Every battle in wwii, whether it be the south pacific, european, african or other theater, was indeed crucial to the success of the allied forces. The 14 best military nonfiction books of alltime americas. World war ii in the pacific the holocaust encyclopedia. The construction projects undertaken by the seabees were not confined solely to building naval installations but they were called upon to construct vital bases for the army, marines and for the allies around the globe. It only ended in the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki, along with the soviet invasion of manchuria. Jun 10, 20 in the deserters, the historian and former abc news foreign correspondent charles glass explores a subject that remained taboo for decades after world war ii. Heres your opportunity to let others know your favorite books on the war that led us from pearl harbor to tokyo bay. At its peak, the empire stretched throughout eastern china, southeast asia, the islands of oceania, and even the aleutian islands in north america. Best sellers, newest to oldest oldest to newest price low to. Fighting in the pacific was unlike fighting in europe. At the end of his book, the second world war, john keegan offers a list of 50 books in english that together provide a comprehensive picture of the most important events and themes of the war, which are readable and from which the general reader can derive his own picture of the war as a.
Discover librarianselected research resources on world war ii pacific theater from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Soldiers stories war in the pacific nzhistory, new. The war in europe ended with germanys surrender on may 7, 1945. For the first time, oregons africanamerican population grew substantiallyin portland increasing from 2,565 in 1940 to 25,000 in 1944. Online shopping for world war ii history books in the books store. The definitive onevolume account of world war ii in the pacific theaterthe first book to. It inspired a fascination with the pacific theater that continues for me to this day. Heres your opportunity to let others know your favorite books on. Jun 15, 2018 the carrier uss yorktown is hit on her portside during the japanese bombardment in the battle of midway in the pacific on 4 june 1942. Nimitz personally retained command of the central pacific. Never before have the separate stories of fighting in china, malaya, burma, the east indies, the phillipines, new guinea, the solomon islands, and the aleutians been so brilliantly woven together to provide a clear. Japanese fighter pilots would purposely crash their planes into us. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast pacific ocean theater, the south west pacific theater, the southeast asian theater, the second sinojapanese war, and the sovietjapanese war. German general staff ballantines illustrated history of the violent century.
And though the battle locales that constitute the war in the pacific pearl harbor, midway, tarawa, guadalcanal, iwo jima are common knowledge, locations and statistics alone cant convey what it was like to have fought in those battles. The war in the pacific ended when japan surrendered on september 2, 1945. War in the pacific page 5 soldiers stories they were involved in fighting in the jungle, some spent time in japanese prisoner of war camps, others took part in air raids or manned ships, while others played a vital support role. Search database npr has compiled the first public database of american veterans who were secretly exposed to mustard gas in military experiments conducted during world war ii. This is another volume from timelife books series on world war 2. World war ii in the pacific national geographic society. The 11th air fleet, the mainstay of the navys landbased air force, was pulled out of mainland china to. Naval construction battalions naval history and heritage. Pacific war is a more common name, around the world, for the broader conflict between the allies and japan, between 1937 and 1945. Top five wwii battles in the south pacific theater armed. World war ii presented allied war planners with a tactical dilemmahow to make large amphibious landings of armies against defended coasts.
Army center for military history has just published its entire official history of world war ii commonly known as the green books on its website it includes a whopping 79 volumes organized under the following 12 headings. Ballantines illustrated history of world war ii series. James bradley tells the story of nine americans who were shot down in the pacific off the island of chichi jima. It tells the story of the undersea war in the pacific, through both the stories of individual submarines and their captains and crews, and by recounting overall strategies to defeat the. During world war ii japan, itself a significant imperial power. World war ii started in europe, but spread throughout the world. With his new book on the second world war, british historian andrew roberts has not only written the single best history. Fortunately, there is no shortage of worthwhile books about the. Aug 19, 2015 world war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. World war ii is a series of books published by timelife that chronicles the second world war. Johnson marshals his facts to tell an almostseamless story of war and politics.
Journey of heroes graphic novel a history of punchbowl. Dunnigan is the author of many books and over a hundred historical simulations. Sep 25, 2011 by the end of 1942, the japanese empire had expanded to its farthest extent. Pacific crucible war at sea in the pacific, 19411942 by ian w. It was a conflict fought on a vast scale over huge distances. And while some may dispute the list above, the five battles listed here, no doubt, they could arguably be the top five battles of wwii of the pacific theater.
