War in the Pacific

[Stuart]

Hi Gents,

Do you lot know of any good books detailing the history of the War in the Pacific?

It's not an aspect of the war I know an awful lot about and fancied learning more about it. Obviously I find the air war interesting but anything that gives a general overview of the events from Pearl Harbour to the end of the war etc. would be great.

Thanks Buds.

[Tojo72]

An older book,but a great author gives a nice overview.



This is one of my favorites,but it focuses on just one battle



You will also enjoy books that dive into the individual battles in detail,Iwo Jima,Okinawa,Philippines,Peleliu,Guadalcanal,The submarine war,The Carrier War,The early Japanese victories,China,Malaysia.Theres so much,if your interested in some particular subject,let me know,there are so many great titles out there.

[Stikpusher]

Guadalcanal, by Edwin Hoyt gives a great narrative of that campaign, covering the sea, land, and air battles from the initial landing to the island being secured with the Japanese withdrawal.
The Utmost Savagery by Joseph Alexander is a great focus work on the Battle of Tarawa.
The Big E by Edwin Stafford covers the story of USS Enterprise, one of only two pre war carriers to survive the Pacific War. She fought in every carrier engagement in the Pacific, except for Coral Sea, so her tale is the tale of the carrier war in the Pacific.
The First Team by John Lundstrom is a good coverage of the US Navy carriers from Pearl Harbor to Midway.
Personally, I still love Walter Lord’s take on Midway, Incredible Victory. Although some of it has been “corrected” so to speak, by more recent work. The first person narrative of the aviators and sailors who survived bring an immediacy lacking in many later works.

[Stuart]

Thanks for the suggestions Gents - it's much appreciated, I'll check those out. It might be useful if I can get a decent timeline of events.

Thanks!

[BlackSheep214]

A few years ago while on vacation in Newport, RI, I picked up a book at a small local bookstore called Pearl Harbor Christmas. Interesting read and I’ve only 2 more chapters to go.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pe ... =en&gbpv=0

[Floki]

Marines in the Pacific series of books by Eric Hammel is a great source of photo references. Then battle 360 Enterprise on the history Channel is a great show on carrier War and is free o the history channels youtube page

[LyleW]

There is also a series “The Pacific War In Colour” on the Smithsonian Channel?

[Stikpusher]

If we’re talking TV series, I’d recommend “Victory at Sea”. It’s old, and the technical advisor who selected the footage could have done a better job, but the music is excellent, and there is lots of great footage. The series concentrates more on the Pacific rather than Europe, but it gives an excellent coherent view of the various campaigns in the Pacific.

[Glamdring]

Another decent documentary series, even though a bit long in the tooth, is Crusade In The Pacific.

As far as books go, I am sure any general history is as good as another, the gems are those about specific battles.

[Tojo72]

With the Old Breed on Okinawa
By Gene Sledge

Great 1st person account of Cape Gloucester,Peleliu,and Okinawa


Brotherhood of Heroes
By Bill Sloan
Marines on Peleliu