any good books?

[MythicalMino]

Hey, you all...i know that many of you have books and books and books about the War in the Pacific....

So, what books are really good? Are there any real good ones that cover the battles and ships/planes in depth?

Thanks

[MythicalMino]

I just bought 3 books from Amazon.com

1. Eagle Against the Sun: The American War With Japan by Ronald H. Spector

2. PACIFIC CAMPAIGN: THE U.S.-JAPANESE NAVAL WAR 1941-1945 by Dan Van der Vat

3. The Pacific War by John Costello


I am hoping that these are as good as they sound. I am really wanting something that will "teach" me the strategy used in the Pacific.

[kev_uk]

I asked this question a while ago...do a search on 'good books' with my username (too tired to dig it out)

Anyway, I am just approaching the conclusion of 'Fire in the Sky' by Eric Bergerud, which is about the air war in the South Pacific; its very interesting as it deals with the Uncommon Valour theatre/timeline. Wish I had read it ages ago now, but it is mainly about the Allied side of things.

The other one on my list is 'The Rising Sun: the decline and fall of the Japanese Empire' by John Toland. This looks pretty good, won Pulitzer prize and all that.

Would like some books written by Japanese folk as well, and apart from 'Samurai' by Sakai (the ace) cant seem to find a whole lot.
Cheers
Kevin

[Yank]

Read all three. I liked the Costello book the best and the Van der Vat book the least. I thought the Costello book was the best in terms of content and by far the most enjoyable to read. It is well written.

[Titanwarrior89]

"But not in Shame"---- Toland, very good book on the fall of PI.[:D]

ORIGINAL: MythicalMino

Hey, you all...i know that many of you have books and books and books about the War in the Pacific....

So, what books are really good? Are there any real good ones that cover the battles and ships/planes in depth?

Thanks

[maddog0606]

ORIGINAL: MythicalMino

Hey, you all...i know that many of you have books and books and books about the War in the Pacific....

So, what books are really good?

How many books you want to read? I just started reading History of United States Naval Operations in World War II by Samuel Eliot Morison. There are 15 (yes 15) volumes in this series. About 300 pages each. Nine of the volumes have to do with the War in the Pacific. Got em at the local library. The author uses info that was gathered after the war from all sides who participated. But concentrates on what happened between the US and Japan.

[RayM]

From an older post:

If it is the Pacific theater, I would recommend the following (in no particular order):

* Destroyer Squadron 23: Combat Exploits of Arleigh Burke's Gallant Force, Ken Jones

* US Army in WWII Series: Victory in Papua, Samuel Milner

* US Army in WWII Series: CARTWHEEL - The Reduction of Rabaul, John Miller

* US Army in WWII: Guadalcanal - The First Offensive

* The Shame of Savo, Bruce Loxton w/Chris Coulthard-Clark

* Disaster in the Pacific - New Light on the Battle of Savo Island, Denis and Peggy Warner w/ Sadao Seno

* A Battle History of The Imperial Japanese Navy, Paul S. Dull

* The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, James W. Grace

* The Battle of Cape Esperance, Charles Cook

* The Battle of Tassafaronga, Capt. (Ret) Rusell Crenshaw

* Guadalcanal: Starvation Island, Eric Hammel

*Guadalcanal: The Carrier Battles, Eric Hammel

* Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea, Eric Hammel

* Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account, Richard B. Frank (my personal favorite on the subject)

* Into the Shadows Furious : The Brutal Battle for New Georgia, Brian Altobello

* No Bended Knee: The Battle for Guadalcanal, Gen. Merrill B. Twining, USMC

* Guadalcanal, Edwin P. Hoyt

* The Glory of the Solomons, Edwin P. Hoyt (A good 1 volume of campaign up the chain after Guadalcanal)

* Savo, Richard Newcomb

* Bloody Ridge: The Battle that Saved Guadalcanal, Michael S. Smith

* South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf, Russell S. Crenshaw Jr.

* The Battle of Guadalcanal, Samuel B. Griffith

* Once A Marine, Gen. A. Vandergrift

* Several volumes from S. E. Morison's USN WWII history series.

* Empire in the Balance, H.P. Willmott

* The Barrier and the Javelin, H.P. Willmott

* The Second World War in the Far East, H.P. Willmott


And a few more:

* Guadalcanal Remembered, Herbert Merillat

* The Navy at Guadalcanal, Stan Smith (from 1963)

* Bloody Friday Off Guadalcanal, Lawerence Cortesi

* The Pacific War, Saburo Ienaga (1978)

* The Rising Sun, John Toland

* The End of The Imperial Japanese Navy, Masanori Ito (English translation, 1962)

* The First South Pacific Campaign: Pacific Fleet Staregy December 1941-June 1942, John B. Lundstrom

* The First Team: Naval Air Combat from Pearl harbor to Midway, John B. Lundstrom

* The First Team and the Guadalacnal Campaign, John B. Lundstrom

* Rising Sun Victorious: The Alternative History of How the Japanese Won the Pacific War (Interesting 'What If' book. There is also a similar book for the ETO and Eastern Front)

* Japan's War: The Great Pacific Conflict, Edwin P. Hoyt

*How They Won the War in the Pacific: Nimitz and His Admirals, Edwin P. Hoyt

* The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1895-1945, Stephen Howarth

* The War with Japan:The Period in the Balance May 1942-October 1943, H.P. Willmott

* The Ghost that Died at Sunda Strait (Story of the USS Houston), W.G. Winslow

* The Pacific Campaign - WWII - The US-Japanese Naval War 1941-1945, Dan van der Vat

Really old stuff:

* Battle Report, Volumes I-V, Commander Walter Karig, et al, published 1944-1949. (Great photos and battle maps)

Vol I: Pearl Harbor to Coral Sea
Vol II: The Atlantic War
Vol III: Pacific War - Middle Phase
Vol IV: The End of an Empire
Vol V: Victory in the Pacific

Enjoy!

