This book details a controversial conflict of the war in the Pacific, the June 1944 battle known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." Drawing on ten years of research and told from the viewpoint of the fliers and sailors who were on the firing line, William T. Y'Blood leads the reader through every stage of the battle, from the dogfights to the persistent attacks on the Japanese carriers to the frantic efforts of the returning fliers to land on friendly carriers. He takes the battle from the initial planning through the invasion of the Marianas and the recriminations that followed, describing Admiral Spruance's decision to allow U.S. forces to remain on the defensive and giving blow-by-blow details of the action.

A long winding road -- Operation A-GO -- Operation forager -- "The rise and fall of Imperial Japan depends on this one battle" -- "Like an old time turkey shoot" -- Attack into the setting sun -- Chaos over the task force -- Frustrating victory -- United States units engaged in the Battle of the Philippine Sea -- Japanese units engaged in Operation A-GO, 1-20 June 1944 -- U.S. air operations on 19 June -- Interceptions -- Bombing missions -- Search and rescue missions -- U.S. air operations on 20 June: the attack on the mobile fleet.