Pacific War books

[mark24]

Hi all,

Can anyone recommend any detailed accounts of the conflict as a whole? Multi-volumed tomes welcome

Mark

[Mr.Frag]

If you want the entire history of the USAF in WW II, you can download the PDF files. It is just short of a Gigabyte worth of information. Be aware it is about 8-9 months worth of reading material by itself but it truely is facinating. It covers both theaters.

[mdiehl]

H.P. Wllmott has written two volumes of a 3++ volume series that is pretty good from a general strategy POV. One of them is The Barrier and the Javelin. Another is Empires in the Balance.

[Custer6]

Hi Mr Frag,
Do you have a website for that?
Thanks

[BPRE]

Hi Custer6,

Try this link:

http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/te ... RLD_WAR_II

Regards
BPRE

[Mr.Frag]

Yep, thats the link, just be aware these files are huge and their link speed is pretty low ... plan on quite a while for getting them ...

[TIMJOT]

S.E. Morison's "History of USN Operations in WWII." although somewhat dated still offers an excellent comprehensive overview from the USN perspective. Be prepared though its 14 volumes of which about 2/3rds cover the Pacific campaign.

I would also second Mdeihl's recomendation of J.P Wilmonts 2 vol. set. For a detailed strategic treatment of the Pacific war its hard to beat.

[mark24]

Wow, that was quick!

Thanks very much for the prompt responses, I'll check out your recommendations.

Mark

[RayM]

Wilmott's books are great but they are hard to find. I discovered H.P. Wilmott's two book series (?) (The Barrier and the Javelin and Empires in the Balance) last year and lucked out finding a hard copy of each after some serious book searches. Naturally, after finishing them, I wondered whether or not follow-on volumes would appear. Any idea?

Ray

[LargeSlowTarget]

For an overview I would recommend the one-volume 'Eagle against the Sun' by Ronald Spector. For USN details see S.E. Morison, there is the 15 vol. series and a condensed monograph called 'The Two-ocean War'. On the US Army there is the 'Green Book' series with several volumes on the PTO, e.g. 'The Return to the Philippines'. Detailed but also somewhat dated. I think I have seen it (or at least a few volumes) for pdf download as well.

[Zakhal]

ww2 plus 55

Daily description of happenings starting 15.nov 1941. Very detailed descriptions (i.e midway) and from both sides. Excellent read. Also free.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

For an overview I would recommend the'Eagle against the Sun' by Ronald Spector.

I just read that book (two weeks ago).

Now I am reading "The Reluctant Admiral: Yamamoto and the Imperial Navy" by
Hiroyuki Agawa.


All those nice books curtsey of my friend Oleg (he is also here).


Leo "Apollo11"


P.S.
When I was younger I didn't like reading before sleeping much but now I find
that this is the only way to read anything at all because of all other things
happening in RealLife (tm)...

[Da Hammer]

The Morrison series was great. I read the whole series and have a great appreciatiion of the naval side of WW2. It is fifteen volumes and took me a while to read. . If anybody wants the series, make me an offer.