of histories of the Air Force action from the viewpoint of the men in the field, done with the cooperation of the Personnel Narratives Office. With Edmonds' name it should carry beyond the market of those intimately concerned with a close-up of the air force operation during the Philippine campaign and the defense of Java, lost causes in which the air force was another instance of ""they were expendable"". Five years in preparation and writing, this is based on close study of often contradictory records, primary sources, personal interviews, and so on. It is a record of individual heroism and collective inadequacies, of material, equipment, personnel, leadership and preparedness for the violence of the challenge. The Far East Air Force, in all its component parts was far below the standard of the enemy they had to combat. The story of how ""they fought with what they had"" is one of the great miracle tales of modern times. But it wasn't enough. This report ends with their second evacuation.