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ORIGINAL: Buckrock

ORIGINAL: IdahoNYer

Another title that drew my interest, but didn't get it is, or rather are, Bruce Gamble's trilogy on Rabaul - anyone read those?

I've only read the second book, covering the Japanese invasion of Rabaul through to the death of Yamamoto over a year later. The book is a narrative primarily concerned with the Allied (SWPAC) effort in the air to reduce Rabaul's operational influence in the theatre. The book also details many of the operational problems faced by the commanders and pilots of both sides.

I thought it was well written and did give a good perspective on Rabaul's importance (to both sides) at that stage of the war.

I have read all three and would recommend them. Book 1 is about the invasion of Rabaul and the cruel fate of Lark Force. Abandoned by the High Command, defense efforts hampered by lack of equipment and botched by local commanders, surrender and capture, escape attempts through the jungle, by air and sea, massacres and atrocities committed by the Japanese on POWs and finally the sinking of the ship carrying most of the Lark Force POWs by a US submarine - tragic and dramatic events aptly described by Gamble. Book 2 is about the first phase of the air war against Rabaul - Japanese efforts to suppress PM, the first weak Allied counter-strikes and mounting efforts up to mid-43. Features a chapter about The Swamp Ghost just recently mentioned here on the forum. Book 3 deals with the powerful offensive against Rabaul by 5th AF and then Airsols from mid-43 on and the desperate defense efforts by the Japanese. Includes a chapter on Old 666, also discussed on the forum some weeks ago. Also portrays the fate of Allied aircrews shot down over Rabaul - more massacres and atrocitites here. Cruel stuff, but a must-read for anyone interested in the longest battle of WW2 for the strategic cornerstone in the South Pacific.

Also second Frank's Guadalcanal, Blair's Silent Victory and Bergerud's Fire in the sky (and Touched with fire about the land war in the South Pacific) - excellent books and must-haves.

I highly recommend Ian Toll's 'Pacific Crucible', I gather it's the 1st of a planned trilogy.

Hornfischer's 'Neptune's Inferno' was a disappointment.

Richard Frank's 'Guadalcanal' is essential reading.

If you can find a copy of Martin Clemens' 'Alone on Guadalcanal' (Naval Institute Press), it's a great read.

Clay (& Linda) Blair's 'Silent Victory' is v. interesting, but you must slog through a lot of repetitive reporting on a large number of ineffective sub-patrols.

Max Hastings' 'Retribution' was v. good.

Bergurud's 'Fire in the Sky' (air-war) & companion 'Touched by Fire' (ground-war) are interesting reads, focusing on the conflict in the SWPac theater. He combines historical events w/ unit-composition, oral history, & weapons/tactics that most historians ignore. I gather there's a planned book 'Oil on the Water' that extends his analysis to that theater's naval combat.

ORIGINAL: jmalter

I highly recommend Ian Toll's 'Pacific Crucible', I gather it's the 1st of a planned trilogy.

Hornfischer's 'Neptune's Inferno' was a disappointment.

Richard Frank's 'Guadalcanal' is essential reading.

If you can find a copy of Martin Clemens' 'Alone on Guadalcanal' (Naval Institute Press), it's a great read.

Clay (& Linda) Blair's 'Silent Victory' is v. interesting, but you must slog through a lot of repetitive reporting on a large number of ineffective sub-patrols.

Max Hastings' 'Retribution' was v. good.

Bergurud's 'Fire in the Sky' (air-war) & companion 'Touched by Fire' (ground-war) are interesting reads, focusing on the conflict in the SWPac theater. He combines historical events w/ unit-composition, oral history, & weapons/tactics that most historians ignore. I gather there's a planned book 'Oil on the Water' that extends his analysis to that theater's naval combat.

He's already read Toll's Pacific Crucible, I believe...

Perhaps now is a good time to reiterate that I have a copy in great shape, hardcover, that I will send to anybody on this forum for the cost of shipping only (USPS Media Mail can be pretty cheap...).

Bergurud's 'Touched by Fire' includes an anecdote that ranks among the best sick-humor war stories I've ever run across.

An Aussie infantryman has spent most of the day slogging through a swamp in New Guinea towards his unit's front-line position. He's exhausted, and has fallen back to the end of the file. Pert' near the end of his endurance, he trips & falls over a log (probably for the 80th time that day).

Looking up, he sees a skull impaled on a stick, w/ unrolled condoms dangling from its eye-sockets. A scrawled note below the skull reads, "This will happen to you, if you don't take your Atabrine."

[:D]

The other one about the exchange of insults between Japanese and US troops across no-mans land made me ROFL:

Japanese: "F*** Roosevelt!" *laughter*

Americans: "F*** Tojo!" *laughter*

Japanese: "F*** Eleanor!" *laughter*

Americans: "No way - YOU f*** her!" *both sides start laughing*

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

I'm reading Rick Atkinson's trilogy on the ETO mainly from the American POV. I'm very pleased to be doing so. Thing is the only time I get to read it is on the pot, as I have no laptop and the rest of my life is owned by this damned game. I have to use the grab bars a lot as my legs go to sleep sitting there while reading.

Didn't know gorn used the "POT".[:D][:D][:D] But I do know were your coming from. I do some of my best reading on the "can". Rereading Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising. Not WWII Pacific, But a good read. GP