-
Fire and Fortitude
- The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 24 hrs and 18 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $45.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Island Infernos
- The US Army's Pacific War Odyssey, 1944
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 25 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The dawn of 1945 finds a US Army at its peak in the Pacific. Allied victory over Japan is all but assured. The only question is how many more months - or years - of fight does the enemy have left. John C. McManus’s magisterial series, described by the Wall Street Journal as being “as vast and splendid as Rick Atkinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Liberation Trilogy,” returns with this brilliant final volume.
-
-
Wonderful book, but incomplete and poorly narrated.
- By Linda S. on 02-24-22
By: John C. McManus
-
Tower of Skulls
- A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Vol. 1 (July 1937 - May 1942)
- By: Richard B. Frank
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 26 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This story casts penetrating light on how struggles in Europe and Asia merged into a tightly entwined global war. It features not just battles, but also the sweeping political, economic, and social effects of the war, and are graced with a rich tapestry of individual characters from top-tier political and military figures down to ordinary servicemen, as well as the accounts of civilians of all races and ages.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Patrick on 03-16-20
By: Richard B. Frank
-
Saipan
- The Battle that Doomed Japan in World War II
- By: James H. Hallas
- Narrated by: Tim Dixon
- Length: 22 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of the Battle of Saipan has it all. Marines at war: on Pacific beaches, in hellish volcanic landscapes in places like Purple Heart Ridge, Death Valley, and Hell's Pocket, under a commander known as "Howlin' Mad." Naval combat: carriers battling carriers from afar, fighters downing Japanese aircraft, submarines sinking carriers. Marine-army rivalry. Fanatical Japanese defense and resistance. A turning point of the Pacific War. James Hallas reconstructs the full panorama of Saipan in a way that no recent chronicler of the battle has done.
-
-
Outstanding!
- By Patrick on 03-08-20
By: James H. Hallas
-
Twilight of the Gods
- War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945
- By: Ian Toll
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 36 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the harrowing last year of World War II in the Pacific, when the US Navy won the largest naval battle in history; MacArthur made good his pledge to return to the Philippines; waves of kamikazes attacked the Allied fleets; the Japanese fought to the last man on one island after another; B-29 bombers burned down Japanese cities; and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were vaporized. Toll's narratives of combat in the air, at sea, and on the beaches are gripping, but he also takes the listener into the halls of power in Washington and Tokyo.
-
-
Food for WWII History Buffs
- By Dr. Schtick on 12-20-20
By: Ian Toll
-
The Dead and Those About to Die
- D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A white-knuckle account of the First Infantry Division’s harrowing D-Day assault on the eastern sector of Omaha Beach - acclaimed historian John C. McManus has written a gripping history that will stand as the last word on this titanic battle. Nicknamed the Big Red One, First Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors on the front lines and rabble-rousers in the rear. Yet on D-Day, these jaded combat veterans melded with fresh-faced replacements to accomplish one of the most challenging and deadly missions ever.
-
-
I Can Now See the Parallels
- By Debbie on 03-22-17
By: John C. McManus
-
September Hope
- The American Side of a Bridge Too Far
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In September Hope, acclaimed historian John C. McManus explores World War II’s most ambitious invasion, an immense, daring offensive to defeat Nazi Germany before the end of 1944. Operation Market-Garden is one of the war’s most famous, but least understood, battles, and McManus tells the story of the American contribution to this crucial phase of the war in Europe.
-
-
Go yanks go !
- By Alan on 03-06-13
By: John C. McManus
-
Island Infernos
- The US Army's Pacific War Odyssey, 1944
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 25 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The dawn of 1945 finds a US Army at its peak in the Pacific. Allied victory over Japan is all but assured. The only question is how many more months - or years - of fight does the enemy have left. John C. McManus’s magisterial series, described by the Wall Street Journal as being “as vast and splendid as Rick Atkinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Liberation Trilogy,” returns with this brilliant final volume.
-
-
Wonderful book, but incomplete and poorly narrated.
