Here is the extraordinary story of the most consequential campaign of the pacific war the u. The pacific war audiobooks listen to the full series. For more information on what data is contained in the cookies, please see our cookie policy. Pacific crucible war at sea in the pacific, 19411942 by. Layering historical facts with fictional characters, political motives, and westerneastern theories, gingrich and forstchen. And though the battle locales that constitute the war in the pacific pearl harbor, midway, guadalcanal, iwo jima are common knowledge, the actual struggles that defined the war remain a mystery. The books have detailed maps of all campaigns, not just the ones involving americans. Its going to feel weird reading a book about a german general in wwii but for rommel we must make an exception. A sweeping narrative historythe first in over twenty yearsof americas first major offensive of world war ii, the brutal, noquartergiven campaign to take japaneseoccupied guadalcanalfrom early august until midnovember of 1942, us marines, sailors, and pilots struggled for dominance against. It lasted from 1879 to 1884, and was fought over chilean claims on coastal bolivian territory in the atacama desert.
Robert leckie, one of americas greatest military historians, was both an eyewitness and participant to some of the greatest battles in the pacific. One of the handful of truly important books on the pacific war. Poignant and rich with memorable characters from the japanese naval academy to the british garrison at singapore and the americans at bataan pearl harbor is the account of the day that started the war for the pacific. He writes the civil war series including the gettysburg trilogy, pacific war series and revolutionary war series aka george washington series. Did any of the american founding fathers ever hope or predict that one day rights. Few of the japanese warlords who launched the war thought they could win a protracted fight against americas vast industrial machinery and human resources. The pacific war is a series of alternate history novels written by newt gingrich and william r.
Ive been reading world war ii history for over 30 years, and ive read books on just about every battle fought in the pacific. The pacific war by costello is a similar read akin to spectors book. This is a question that has been begged by the decades of europefirst histories of great quality, but extreme focus on the the battles in the west including the germans eastern front. Why america preferred to forget about the pacific war until.
The pacific strategy, 19411944 the national wwii museum. Books on the pacific war from pearl harbor to hiroshima. Originally published in 1986, this volume is an unusual and lasting tribute to the ingenuity and teamwork demonstrated by americas forces in the pacific as well as a. Ian w tolls book is the first of his war in the pacific trilogy and this is an excellent well written account of americas first year in the pacific in world war 2. Love the shirt and it is a great opportunity for me on casual friday to honor my grandfather as an arizona survivor. Europe and the mediterrean atlas and the second world war asia and the pacific atlas.
On december 7, 1941, japan staged a surprise attack on pearl harbor, severely damaging the us pacific fleet. The story of the underappreciated achievements of one of america s great pacific war admirals has finally been provided to pacific war history buffs by the distinguished historian john lundstrom. One of my alltime favorite books though is flags of our fathers by james bradley. Even better, the new version are spiralbound, which stands up better against wear and tear. It is advertised as the best one volume book on the war and perhaps it is. The year 1879 marked the beginning of one of the longest, bloodiest conflicts of nineteenthcentury latin america. An unprecedented account of the monumental pacific war campaign that brought the u. With the old breed is without a doubt the best war memoir ive read. To accept cookies from this site, please click the allow cookies button below. Rear admiral fletcher was the senior commander at two of the most important battles of the pacific war in 1942 coral sea and midway.
Heres your opportunity to let others know your favorite books on the war that led us from pearl harbor to tokyo bay. Guerra del pacifico, also known as the saltpeter war spanish. The series deals with the pacific war between the united states of america and the empire of japan. Fortunately, there is no shortage of worthwhile books about the. Home browse history military history wars, battles, and military interventions world war ii world war ii pacific theater.
It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast pacific ocean theater, the south west pacific theater, the southeast asian theater, the second sinojapanese war, and the sovietjapanese war. The point of divergence is the decision of admiral isoroku yamamoto, commanderinchief of the japanese combined fleet, to take personal command of the 1st air fleet for the attack on pearl harbor, rather than delegate it to adm. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written. What are the best books on the pacific theater of wwii. When germany and italy declared war on the united states days later, america found itself in a global war. Find best sellers about civil war, american legends, breweries and wineries, and more.
