They Fought With What They Had, first published in 1951, is the authoritative account of the U.S. Army Air Forces in the Philippines and on Java (Indonesia) in late 1941 and 1942. Unprepared for the Japanese onslaught, American forces had to fight with what little they had in terms of functioning aircraft, adequate munitions and replacement parts, and limited manpower. In the face of these overwhelming odds, however, a valiant effort was made to resist the Japanese invaders, which served to buy time for the fresh troops and new equipment that would soon flow into the region. Author Walter Edmonds does a masterful job of incorporating army reports and hundreds of interviews conducted with the combatants into this comprehensive, highly readable account of U.S. Army Air Forces in the south Pacific at the start of World War II. Illustrated with maps.

Author Walter Edmonds (1903-1998) was best known for his historical novels including Drums Along the Mohawk, published in 1936.