- By Linda S. on 02-24-22
By: John C. McManus
-
Tower of Skulls
- A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Vol. 1 (July 1937 - May 1942)
- By: Richard B. Frank
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 26 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This story casts penetrating light on how struggles in Europe and Asia merged into a tightly entwined global war. It features not just battles, but also the sweeping political, economic, and social effects of the war, and are graced with a rich tapestry of individual characters from top-tier political and military figures down to ordinary servicemen, as well as the accounts of civilians of all races and ages.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Patrick on 03-16-20
By: Richard B. Frank
-
Saipan
- The Battle that Doomed Japan in World War II
- By: James H. Hallas
- Narrated by: Tim Dixon
- Length: 22 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of the Battle of Saipan has it all. Marines at war: on Pacific beaches, in hellish volcanic landscapes in places like Purple Heart Ridge, Death Valley, and Hell's Pocket, under a commander known as "Howlin' Mad." Naval combat: carriers battling carriers from afar, fighters downing Japanese aircraft, submarines sinking carriers. Marine-army rivalry. Fanatical Japanese defense and resistance. A turning point of the Pacific War. James Hallas reconstructs the full panorama of Saipan in a way that no recent chronicler of the battle has done.
-
-
Outstanding!
- By Patrick on 03-08-20
By: James H. Hallas
-
Twilight of the Gods
- War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945
- By: Ian Toll
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 36 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the harrowing last year of World War II in the Pacific, when the US Navy won the largest naval battle in history; MacArthur made good his pledge to return to the Philippines; waves of kamikazes attacked the Allied fleets; the Japanese fought to the last man on one island after another; B-29 bombers burned down Japanese cities; and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were vaporized. Toll's narratives of combat in the air, at sea, and on the beaches are gripping, but he also takes the listener into the halls of power in Washington and Tokyo.
-
-
Food for WWII History Buffs
- By Dr. Schtick on 12-20-20
By: Ian Toll
-
The Dead and Those About to Die
- D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A white-knuckle account of the First Infantry Division’s harrowing D-Day assault on the eastern sector of Omaha Beach - acclaimed historian John C. McManus has written a gripping history that will stand as the last word on this titanic battle. Nicknamed the Big Red One, First Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors on the front lines and rabble-rousers in the rear. Yet on D-Day, these jaded combat veterans melded with fresh-faced replacements to accomplish one of the most challenging and deadly missions ever.
-
-
I Can Now See the Parallels
- By Debbie on 03-22-17
By: John C. McManus
-
September Hope
- The American Side of a Bridge Too Far
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In September Hope, acclaimed historian John C. McManus explores World War II’s most ambitious invasion, an immense, daring offensive to defeat Nazi Germany before the end of 1944. Operation Market-Garden is one of the war’s most famous, but least understood, battles, and McManus tells the story of the American contribution to this crucial phase of the war in Europe.
-
-
Go yanks go !
- By Alan on 03-06-13
By: John C. McManus
-
Deadly Sky
- The American Combat Airman in World War II
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This insightful chronicle takes listeners inside the experiences of America's fighter pilots and bomber crews, an incredible assortment of men who, in nearly four years of warfare all over the globe, suffered over 120,000 casualties, with over 40,000 killed. Their stories span the Earth, into every corner of the combat theaters in both Europe and the Pacific. And the aircraft explored are as varied, tough, and legendary as the men who flew them.
-
-
Twelve O'Clock High Unabridged
- By Chiefkent on 05-23-17
By: John C. McManus
-
Alamo in the Ardennes
- The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At last, here is a book that tells the full story of the turning point in World War II's Battle of the Bulge - the story of five crucial days in which small groups of American soldiers, some outnumbered 10 to 1, slowed the German advance and allowed the Belgian town of Bastogne to be reinforced. Alamo in the Ardennes provides a compelling, day-by-day account of this pivotal moment in America's greatest war.
-
-
hard to listen to this great story
- By Justine Reis on 07-20-18
By: John C. McManus
-
Rising Sun, Falling Skies
- The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II
- By: Jeffrey Cox
- Narrated by: Theodore O'Brien
- Length: 22 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few events have ever shaken a country in the way that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor affected the United States. After the devastating attack, Japanese forces continued to overwhelm the Allies, attacking Malaya with its fortress of Singapore, and taking resource-rich islands in the Pacific - Borneo, Sumatra, and Java - in their own blitzkrieg offensive. Allied losses in these early months after America's entry into the war were great, and among the most devastating were those suffered during the Java Sea Campaign.
