This tackles a World War II theater that has been sorely overlooked in my experience, the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. The American and Filipino defenders were courageous in their defense of the islands and were finally defeated not by superior Japanese forces, but by lack of supplies. They delayed the Japanese timetable for conquest of the Pacific and showed that the Japanese were not invincible.

Beginning with the fateful change from recorded history of using a protective bubble top for President Kennedy's limousine in Dallas on November 22, 1963, the book follows plausible actions by Kennedy and others intersecting with actual events to create a believable, although workmanlike, alternate history. We follow Kennedy into his second term, where he accomplishes many things (perhaps too smoothly), but a scandal arises, based on his known infidelities, that threatens to derail his second term.

An interesting look at the life of General Omar N. Bradley, concentrating on his early life before World War II as well as his life following the war, rather than his career during the war, which has been addressed in other volumes. Based on a manuscript by Bradley's mistress and later wife, Kitty Buhler, that had never been published, this is a great find for those interested in the life of America's last five-star general.

The Phantom Patrol is a fun adventure story with many twists and turns. The story concerns Johnny Trescott, commander of a Coast Guard patrol boat, who is captured by drug runners along with his crew while rescuing the crew and passengers of a plane brought down in a storm. Months later he escapes from his island prison along with two other prisoners, but is captured by the Coast Guard and accused of the hijacking crimes being committed by the drug runners using his boat. Many bullets are fired at Johnny during the course of the story, but he escapes with only a few flesh wounds. With many close calls and happy coincidences, yet another enjoyable pulp story from L. Ron Hubbard.

The Iron Duke is a fast-moving, fun adventure story. Blacky, a shady character with a close resemblance to the archduke of the fictional European country Aldoria, attempts to impersonate the archduke and is successful for a time, but is eventually discovered. At first only wanting to be rich, he grows as a character and winds up with much more than money. With many close calls and happy coincidences, another enjoyable story from L. Ron Hubbard.

This book follows the fascinating life of Felix Sparks, a soldier who survived the invasions of southern Italy and southern France in World War II, and helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp. His final battle involves the handgun murder of his grandson, as timely as today's headlines.

An interesting look at the air war against Japan in late 1944-early 1945, as told by Colonel Sam Harris. Few of the B-29 bombers sent against Japan at this point were lost over Japan due to enemy action; most were lost due to mechanical failure during the long flight from Saipan to Japan and back. The statistics listed for each mission can be somewhat dry, but the reports on B-29s struggling back or going missing are gripping, and the look at day-to-day life on the island is also interesting.

The Falcon Killer, an enjoyable adventure story, deals with intrigue following the Japanese invasion of China in the late 1930s. L. Ron Hubbard had a solid grasp of the politics of that area of the world prior to America's involvement in World War II, when many Americans were paying little attention to events there. The Chinese characters in particular had a greater depth than I had been expecting from a story written around the time of the events depicted.