Books to Recommend

[John 3rd]

Since I have no turns from my four esteemed opponents, I am bored!

We had a great thread running with the Washington Conference and started bantering about books to read within that arena of content. This got me thinking about all the books that are out there for the Pacific and thought I might start a discussion for the newer players (as well as those of us who are more---SEASONED!) on various books that one might consider a must read.

I am thinking about different areas of the war and met me see if anyone has any thoughts:

1. BIG PICTURE--I still think that--though dated--John Toland's Rising Sun is a great book to talk about the war from a big picture Japanese perspective. For an American overview, I do not have a recommendation.

2. CAMPAIGN/BATTLE BOOK
For a Pacific campaign, my personal favorite is Richard Frank's Guadalcanal history. His mongraph covers the air, land, and sea very well. It is highly readable and quite well researched.

I've heard that Wilmott's work is fantastic. Haven't read any of it and cannot afford to...

The recent Shattered Sword is magnificent when it comes to a specific battle. Brilliant, thoughtful provoking, and effectively written, I consider this book a must read-must have achievement.

3. BIOGRAPHY
A lot of choices here. I have heard that the new Jack Fletcher monograph is excellent. Has anyone read Blackshoe Admiral (I think that is the name of it).

Japanese Destroyer Captain is as good as it gets.

There is several good biographies of Yamamoto but I do not have any on the shelf and the ones I have read are somewhat dated as well.

I have several tomes on the American submarine war commanders that are excellent: Thunder Below and Take Her Deep.

4. RESEARCH
Kaigun and Sunburst are great new works that explore Japan's development of the Naval and Air forces. Peattie and Evans are very good and quite readable as well.


I throw these out for people to comment on and make recommendations of books that they like as well. I have been in a cash deprived (read two young children) state for the last two years and haven't kept up on the newest writing.

What else would say MUST be read??

[Terminus]

The Bloody Shambles series are excellent reference books.

[bradfordkay]

I would add Lundstrom's "First Team" series and Bergerud's "Fire in the Sky".

[John 3rd]

Who is the author of Bloody Shambles?  How many in the series?
 
I've heard that First Team is excellent.  Is Lundstrom coming out with another to follow-up?
 
What subject does Fire in the Sky pertain to?
 

[Terminus]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Who is the author of Bloody Shambles? How many in the series?

Main author is Christopher Shores. There are three books in the series.

[bobogoboom]

you have a turn now[:'(]

[ctangus]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

1. BIG PICTURE--I still think that--though dated--John Toland's Rising Sun is a great book to talk about the war from a big picture Japanese perspective. For an American overview, I do not have a recommendation.

The Pacific War by John Costello is a good big picture overview from an allied perspective. It's a good companion to Toland's book IMO.

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

What subject does Fire in the Sky pertain to?

It's about the air war in the South & Southwest Pacific. Rather than being structured chronologically, it's structured topically and goes into details like the terrain, base construction capabilities, maintenance capablities, different airframes, training, etc. It tries to show how the air war in that theater developed and how & why Japan's land based air eventually collapsed.

Great book IMO. I've even learned things that I've put to use in WITP! [:D]

Bergerud has another book, Touched with Fire, that deals with the ground war in the theater. It's not as brilliant as Fire in the Sky but is still worth a read.

[John 3rd]

Fire in the Sky sounds cool.  I really enjoy the deeper treatments of the topics.  
 
I REALLY would like Wilmott's Barrier and the Javelin but it is flipping expensive!
 
I have seen that Eric Trammel has been doing a series of books on the Guadalcanal Campaign.  Has anyone read them?
 
 

[tsimmonds]

I highly recommend Black Shoe Carrier Admiral. Gave me a whole new view of Fletcher. Specifically, I had been one of those who agreed with Morison's judgment that Fletcher had bugged out at Guadalcanal. But Lundstrum's fair examination of the operation makes it obvious that the main responsibility for the SNAFU that led to Savo and the virtual abandonment of the Marines by the USN was Turner's, by his repeated assertion that he would have his transports completely unloaded and on their way out on D+2, and by his failure to tell Fletcher or Ghormley what was really going on until after it was too late.