-
-
a must-read for military historians
- By robroy on 10-06-21
By: Jeffrey Cox
-
Nimitz at War
- Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay
- By: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tapped Chester W. Nimitz to assume command of the Pacific Fleet. Nimitz transformed the devastated and dispirited Pacific fleet into the most powerful and commanding naval force in history. Facing demands from Washington to mount an early offensive, he had first to revive the depressed morale of the thousands of sailors, soldiers, and Marines who served under him. And of course, he also confronted a formidable and implacable enemy in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
-
-
Excellent Story Solid Narration
- By arussellga on 06-14-22
By: Craig L. Symonds
-
World War 2 in the Pacific Collection: Across Wake Island, Bataan, Guadalcanal, Corregidor, and Iwo Jima
- Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific, The Saga of Pappy Gunn, On Valor's Side, The Coastwatchers, They Call it Pacific, Joe Foss Flying Marine, South from Corregidor, The Story of Wake Island, & Mission Beyond Darkness
- By: Robert Lackie, General George C. Kenney, T. Grady Gallant, and others
- Narrated by: Museum Audiobooks Cast
- Length: 66 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is a nine-book bundle on the Pacific War, the theatre of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and Oceania. The Pacific War saw the Allies pitted against Japan, aided by Thailand and its Axis allies, Germany and Italy. Fighting included some of the largest naval battles in history, and the war culminated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
-
-
Good collection, great bargain well worth a credit
- By R. Denton on 08-13-21
By: Robert Lackie, and others
-
Blazing Star, Setting Sun
- The Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign November 1942-March 1943
- By: Jeffrey Cox
- Narrated by: Lance C Fuller
- Length: 24 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the end of February 1944, thanks to hard-fought and costly American victories in the first and second naval battles of Guadalcanal, the battle of Empress Augusta Bay and the battle of Cape St George, the Japanese would no longer hold the materiel or skilled manpower advantage. From this point on, although the war was still a long way from being won, the American star was unquestionably on the ascendant, slowly, but surely, edging Japanese imperialism towards its sunset.
-
-
Narrator Ruined the Book
- By Duncan on 08-20-20
By: Jeffrey Cox
-
Normandy '44
- D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 24 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
D-Day, June 6, 1944, and the 76 days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed the Allied landing, have become the defining episode of World War II in the west - the object of books, films, television series, and documentaries. Yet as familiar as it is, as James Holland makes clear in his definitive history, many parts of the OVERLORD campaign, as it was known, are still shrouded in myth and assumed knowledge.
-
-
Excellent in every way a must listen
- By Jason on 11-04-19
By: James Holland
-
Under the Southern Cross
- The South Pacific Air Campaign Against Rabaul
- By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: Lance C Fuller
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From August 7th 1942 until February 24th 1944, the US Navy fought the most difficult campaign in its history. Between the landing of the 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal and the final withdrawal of the Imperial Japanese Navy from its main South Pacific base at Rabaul, the US Navy suffered such high personnel losses that for years it refused to publicly release total casualty figures.
-
-
Another first class work by Thomas Cleaver.
- By Amazon Customer on 07-10-21
-
Sicily '43
- The First Assault on Fortress Europe
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Al Murray
- Length: 19 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On July 10, 1943, the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted took place, larger even than the Normandy invasion 11 months later: 160,000 American, British, and Canadian troops came ashore or were parachuted onto Sicily, signaling the start of the campaign to defeat Nazi Germany on European soil. Operation HUSKY, as it was known, was enormously complex, involving dramatic battles on land, in the air, and at sea. Yet, despite its paramount importance to ultimate Allied victory, and its drama, very little has been written about the 38-day Battle for Sicily.
-
-
Great writing, great narration, interesting topic
- By ItalCali on 08-02-21
By: James Holland
-
Brothers in Arms
- One Legendary Tank Regiment’s Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Al Murray
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the last cavalry units to ride horses into battle, the Sherwood Rangers were transformed into a “mechanized cavalry” of tanks in 1942. After winning acclaim in the North African campaign, they spearheaded one of the D-Day landings in Normandy and became the first British troops to cross into Germany. Their courage, skill, and tenacity contributed mightily to the surrender of Germany in 1945.
