Fighting Falcons
The Campaigns of VMF-221 in the Pacific
Will be published approx. on 30. April 2026
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-68247-823-3 (ISBN)
Description
Fighting Falcons offers a compelling account of Marine Fighting Squadron 221 (VMF-221), a unit that played a key role in the Pacific during World War II. Formed in 1941, VMF-221 flew in some of the most significant campaigns of the war, from the Battle of Midway and the long fight for the Solomon Islands to carrier operations over Japan in 1945.
Author Peter F. Owen examines the operational realities behind the squadron's missions, analyzing the Marine Corps' performance in the Pacific air war. He explores how missteps at higher levels of command shaped outcomes in the air, and he sheds light on the complex logistics and maintenance challenges crucial to success.
Based on extensive research, Fighting Falcons provides new insight into how Marine aviation functioned at the squadron level. The book delivers a valuable perspective on one of the Marine Corps' notable fighter squadrons and the larger story of how the United States fought-and learned-its way to victory in the Pacific.
Author Peter F. Owen examines the operational realities behind the squadron's missions, analyzing the Marine Corps' performance in the Pacific air war. He explores how missteps at higher levels of command shaped outcomes in the air, and he sheds light on the complex logistics and maintenance challenges crucial to success.
Based on extensive research, Fighting Falcons provides new insight into how Marine aviation functioned at the squadron level. The book delivers a valuable perspective on one of the Marine Corps' notable fighter squadrons and the larger story of how the United States fought-and learned-its way to victory in the Pacific.
Reviews / Votes
"Lieutenant Colonel Owen provides a thoroughly professional account of Marine Fighter Squadron 221's career from establishment in 1941 to the end of World War II, both ashore and afloat. His depth of research is exceptional, with an impressive blending of primary and secondary sources. Squadron histories seldom match the standard of Fighting Falcons."-Barrett Tillman, author of On Yankee Station and Dragon's Jaw"A masterful blend of unit history and operational analysis. Peter F. Owen brings the reader on a journey from Midway to Tokyo, highlighting the growing pains, contributions, and contexts of Marine Corps aviation during some of the most critical moments in the Pacific War." - Mike Fink, author of Intrepid's Fighting Squadron 18
"In Fighting Falcons: The Campaigns of VMF-221 in the Pacific, Peter F. Owen does it all: the good, the bad, the successes and hardships of a Marine Combat unit in the Second World War. While demonstrating the accomplishments and struggles of VMF-221's pilots, Owen does not forget the oft-overlooked subjects of maintenance and logistics functions of aerial units. From strategic setbacks to tactical victories, Owen deftly weaves the complicated war in the Pacific into a damn fine read that informs and sheds new light on our understanding of the Second World War. This is Marine and aerial combat history at its finest!" - Brian D. Laslie, author of The Sundowners, Pegasus, and Little Butch: Carrier Air Group 11 and the War in the Pacific, 1943-1945
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Annopolis
United States
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
6 Maps, 24 B-W Photos, 1 Figures
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68247-823-3 (9781682478233)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2026
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€39.49
Available for download
Person
Peter Owen served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps for over twenty years. His first book, To the Limit of Endurance: A Battalion of Marines in the First World War, received the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's prestigious General Wallace M. Greene Jr. Award. Dr. Owen majored in history at the U.S. Naval Academy and earned his PhD in war studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. He and his wife live in Fairport, NY.