Marine corps operations in world war ii volume iv by george w. The world war ii battle of guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the allies in the pacific theater. The yorktown was the only american carrier lost in the battle. World war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. What are the best books on the pacific theater of wwii. A brief overview of the pacific war against the japanese empire in world war ii. The pacific war by costello is a similar read akin to spectors book. List of books and articles about world war ii pacific theater online. All the questions on this quiz are based on information that can be found on the page at world war ii ww2 in the pacific. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. List of books and articles about world war ii pacific. Millions took part in the fighting, and sadly, millions died. In this balanced and thoughtful chronicle, historian and world war ii expert len deighton dares to explore intriguing questions, including why the british werent more prepared for the.
Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. World war ii united states military records, 1941 to 1945. Throughout the fall of 1943, the coast guard actively participated in the allied drives through the southwest and central pacific. In february 1944, during the marshall island campaign, the coast guard once again played an important role. A well researched and compelling history of the second world war in the pacific, mainly told from the japanese point of view. One of my alltime favorite books though is flags of our fathers by james bradley. In world war ii, for the first time, the united states had to fight a war on two fronts.
In order to meet these diversified demands, seabee battalions were composed of. Books pacific theater books page 1 the national wwii. Japanesecontrolled areas of china the japanese seized manchuria in 1931 and occupied much of the coast and north china plain by 1941. Like the others in the series, it is very well written and lavishly illustrated with photos and diagrams, often from timelifes own archives. Home browse history military history wars, battles, and military interventions world war ii world war ii pacific theater. New stories surface constantly, such as the recently uncovered encounter of charlie brown and franz stigler. The war in the pacific continued between japan the latter briefly aided by thailand and to a lesser extent by its axis allies germany and italy and the allied powers. World war ii in the pacific stories of some who were there on the morning of december 7, 1941, i was eleven years old. Army in world war iihighlights the major ground force campaigns during the six years of the war, offers suggestions for further reading, and provides americans an opportunity to learn about the armys role in world war ii. World war ii wwii was a long and bloody war that lasted about six years. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including.
War in the pacific throughout the rest of world war two. The holocaust memorial in berlin is coated with an antigraffiti chemical. The most important naval battles in the pacific during world war ii. List of books and articles about world war ii pacific theater.
John costellos the pacific war has now established itself as the standard onevolume account of world war ii in the pacific. Japanese fighter pilots would purposely crash their planes into us ships in what were called kamikaze attacks. Japanese high seas fleet the panballantine illustrated history of world war ii by richard. The seabees began as regular construction battalions made up of 32 officers and 1079 enlisted men. A short history of the united states navy in the second world war by samuel eliot morison more times than i can count. Why america preferred to forget about the pacific war until now. World war ii started in 1939 when germany invaded poland.
From the coast of france to the pacific theater, discover the best world war ii books that examine the conflicts murky origins and complex legacies. Naval and air strikes reduced most of the japanese bases throughout the area, and after several intense, bloody campaigns, most of the central pacific was secure. The pacific war, sometimes called the asiapacific war, was the theater of world war ii that was fought in the pacific and asia. An excellent account of the second world war in the philippines, from the pre war american colony to the disasters of 194142, the long struggle of the resistance to macarthurs eventual return and the costly battles that followed. A few of my favorite books about world war ii in the pacific. Perfect prep for world war ii 19391945 quizzes and tests you might have in school. The immediate aftermath of the pacific war saw a spate of powerful american memoirs. A short history of the war in the pacific during the second. Ww2 menu to world war ii in the pacific, the early years. The two most important were macarthurs southwest pacific area swpa and admiral chester nimitzs pacific ocean areas poa.
The japanese navy began gradually mobilizing its forces. Moving beyond the battlefield, this book tells the story of how midcentury experiences of troops in asiapacific shaped how we feel about our nations place in the region and the world. Unsurprisingly, there are lots of amazing stories from the conflict, though some are more well known than others. The definitive onevolume account of world war ii in the pacific theaterthe first book to weave together the separate stories of the fighting in china, malaya, burma, the east indies, the philippines, new guinea, the solomon islands, and the aleutians. In order to attack japan, air force lieutenant colonel james h. Omar bradley is the only other high ranking army officer in wwii who wrote a better history book about that war. Feb 11, 2009 the war in the pacificthe war in the pacific 19411945 slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising.
