Mostly, this chapter deals with the struggles in the air over Guadalcanal in late 1942. Until the war, the island was virtually uninhabited because of its remoteness and its demanding climate. For what it's worth, it was named by a Spanish explorer after his home town in Spain, and the name was from Arabic -- Wadi al-Qanal, "River of the stalls," because so many merchants lined the streets.
The main Japanese aircraft involved were known to the Allies as the Zero and the Betty. Both were light, versatile, vulnerable, and had the enormous range that the Pacific war required. Skipping the controversial withdrawal of American aircraft carriers, which in turn caused the withdrawal of half-unloaded transports, which in turn left the First Marine Division on its own, scavenging Japanese building equipment and rice, the Navy and Marine pilots had only a handful of obsolescent Douglas dive bombers designated SBDs. Aviators were said to have nicknamed them "Slow But Deadly," but "Clunks" and "Barges" are also mentioned. Years later they were replaced by the hard-to-handle Curtis Helldiver, SB2C, generally named "son of a bitch, second class." The only fighters available were F4F Wildcats, outclassed by the Zero but well armored so it could withstand the considerable damage it was likely to suffer in a dog fight. Later, the Army Air Force brought in a version of the Bell P-39. It was a sleek, modern-looking fighter, but its performance left much to be desired. Pilots described it as an airplane best suited to flying slow, wide circles at low altitude.
The final 15 minutes deals with MacArthur's air force in and around New Guinea, which began as a sloppy lash up of Australians, New Zealanders, and Americans, and was finally tightened up by General George C. Kenny.
As usual, there are no talking heads, and the narration is given by either an American or a Japanese speaker, depending on the subject. I think it's a nice touch. The Japanese narrator is Yutaka Usui. He has a pleasant, professional voice. It serves as a reminder, if we need one, that the people on both sides of this dreadful conflict were both human beings, not just collectivities. Every side in a conflict has an enemy but we usually forget that the enemy is made up of individuals.