{"product_id":"raaf-black-cats-robert-cleworth-9781760633066","title":"Raaf Black Cats: The Secret History of the Covert Catalina Mine-Laying Operations to Cripple Japan's War Machine","description":"In March 1945 Reg Cleworth, a navigator on PBY Catalina seaplanes flying out of Darwin, went missing in action. No details were ever given about the incident that took his life, nor the reason his plane went down. For Reg's younger brother, Robert, the news came as a prophecy fulfilled. The last time they saw each other, Reg confided in Robert, \"I don't think I'm coming back.\" Forty years later Robert decided to investigate what happened to his brother. What he uncovered was an extraordinary story of a covert Australian airborne mine-laying operation in cooperation with the U.S. Seventh Fleet to disrupt the Japanese supply routes. One of the riskier and more dangerous RAAF undertakings of the Pacific War, secrecy restrictions were imposed on everyone involved. They were never formally lifted. Had it not been for a chance meeting that allowed Robert access to previously unopened files in the U.S. national archives, this remarkable story may never have been told. What he unearthed revealed the sacrifice and achievements of the RAAF Catalina crews and the vital role they played in MacArthur's strategic plan for the south-west Pacific. Absorbing, compelling, and powerfully told, \u003ci\u003eRAAF Black Cats \u003c\/i\u003eis an important addition to our understanding of Australia's role in the Pacific War.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Robert Cleworth, John Suter Linton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1760633062\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781760633066\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Allen \u0026amp; Unwin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/01\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.00d","brand":"Robert Cleworth","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43942771097855,"sku":"9781760633066","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_e1d50f7c-7476-4371-b79a-7d33de6d27da.jpg?v=1681494256","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/raaf-black-cats-robert-cleworth-9781760633066","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}