Pacific crucible war at sea in the pacific, 19411942. This book may be about war, but it is, like most of these books, mostly about people. Discover librarianselected research resources on world war ii pacific theater from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Newt gingrich, former speaker of the house, is the author of several bestselling books, including valley forge, to try mens souls, pearl harbor and gettysburg all with william r. List of books and articles about world war ii pacific theater. Why america preferred to forget about the pacific war. The best fiction and nonfiction on the war between the allied forces and japan in the pacific theatre. Usually the histories start with the doolittle raid and then go straight to midway, because they are in a hurry to get to the good part, guadalcanal. Aug 19, 2015 world war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. The definitive onevolume account of world war ii in the pacific theaterthe first book to weave together. Winner, commodore john barry book award, navy league of the united states.
Like many americans i recently watched the first episode of hbos new. Good books on the pacific war history fans librarything. The author does not second guess anyone but presents the facts and lets the facts speak for themselves. It focuses on the muchignored first six months of the war, an area badly neglected by historians. With visceral eyewitness accounts, walter lord reveals the details of the event that began americas involvement in world war ii. Guerra del salitre and by multiple other names, was a war between chile and a bolivianperuvian alliance. Every battle, every ship, every task force and every task group from pearl harbor through the japanese surrender is covered in great detail. There are also the very personal recollections of humor and horror told by the unknown actors in the war. Order of newt gingrich books newt gingrich is an american author of alternate history novels and nonfiction books. The lifeline to the americansupported nationalist forces in 1943 following the loss of key bases on the burma road was the lido road from india and across northern burma to china. War in the pacific books on pearl harbor, the island war, battle of midway, american and japanese naval forces from broughs books books on the pacific war from pearl harbor to hiroshima pacific theatre world war two.
Navy to the apex of its strength and supremacy and established the foundation for america to become a dominant global superpower here is the extraordinary story of the most consequential campaign of the pacific war. The first draft, submitted by the chiefs of the army and navy general staff, was accepted by imperial general headquarters early in september 1941. Dec 09, 2008 the books has since been broken up, expanded, and rebranded as the second world war. Apr 03, 2010 a steven spielberg and tom hanks tv series about the second world wars brutal pacific campaign begins tomorrow a story surprisingly little told because, for years, the public has preferred to. Few of the japanese warlords who launched the war thought they could win a protracted fight against americas vast industrial machinery and. From the seas of the central pacific to the shores of japan itself, the fleet at flood tide is a stirring, authoritative, and cinematic portrayal of world war iis worldchanging finale. If you want a more detailed set of reads i would look at willmotts empires in the balance, the barrier and the javelin, the war with japan, and his battle of leyte gulf. I thought this book did a good job of covering the basic aspects of the major battles in the pacific. Mar 17, 2010 while i dont think the pacific ventures much, if at all, into america s involvement in china or other less well known venues of the pacific war i hope people will recommend books that focus on any and all parts of the pacific theater of war. Japans decision to launch a war against the united states is masterfully recounted in eri hottas japan. May 24, 2019 may is asian american pacific islander heritage month, and there are plenty of books to crack open in honor of the holiday. The war of the pacific pitted peru and bolivia against chile in a struggle initiated over a festering border dispute.
It is detailed and an excellent study about events leading up to the war and the war itself. This website requires cookies to provide all of its features. By downloading libby to your smartphone, you can access thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from your library for free anytime and anywhere. Tolls useful and diligently constructed history of the first seven months of the pacific war, calls our attention to many such pivotal figures, who, as we move. The pacific war, sometimes called the asiapacific war, was the theater of world war ii that was fought in the pacific and asia. Feb 26, 2018 this post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby. Mar 01, 20 the most comprehensive and detailed description of americas naval war in the pacific ever. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. For reasons big and small, understandable and unjustified, the war in the pacific during world war ii has largely been overshadowed by the allies war against hitler. Japan believed it necessary to destroy or neutralize american striking power in the pacificthe u. For those interested in america s presence in china during the war i highly recommend stilwell and.
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