I Will Run Wild: The Pacific War from Pearl Harbour to Midway - Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

This review has been submitted to the RCAF Journal.

Title: I Will Run Wild: The Pacific War from Pearl Harbour to Midway
Author: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
ISBN: 978-1-4728-4133-9
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Year: 2020
Hardcover
Pages: 320
Photos/Maps: 68/5

The title of this book is drawn from the Commander of the Japanese Navy, Adm Yamamoto’s, comment when advised that war with the United States was inevitable: “For the first six months I will run wild. After that I can promise nothing”. Indeed the Japanese did, repeatedly defeating the Far East forces of the UK, Holland, the Commonwealth and the US. Cleaver’s is a fastidiously researched account of those months; with a particular emphasis upon the US experience. 

Conventional wisdom suggests that this period was one of predominant success for the forces of Imperial Japan; however, as the author demonstrates, the angel of fortune flies on wings made up of a combination of opportunity, competency and luck. As Cleaver’s narrative unfolds, repeated examples are presented where this assertion is proven: 

1.    The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour crippling the US Pacific Fleet while missing both its carriers as well as the maintenance and fuel storage reserves of the harbour;
2.       The Japanese codes (that had been broken by the US in early 1942) being changed on 27 May, 1942; seven days before the attack on Midway but too late to prevent the US from knowing the order of battle and the anticipated attack date;
3.       The US relief fleet for the garrison at Wake Island (under attack by land and sea forces of Japan) being turned back 24 hrs before their anticipated engagement with the Japanese (who were not aware of their presence and were not at all prepared for a sea engagement); and
4.       A Japanese Zero ditched during an attack on the Aleutian Islands being found completely by chance by a lost Catalina , intact, because the pilots who had been escorting the crippled aircraft did not want to destroy it from the air (despite standing orders to do so) for fear of possibly injuring their friend and fellow pilot. Up to this point the US had not been able to capture a Zero; the Japanese considered it a loss no less serious than the Battle of Midway itself. 

As with his other books, Cleaver draws heavily upon first-hand accounts from a myriad of sources and ranks, adding a poignancy to his narrative and a very human face to the fighting. His style skillfully captures the breadth of the geographic canvas that was the Pacific Theatre of Operation; concurrently presenting it in a style accessible to both the avid historian and the casual reader. 

An eminently comprehensible and informative work that presents the reader with all of the hubris, drama and humanity from a myriad of perspectives. A recommended addition to those seeking a deeper appreciation of the challenges of the Pacific War.