RayM

[von Murrin]

I don't see Richard B. Frank's Guadalcanal or Combined Fleed Decoded by John Prados.

The first is the most readable account on the subject I've ever read that manages to maintain high detail, and the second is THE source for Allied and Japanese intelligence services.

[RayM]

von Murrin:

You are so right! Can't believe I left Frank's book off my list. I agree that it is probably the best volume ever on Guadalcanal. My personal favorite.

Agree with your Prado assessment too.

RayM

[von Murrin]

Well, you did put quite a few of Hoyt's books on your list, and he's top notch also. [;)]

[VI66_slith]

Also:

1. Toched by Fire -
2. Fire in The Sky -
both by Bergerud, Eric M.

3. Utmost Savagery -
4. Edson's Radiers -
5. Storm Landings -
all by Alexander, Joseph H.

6. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa -
by Sledge, Eugene B.

Thanks for listing all the great titles, I'm going to pic up a few. I need The Battle of Tassafaronga and Richard B. Frank's Guadalcanal to help round out my effort to learn about Guadalcanal. Does anyone know of a good book about Bouganville? Munda? Rabaul? I'm looking for books on the specific topics, not general subject books that would cover the entire South Pacific. They seem to be hard to find.

[doktor1957]

"Tenozoan", I can't remember the author's name, strips all the glory away from Okinawa and reveals it for the meatgrinder it was.

[kaleun]

Tenozoan", I can't remember the author's name, strips all the glory away from Okinawa and reveals it for the meatgrinder it was. , thought it was great


I got it too; great book; it is actually spelled Tennozan.

[ian77]

I would also add "Divine Thunder" by Bernard Millot, to the list.

[Jack Shelak]

I would second A Battle History of The Imperial Japanese Navy by Paul S. Dull.

It describes many engagements in detail. So much detail in fact, that you can design your own scenarios based on them (if you have the time).

[Subchaser]

I don’t want to post long title list, I will recommend only two good books I’ve finished to read this week.

Fortress Against the Sun: The B-17 Flying Fortress in the Pacific
by Gene Eric Salecker ISBN: 1580970494

Excellent book, well-written and well-researched, almost 400 pages. There is only one problem with this book, author did not bother to correct even the most obvious errors in veteran recollections, and you can get an impression that B-17s were the most deadly anti-shipping weapon of the war…however I didn’t noticed any serious inaccuracies in author’s text. This work has one very interesting appendix… the list of all B-17 of the pacific war, with serials, commanders, plane mottos, fates etc. You can’t imagine how many Forts were destroyed by strafing, amazing!

With the Fifth Army Air Force: Photos from the Pacific Theater
by James P. Gallagher ISBN: 0801868491

I haven’t seen so nicely illustrated book on pacific air war before. Personal memoirs of James Gallagher, air communication and liaison officer who served with many famous 5th AF units. Very interesting personal view on pacific war, you’ll get an idea how ground support services were working, how important air communications were, how radar and radio guys were providing valuable support to the flyboys. Do I have to say about tons of rare photos of amazing quality.

[VI66_slith]

I would also add "Divine Thunder" by Bernard Millot, to the list.

I'll be sure to check it out.

Thanks!

[Black Cat]

War With Japan in 5 Volumes with 4 seperate Map Volumes by the British Naval Staff, published by the MOD in 1995, and sold through HMSO`s. May be out of print now.

Covers the whole Pacific War in much the same manner of S. E. Morison`s great history, but has interesting detail from the British side on their operations. Good OOB`s. I got the set from Men At Arms Books ( do a Google search ) a year or so ago and he may still have some sets.



Old Friends, New Enemies. The Royal Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy. Strategic Illusions 1936 -1941. by Arthur J. Marder. Published by the Oxford University Press in 1981. Marder wrote the best and most objective 5 Volume History of The RN in WW I, From Dreadnought to Scapa Flow. Goes into great detail on how Singapore came about, and the political as well Naval policies prewar.

[mccavage]

Fleets of World War Two by Richard Preston - A very opinionated but fascinating look at the fleets by individual ship class and overall. A lot of the cachet some vessels have enjoyed get punctured when the actual designs and performance are examined.

[Grotius]

I just finished the Costello book "The Pacific War," and it is indeed well-written and fun to read. It may not be the most scholarly treatment of the conflict in existence; it relies largely on secondary sources, and it occasionally engages in speculation that may stray beyond the available evidence. On the other hand, that's why it's a fun read. It's more enjoyable than many more scholarly books, like the recent "Eagle and Rising Sun," which is informative but over-written.

I was hanging out with some historians this week, and I asked about definitive treatments of the Pacific War. I got varying responses, but one uniform response on a general history of World War II as a whole: Gerald Weinberg's "A World at Arms" (Cambridge U. Press, 1994 I think). It's a fascinating global history by a highly respected historian. His focus is more on the "why" than the "how" of the war, and he's not afraid to take on conventional wisdom. The writing is not quite as lively as Costello, but the scholarship is much stronger: he did his time in the British, German and American archives, and he did the translating himself.