-
-
Masterpiece
- By Richard J Bailey on 02-05-22
By: James Holland
-
A War of Empires
- Japan, India, Burma & Britain: 1941-45
- By: Robert Lyman
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 25 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1941 and 1942, the British and Indian armies were brutally defeated and Japan reigned supreme in its newly conquered territories throughout Asia. But change was coming. New commanders were appointed, significant training together with restructuring took place and new tactics were developed. A War of Empires by acclaimed historian Robert Lyman expertly retells these coordinated efforts and describes how a new volunteer Indian Army, rising from the ashes of defeat, would ferociously fight to turn the tide of war.
-
-
Void of Interesting Detail
- By Greg on 05-31-22
By: Robert Lyman
-
In Mortal Combat
- Korea, 1950-1953
- By: John Toland
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 27 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this brilliant narrative of America's first limited war, Toland lets both the events and the participants speak for themselves, employing scrupulous archival research and interviews as the bases for the drama and accuracy of his writing. In Mortal Combat reveals Mao's prediction of the date and place of MacArthur's Inchon landing, Russia's indifference to the war, Mao's secret leadership of the North Korean military, and the true nature of both sides' treatment and repatriation of POWs.
-
-
Slightly disappointed
- By Patrick on 09-02-19
By: John Toland
Publisher's Summary
An engrossing, epic history of the US Army in the Pacific War, from the acclaimed author of The Dead and Those About to Die.
"This eloquent and powerful narrative is military history written the way it should be." (James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian)
"Out here, mention is seldom seen of the achievements of the Army ground troops," wrote one officer in the fall of 1943, "whereas the Marines are blown up to the skies." Even today, the Marines are celebrated as the victors of the Pacific, a reflection of a well-deserved reputation for valor. Yet the majority of fighting and dying in the war against Japan was done not by Marines but by unsung Army soldiers.
John C. McManus, one of our most highly acclaimed historians of World War II, takes listeners from Pearl Harbor - a rude awakening for a military woefully unprepared for war - to Makin, a sliver of coral reef where the Army was tested against the increasingly desperate Japanese. In between were nearly two years of punishing combat as the Army transformed, at times unsteadily, from an undertrained garrison force into an unstoppable juggernaut, and America evolved from an inward-looking nation into a global superpower.
At the pinnacle of this richly told story are the generals: Douglas MacArthur, a military autocrat driven by his dysfunctional lust for fame and power; Robert Eichelberger, perhaps the greatest commander in the theater yet consigned to obscurity by MacArthur's jealousy; "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell, a prickly soldier miscast in a diplomat's role; and Walter Krueger, a German-born officer who came to lead the largest American ground force in the Pacific. Enriching the narrative are the voices of men otherwise lost to history: The uncelebrated Army grunts who endured stifling temperatures, apocalyptic tropical storms, rampant malaria and other diseases, as well as a fanatical enemy bent on total destruction.
This is an essential, ambitious book, the first of two volumes, a compellingly written and boldly revisionist account of a war that reshaped the American military and the globe and continues to resonate today.
Critic Reviews
"A very fine account of war in the Pacific founded on wide research and excellent judgement." (Antony Beevor, New York Times best-selling author of D-Day: The Battle for Normandy and Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge)
"This eloquent and powerful narrative is military history written the way it should be. John C. McManus has seamlessly blended the strategic and tactical story with deep analysis of the political context and social composition of armies that embodied the cultures of the nations from which they were formed. During the two years covered by this book, American forces in the Pacific theater transitioned from fighting on a shoestring defensive to the beginning of mighty offensives that would prove irreversible." (James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom)
“An expert, opinionated World War II history with some unsettling conclusions.... Entirely engrossing.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)
More from the same
What listeners say about Fire and Fortitude
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J.Brock
- 07-09-20
Excellent Work In Spite of A Woke Author
What I can't fathom is why it's necessary to constantly preface political correctness and make sure the reader understands that the author is officially woke, but must use reference the things "acceptable" during WWII. Please stop. History is history, and what the reader wants is a detailed WWII history, not what the author wishes it was. That aside, this book makes up for those moments of unnecessary clarification. The Pacific War was brutal, unyielding, and absolutely heart-wrenching. There is no downplaying this, and McManus does an excellent job in parlaying these facts. Sticking with the facts always works, because history is glory, great falls, death, life, and all the things in between. It's bloody, brutal, and unrelenting .
