Table of Contents

List of Maps
List of Illustrations
Foreword by RADM H. Denny Wisely USN (Ret.)
Introduction
1: “I Knew My Plans Had Changed”
2: The Rising Sun
3: Preparation in the Philippines
4: “All Hands Have Behaved Splendidly”
5: Opening Blow in the Philippines
6: A Fighting Retreat
7: The Forgotten Campaign
8: The Malay Barrier
9: Reinforcement
10: The Tigers of Burma
11: The Great Escape
12: Indies Finale
13: The Guarantee of Victory
14: “Go Forward, Fight Well, and Do Us Honor”
15: The Forty-Niners
16: “Our Target is Tokyo”
17: Ramsey’s Lambsies
18: Victory Disease
19: “A New and Shining Page ”
20: Six Deadly Minutes
21: The Cornerstone of Victory
Bibliography
Index

Promotional Information

This is a vivid narrative history of the early stages of the Pacific War, as US and Allied forces desperately tried to slow the Japanese onslaught that began with the sudden attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

About the Author

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver is the author of numerous well-received titles for Osprey, including the bestselling Frozen Chosen (2016), as well as Pacific Thunder (2017), Tidal Wave (2018), and Holding the Line (2019). He is additionally the author of F4F and F6F Aces of VF-2 published by Osprey and the best-selling Fabled Fifteen: The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15, a history of the US Navy's top-scoring carrier air group in World War II, published by Casemate. He lives in Encino, California, USA.

Reviews

Authoritative and colourful—a must-read account of the initial phase of the war in the Pacific.
*Kirkus Reviews, starred review*

I Will Run Wild paints a vivid picture of the first six months of the Pacific War, with the Japanese frantically trying to achieve a quick victory and the Allies desperately hanging on by their fingernails. Tom Cleaver deftly illustrates the strategy of the sprawling Pacific War through the stories of the men who staved off catastrophe and bought America time to strike back.
*Chris Bucholtz, author of Thunderbolts Triumphant: The 362nd Fighter Group vs. Germany’s Wehrmacht*

We have all heard stories and details of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Flying Tigers, the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, and the Battle of Midway. All these have generated classic and modern movies that make us feel like we were there. We know all about this important history, or do we?…This valuable book details a compelling story of US and Allied forces, with antiquated airplanes, bravely facing combat-experienced Japanese pilots in superior airplanes. But the production might of the US quickly stepped up and supplied the new airplanes, carriers and pilots needed to turn the tide.
*Commander Curtis Dosé, US Navy (ret.)*

I Will Run Wild is a fascinating glimpse into the early days of the war in the Pacific. Meticulously researched, this is a compelling story of individual sacrifice against the backdrop of vast impersonal conflict, a work that stands shoulder to shoulder with the literary tradition of Herman Wouk and Samuel Eliot Morison.’
*Chief Warrant Officer Jim Wright, US Navy (ret.), and founder of www.stonekettle.com*