Turner however had powerful friends and was a shameless self-promoter and a politician, and saw to it that blame was deflected from himself and focused onto his friend Fletcher. Fletcher was too self-effacing and too decent of a guy to try to stick it up Turner's backside the way Turner was sticking it up his. He was also too busy trying to maintain the SLOC to Lunga, while Turner was only busy with filing his finger-pointing AAR. So Turner went on to fame and glory, and Fletcher went on to the Aleutians. He deserved better reward for his excellent leadership of the carriers thru the Battle of the Eastern Solomons.

Ghormley too came in for his share of the blame, and rightly so. It was his passiveness which led to Fletcher's command and Turner's neither one knowing what the other was doing or planning to do, which was the basis for the calamity.

[John 3rd]

I completely concur.  After mentioning Frank's book earlier I picked it up and have started re-reading it. 
 
HE also makes comment to Kelley Turner's ambition.  REALLY want to read Black Shoe Admiral!
 

[rtrapasso]

i've always found it fascinating how Turner, (the man probably the most responsible for the intel failure surrounding Pearl Harbor according to some sources), managed to get himself into such a position of power afterwards, despite the fact he apparently couldn't work with anybody without rubbing them the wrong way.

[crsutton]

"Tennezon" by George Feifer (2004) a sobering account of the battle of Okinawa. One of the best accounts of a particular battle that I have ever read.

[tsimmonds]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

i've always found it fascinating how Turner, (the man probably the most responsible for the intel failure surrounding Pearl Harbor according to some sources), managed to get himself into such a position of power afterwards, despite the fact he apparently couldn't work with anybody without rubbing them the wrong way.

Well, Turner's main patron seems to have been E. King, who by all accounts was so abrasive that someone else rubbing him the wrong way would be simply redundant.[;)]

[John 3rd]

It does help ones CAREER when the Fleet Admiral is your patron!
 
I agree with the comment about Turner being most responsible for the Fleet Intelligence failure prior to Pearl Harbor.  Wasn't it he who didn't send the 'bomb plot/grid' intercept to Kimmel?
 
Did he have assess to Magic?  I don't believe he did but cannot remember at the moment.
 
Haven't ever heard of the Okinawa book.  Will check that one out.
   

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

It does help ones CAREER when the Fleet Admiral is your patron!

I agree with the comment about Turner being most responsible for the Fleet Intelligence failure prior to Pearl Harbor. Wasn't it he who didn't send the 'bomb plot/grid' intercept to Kimmel?

Did he have assess to Magic? I don't believe he did but cannot remember at the moment.

Haven't ever heard of the Okinawa book. Will check that one out.

Originally he did (pre PH)...

Also apparently he rounded up all of the incriminating evidence of his role in PH and it "magically" vanished!! [X(] [:'(]

[John 3rd]

"MAGICALLY"  Is that a pun??  [:D]

[jwilkerson]

A book I have found surprisingly useful, is:

Evans, David C., ed. trans., The Japanese Navy In World War II - 2nd Ed, Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, Maryland, 1986.

This book contains a series of articles written by Japanese naval officers after the war, translated by Dr Evans. Some are detailed, some are high level, but overall the articles provide information I don't find in many other books.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

"MAGICALLY" Is that a pun?? [:D]

er.. well, yes... [:D]

[John 3rd]

Thank you Mr. Wilkerson!  I assume that this is the same Dr. Evans from Kaigun?  I bet it would be fascinating to read.  There is so much good writing starting to come out from Japan about their side of the fight.
 

[jwilkerson]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Thank you Mr. Wilkerson!  I assume that this is the same Dr. Evans from Kaigun?  I bet it would be fascinating to read.  There is so much good writing starting to come out from Japan about their side of the fight.

Yup same one, though now deceased, IIRC.