Refighting the Pacific War

Refighting the Pacific War
Author: James C Bresnahan
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2011-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 161251068X

Refighting the Pacific War looks at how World War II in the Pacific might have unfolded differently, giving historians, authors and veterans the opportunity to discuss what happened and what might have happened. Contributors to this alternative history include noted military historians William Bartsch, John Burton, Donald Goldstein, John Lundstrom, Robert Mrazek, Jon Parshall, Douglas Smith, Peter Smith, Barrett Tillman, Anthony Tully, and H. P. Willmott. In all more than thirty Pacific War experts will provide commentary, employing a roundtable panel discussion format. The reader will hear from the experts on how history could and could not have been altered during the course of the war in the Pacific. With multiple opinions, the reader will be provided with an interesting collection of divergent views about the outcome of the war. Refighting the Pacific War focuses largely on naval battles and campaigns, including Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf. While the main concentration is on the major naval actions, the book also delves into key island battles, like Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, as well as pre-war and post-war political issues The panelists debate questions like whether the Japanese could have inflicted even greater damage on the U. S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and how Yamamoto might have won at Midway and how such a victory might have impacted the direction of the war. The book extensively studies the opening year of the war when the Japanese war machine seemed unstoppable. Also explored is whether the Pacific War was inevitable and whether the conflict could have ended without the use of the atomic bomb.Vice Admiral Yoji Koda, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (Ret.), provides the book's Introduction.

MacArthur at War

MacArthur at War
Author: Walter R. Borneman
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 697
Release: 2016-05-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0316405310

The definitive account of General Douglas MacArthur's rise during World War II, from the author of the bestseller The Admirals. World War II changed the course of history. Douglas MacArthur changed the course of World War II. Macarthur at War will go deeper into this transformative period of his life than previous biographies, drilling into the military strategy that Walter R. Borneman is so skilled at conveying, and exploring how personality and ego translate into military successes and failures. Architect of stunning triumphs and inexplicable defeats, General MacArthur is the most intriguing military leader of the twentieth century. There was never any middle ground with MacArthur. This in-depth study of the most critical period of his career shows how his influence spread far beyond the war-torn Pacific. A Finalist for the Gilder Lehrman Prize for Military History at the New York Historical Society

Pacific Legacy

Pacific Legacy
Author: Gerald A. Meehi
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0789213338

The classic photo book about the battlegrounds of the Pacific Theater then and now—updated with new information about the preservation and accessibility of these historic sites. Pacific Legacy offers an unprecedented record of the relics of World War II that have survived on the islands of the Pacific: American landing craft rusting on the reefs where they were stopped by enemy fire; shell-pocked Japanese fortifications; fallen aircraft overgrown by jungle; packed-coral landing strips still as good as new. These evocative color images are paired with archival photographs that show the same tropical battlegrounds as they appeared in wartime. The text covers the entire war in the Pacific, from the attack on Pearl Harbor to Japan’s surrender in Tokyo Bay. The principal battles are recounted hour-by-hour, drawing heavily on firsthand accounts. This vivid narrative helps the reader visualize what it was really like to be at war in the Pacific, doggedly island-hopping to victory.

World War II Pacific

World War II Pacific
Author: Daniel Wrinn
Publisher: Storyteller Books, LLC
Total Pages: 720
Release: 2021-06-25
Genre:
ISBN:

"A brisk and compelling game changer for the historiography of the Pacific Theater in World War II." - Reviewer An enlightening glimpse into nine battles and campaigns during the Pacific War Allied offensive. Each of these momentous operations were fascinating feats of strategy, planning, and bravery, handing the Allies what would eventually become a victory over the Pacific Theater and an end to Imperialist Japanese expansion. Operation Watchtower, a riveting exploration of the spark that set off the Allied offensive in the Pacific islands, detailing the grueling struggle for the island of Guadalcanal and its vital strategic position. Operation Galvanic, an incredible account of the battle for the Tarawa Atoll and base that would give them a steppingstone into the heart of Japanese-controlled waters. Operation Backhander, a gripping retelling of the war for Cape Gloucester, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Sea. Battle for Saipan, Marines stormed the beaches with a goal of gaining a crucial air base from which the US could launch its new long-range B-29 bombers directly at Japan's home islands. Invasion of Tinian, is the incredible account of the assault on Tinian. Located just under six miles southwest of Saipan. This was the first use of napalm and the "shore to shore" concept. Recapture of Guam, a gripping narrative about the liberation of the Japanese-held island of Guam, captured by the Japanese in 1941 during one of the first Pacific campaigns of the War. Operation Stalemate, Marines landed on the island of Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands in the Pacific, as part of a larger operation to provide support for General MacArthur, who was preparing to invade the Philippines. Operation Detachment, the battle of Iwo Jima was a major offensive in World War II. The Marine invasion was tasked with the mission of capturing airfields on the island for use by P-51 fighters. Operation Iceberg, the invasion and ultimate victory on Okinawa was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater. It was also one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific, lasting ninety-eight days. This gripping narrative sheds light on these often-overlooked facets of WWII, providing students, history fans, and World War II buffs alike with a captivating breakdown of the history and combat that defined the ultimate victory of US forces in the Pacific.

