OT: books about the pacific war

[grumpyman]

I went to the book store today to find a book about the Pacific War. I really did not find much. I see a long list at amazon but I hate buying a book before I can thumb through it without a recommendation. I have read already "The rising Sun" by John Toland and "The Pacific War" by John Costello. Can anyone recommend any other book that encompasses the whole war?

[AmiralLaurent]

Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific by Eric M. Bergerud

And then I advice you to go to the details... there are some things you can't understand fully at the high level if you don't know what is possible or not at the basic level. It's one thing to see logistical problems at theater scale, and another to read the diary of men experiencing shortages day after day.. and I speak of Allied troops away from battle...

To get immerged, I will advice you to start with Sledge's book about Marines in Peleliu and Okinawa.

[grumpyman]

ORIGINAL: AmiralLaurent

Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific by Eric M. Bergerud

And then I advice you to go to the details... there are some things you can't understand fully at the high level if you don't know what is possible or not at the basic level. It's one thing to see logistical problems at theater scale, and another to read the diary of men experiencing shortages day after day.. and I speak of Allied troops away from battle...

To get immerged, I will advice you to start with Sledge's book about Marines in Peleliu and Okinawa.

I have read a few lower level books, "Guadacanal" by Richard B. Frank being one. I have just looked at Bergerund's book on amazon. It does look interesting and I will most likely order it. By the description on amazon, this book is about the air war in the Pacific?

[Ian R]

On the whole war, "The Eagle against the Sun", by Ronald Spectre.
 
On the naval air war, "Fast Carriers" by Charles G Reynolds.
 
On the PNG campaign "A Bastard of a Place" by Peter Brune.
 
On amphibous operations generally, "Accross the Reef" by Victor J Croziat
 
On the Burma front, "The Forgotten Army" by an author whose name I have regretfully forgotten.

[ctangus]

Toland & Costello have the two best comprehensive histories I've run across so you're off to a good start.

I agree with Amiral - Bergerud's Fire in the Sky gives a great understanding of how & why the real WitP - particularly the real war in the South Pacific - came about. I also agree that Sledge's book (With the Old Breed I think it's called) gives a good understanding of what it was like on the ground. Bergerud has another book, Touched with Fire, which gives a good understanding of that as well.

While none of these cover the whole war, here's a few others that I learned a lot from:

Blair - Silent Victory - Comprehensive history of USN sub ops.
Lundstrom - First Team - Early USN carrier ops in exquisite detail.
Parshall & Tully - Shattered Sword - Sheds new light on Midway, particularly from the IJN POV. Really gives you a feel for what it was like to be there on the Kido Butai that day.
Hornfischer - Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors - Focuses on the escorts of Taffy 3 during the Battle off Samar. Like the above book it really gives a good feel for what it was like to be there (as much as you can 60 years later).
Webster - The Burma Road - concise history of military ops in the Burma theater
Layton - And I was There - some self-interest shows through, but still a good review of code-breaking & other intelligence activities.

I could name a few more, but those have been among the most informative for me.

[ctangus]

ORIGINAL: Ian R

On the Burma front, "The Forgotten Army" by an author whose name I have regretfully forgotten.

Bayly & Harper. (I forgot too - I had to google it. [:)]) Definitely another good one. More of a political history than a military history but extremely eye-opening - at least for me.

[Rybeck]

For a good general reference, I've found Dan Van Der Vat's The Pacific Campaign, the U.S.-Japanese naval war 1941-1945 to be useful too.

[bradfordkay]

Another good general history of the Pacific war is The Eagle and the Rising Sun by Alan Schom.

One thing I've learned is that you can never read enough about this theatre of war...

[anarchyintheuk]

Paul S. Dull's A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Not the most scintillating read, but comprehensive.

[MineSweeper]

Any good books on the Royal Navy's eastern fleet....?

[sprior]

For Burma I would recommend Burma The Longest War

[Yava]

ORIGINAL: MineSweeper

Any good books on the Royal Navy's eastern fleet....?

Would really like to find out more about this topic that you have mentioned...[:)]

[sprior]

ORIGINAL: MineSweeper

Any good books on the Royal Navy's eastern fleet....?

I've looked really hard and only ever found The RN's Far Flung adventures as a sort of "if we must" added at the end of other books.

[CaptDave]

Not too long ago Jerome Hagen put out a series of three books titled "War in the Pacific" (how appropriate!).  He is a retired USMC general, but I forget at what level.  Anyway, these books provide a number of seemingly-well-researched details of the sort that you don't find in most books -- if I could ever remember to look, they provide some insight into last week's question about the civilians in Singapore.  If you can get past the jingoism, there is some good information in these.

[USSAmerica]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Another good general history of the Pacific war is The Eagle and the Rising Sun by Alan Schom.

One thing I've learned is that you can never read enough about this theatre of war...

I just checked this one out from the local library on Sunday. I've barely started into it, but it's nice to see a recommendation for it. Thanks!

[niceguy2005]

Nice thread. Any chance we can include this in the "must read thread" sticky?

[Tiornu]

Any good books on the Royal Navy's eastern fleet....?

I believe Winton's The Forgotten Fleet is usually considered the best source on the BPF late in the war.

[mdiehl]

Few of the grand summaries are worth a toss. I'd avoid Bergerud's Fire in the Sky. "Touched with Fire" is somewhat better but really not up to par with other theater-dedicated studies.

For a general history, if you are really unfamiliar with the Pacific War but have already read Toland, I'd recommend H.P. Wilmott's series. IDNR whether Barrier and the Javelin is first or second but they're all pretty good general summaries.

After that just dive into really specific theatre-dedicated studies. All of the general summaries are flawed to varying degrees with myths of one kind or another that the specific unit histories or campaign histories explicitlty debunk or that obviously contradict the old myths.

I'll name some must-read picks:

Central and SOPAC theater:
Guadalcanal by Richard Frank
The First Team, vols 1 and 2, by John Lundstrom
Shattered Sword by Parshall and Tully
Munda Trail by Eric Hammel

Phillippines:
MacArthur and Defeat in the Phillippines by Richard Connaughton
Lt. Ramsey's War by E.P. Ramsey and Stephen Rivele
Corregidor: The Rock Force Assault by E.M. Flanagan
The Battle for Manila by Cannaughton et al.

Late War:
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer
Downfall by Richard Frank
Tennozan by George Feifer
With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge

Other:
Combined Fleet Decoded by John Prados
Burma: The Longest War
A Flying Tiger's Diary by Charles Bond
Ship of Ghosts by James Hornfischer
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
Pigboat 39 by Bobette Gugliotta
Clear the Bridge! by Richard O'Kane
The war journal of Major Damon "Rocky" Gause by Damon Gause
The Lonely Ships by E.P. Hoyt

[ChezDaJez]

I'd avoid Bergerud's Fire in the Sky.

Why avoid Bergerud's "Fire in the Sky"? It's a good read and provides a good discussion of the trials and tribulations of the air war in the South Pacific. "Touched with Fire" deals with the land campaign by the same author.

Chez

[DuckofTindalos]

Just finished "The Thousand-Mile War" on the Aleutian campaign. Limited use for OOB work, but good background and human insight. The place was basically Guadalcanal, but cold instead of hot.