Walter Dixon does a wonderful job narrating this work. Often the Pacific War is overshadowed by the Normandy invasion, and other campaigns on the European continent. But this work and other volumes on the Pacific war have helped bring it to the forefront. Well done.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 09-16-19
Very good,
Had many details that are not usually in found in pacific war books. I did think that the author made so many excuses for the Jap cruelty and the horrific treatment of the POWs.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- CW1138
- 11-11-21
Woke Garbage
I had high hopes for this one. An obviously well researched book is ruined by the author’s incessant tangents about racism. It’s so needless given the topic at hand. The author peppers us with random examples throughout as if to say “hey, it was the 1940s, don’t forget about how racist we were.” Ugh, we get it, The author also clearly doesn’t like Douglass MacArthur either, big shocker there. And he actually tries to rationalize the barbarism inflicted on allied POWs by the Japanese. This is downright disturbing.
If you like your historical non fiction chock full of nagging commentary and unsolicited opinions then look no further.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Asarchus
- 10-25-19
Sharpens Focus on Army’s Role in Pacific War
After three generations have passed, the Pacific War comes sharply in focus from the US Army’s point of view. Excellently written, Joh Mc Manus’s first volume concentrates on Generals Douglas MacArthur, Joseph Stilwell, and their staffs and subordinates. Yet much of the story is told from the diaries and memoirs of everyday soldiers, both American and Japanese. Truly global in literary scale, this book is an indispensable addition to any military Historian’s library.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
SUPERLATIVE
THE NARRATION IS FLAWLESS…perfect pronunciation, engaging rhythm and inflection, pace is just right.
CONTENT…even better than the quality of narrative is the author’s thorough, evidence based argument that it was the army—not the marines—that did most of the fighting the Pacific.
Briefly describing a few chapters may be instructive.
Chapter 6: HELL
Anyone who has even slightly knowledgeable of Japanese POW camps know of the the systemic,
unspeakable cruelty of Japanese prison guards. In this chapter, the author describes treatment of hospitalized American POWS so sickening that listeners with queasy stomachs should fast forward to the next chapter. McManus describes conditions and treatment that are graphic in the extreme.
Chapter 7: BUNA
At the same time the Marines fought Guadalcanal the Army fought equally ferociously at BUNA, about 100 miles west of New Guinea’s eastern most point. McManus describes in some detail this battle.
Overall, I highly recommend this audio. McManus gets it right, and his readers and listeners will too.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eric Evans
- 06-10-21
Doesn’t really cover new ground
The author rails against McArthur and then focuses the first couple of hours of the book on him. This is maybe a 12 hour audible book that was stretch way to far with familiar facts and characters.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carol Domme
- 07-27-20
well searched, but impersonal, judgemental
disturbingly revisionist, story is nonetheless well researched. modern authors tend to not realize contemporary mores were not applicable
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dennis Jameson
- 07-05-20
Excellent study as far as it went
A lot of new material on an under studied and under appreciated contribution of the US Army in the Pacific. Two things detracted from an otherwise Stirling effort: 1) Technical inaccuracies that would have surely been eliminated had a knowlwdgible combat veteran proof read the manuscript and the collarary that some or most technical data would have benefitted from some elaboration, and 2) as problems presented themselves in this truly unique trifecta of technology, terrain and long distance logistics no discussion of solutions or in some cases any acknowledgement that there was a problem. Hopefully this will solved in a follow-up volume; book only went through 1943. The narration was excrllant, and the pronunciation of Pacif Island names used was the same as commonly used by US forces without attempting to change emphasis or split syllables. Having grown up an Army brat with a father that fought under MacArthur and later served in the USMC and lived in base housing where every street was a Pacific Island, battle or campaign its disconcerting to hear an extra syllable added to Tarawa, or mangling Entiwetok to be unrecognizable. I appreciate the use of common American pronunciations.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patrick
- 08-04-19
Disappointed
This book was ok. Best in its discussion of the Aleutian campaigns. Overall not as solid as other books I have read on this subject area.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mike
- 12-27-21
Army Strong
Great book. I am a student of history since my dad was in thePacific Theater in WW 2. And I learned so much about the war. The author is correct. The Marine Corps stories overshadow the US Army involvment. But the Army's in the Pacific matched every bit of the Army in Europe. The US had some amazing leadership.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- A J Priestley
- 06-01-21
Fantastic read
Really good read can't wait for the next installment well researched well written and well read