Pacific Warriors

Pacific Warriors
Author: Eric M. Hammel
Publisher: Zenith Imprint
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2005
Genre: Iwo Jima, Battle of, Japan, 1945
ISBN: 0760320977

From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, and more recently from the jungles of Vietnam to the killing fields of Iraq, America's "soldiers of the sea" have fought their country's battles with famed valor, skill, and perseverance in the face of long odds. But where did the U.S. Marines earn their reputation as being the "first to fight?" It was on the South Pacific Island of Guadalcanal. There, on August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division stormed ashore to begin one of the most difficult and brutal campaigns of military history, and an unbroken string of victories staged across the Pacific.

The Pacific Campaign in World War II

The Pacific Campaign in World War II
Author: William Bruce Johnson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2006-05-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 113400382X

This is a fascinating new account of how diplomacy and politics gave way to military strategy and warfare in the Pacific. Presenting previously unpublished documents this book freshly examines the key events in the fight for the Pacific.

War without Mercy

War without Mercy
Author: John Dower
Publisher: Pantheon
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2012-03-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 0307816141

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD • AN AMERICAN BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A monumental history that has been hailed by The New York Times as “one of the most original and important books to be written about the war between Japan and the United States.” In this monumental history, Professor John Dower reveals a hidden, explosive dimension of the Pacific War—race—while writing what John Toland has called “a landmark book ... a powerful, moving, and evenhanded history that is sorely needed in both America and Japan.” Drawing on American and Japanese songs, slogans, cartoons, propaganda films, secret reports, and a wealth of other documents of the time, Dower opens up a whole new way of looking at that bitter struggle of four and a half decades ago and its ramifications in our lives today. As Edwin O. Reischauer, former ambassador to Japan, has pointed out, this book offers “a lesson that the postwar generations need most ... with eloquence, crushing detail, and power.”

World War II in the Pacific

World War II in the Pacific
Author: Stanley Sandler
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 1214
Release: 2003-12-16
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1135581991

Stanley Sandler, one of America's most respected and best-known military historians, has brought together over 300 entries by some 200 specialists in the field to create the first encyclopedia specifically devoted to the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Extending far beyond battles and hardware, the coverage ranges from high policy-making, grand strategy, and the significant persons and battles of the conflict, to the organization of the Allied and Japanese divisions, aircraft, armor, artillery, psychological warfare, warships, and the home fronts, covering the interactions of each topic along the way.

The Early Air War in the Pacific

The Early Air War in the Pacific
Author: Ralph F. Wetterhahn
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2019-11-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 147666997X

 During the first 10 months of the war in the Pacific, Japan achieved air supremacy with its carrier and land-based forces. But after major setbacks at Midway and Guadalcanal, the empire's expansion stalled, in part due to flaws in aircraft design, strategy and command. This book offers a fresh analysis of the air war in the Pacific during the early phases of World War II. Details are included from two expeditions conducted by the author that reveal the location of an American pilot missing in the Philippines since 1942 and clear up a controversial account involving famed Japanese ace Saburo Sakai and U.S. Navy pilot James "Pug" Southerland.

Pacific Island Battlegrounds of World War II

Pacific Island Battlegrounds of World War II
Author: Earl R. Hinz
Publisher: Bess Press
Total Pages: 120
Release: 1995
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781573060080

Highlights decisive WWII military operations in Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia, and their effects on the islands. Illustrations, maps, and index.