As a result we learn more about the japanese strategy for the war, the reasons for each decision, and the political background in japan. Discover librarianselected research resources on world war ii pacific theater from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic. A personal recollection of the pacific war written in 1949 by the commander of the fifth army airforce. The air war, focusing on the eighth air forces strategic campaign against the german luftwaffe in the months leading up to dday. Illustration of the battle of midway during world war ii, 1942. Each book focused on a different topic, such as the resistance, spies, the home front but mainly the battles and campaigns of the conflict. The americans had to reinforce heavily, deploying naval power, planes, soldiers, and marines in the battle at the expense of other theaters.
In so doing, they gave to american strategy in the pacific a twist. Ww2 diggers in the pacific aussies ww2 early soviets and mongols. Great britain and france responded by declaring war on germany. The japanese attack on pearl harbor on december 7, 1941, was the impetus for the united states entrance into world war ii. Doolittle demonstrated that large b25 bomber planes could take off from air craft carriers. During world war ii an estimated 194,000 people moved into the state. By february, the allies were also making progress in the central pacific. The most important lesson i ever learned came to me in the french archives when i was researching a book about paris after the liberation. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Countries still fear to go on war for fear of triggering another world war. Japanese losses included 4 carriers and more than 3,000 men killed or captured. For operation flintlock the allies focused their attention on. Western pacific operations united states marine corps. May 15, 2015 the 14 best military nonfiction books of alltime.
Books on the pacific war from pearl harbor to hiroshima. A readers guide to the air war our pick of the best books and memoirs on world war ii aviation. These are some topics of interest and that seem little known or of possible help in understanding the period. Click through this timeline to see how battles dotted the pacific theatre between 1931 and 1945. For webquest or practice, print a copy of this quiz at the world war ii ww2 in the pacific webquest print page. The deserters, a world war ii history by charles glass.
The pacific theatre of world war ii was largely defined by the territories of the empire of japan. If you want a more detailed set of reads i would look at willmotts empires in the balance, the barrier and the javelin, the war with japan, and his battle of leyte gulf. But world war ii continues to be the most important war in history because of the effect that it had on so many peoples lives and on so many countries. The history of the influential battles that led to japans defeat. The best fiction and nonfiction on the war between the allied forces and japan in the pacific theatre. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to factbased news and analysis.
World war ii was one of the bloodiest wars in human history. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. The author does not second guess anyone but presents the facts and lets the facts speak. For america this was a particularly thorny problem, since its armed forces had to mount amphibious invasions at sites ranging from pacific atolls to north africa to the coast of france. Pacific war, major theatre of world war ii that covered a large portion of the pacific ocean, east asia, and southeast asia, with significant engagements occurring as far south as northern australia and as far north as the aleutian islands. Thousands of new zealanders fought in the pacific war, which was sparked by the japanese bombing of the american naval base at pearl harbor on 7 december 1941. Before the island was secured in november, another marine division the 2d, two army divisions the 25th and americal, and. Army in world war ii series the armys official history of world war ii commonly referred to as the green books are listed in the following sections. Officially beginning on september 1, 1939, when germany invaded poland, world war ii lasted until both the germans and the japanese had surrendered to the allies in 1945. Japanese soldiers were occupying or attacking positions from india to alaska, as well as islands across the south pacific. The pacific strategy, 19411944 the national wwii museum.
New zealanders in the pacific war war in the pacific. As 1944 began, the southwest pacific was largely under allied control. Read the fulltext online edition of world war ii in the north pacific. The pacific theater of operations pto is the term used in the united states for all military activity in the pacific ocean and the countries bordering it, in world war ii. Despite the volumes written about world war ii, many questions remain unanswered. View footage of japanese attack on pearl harbor catalyzing pacific war and taking u. Here are 30 kickass and interesting facts about world war 2. Poa, in turn, was subdivided into north pacific, central pacific, and south pacific commands.
World war ii 19391945 quiz that tests what you know. The pacific war and consequent advances by the japanese had greatly influenced the independence movements of asian countries and ended colonialism by the west through following wars such as first indochina war. Jun 1944aug 1945 volume 6 men and planes volume 7 services around the world for additional afhso books on this topic, see the afhso title listing page. For reasons big and small, understandable and unjustified, the war in the pacific during world war ii has largely been overshadowed by the allies war against hitler. Its a little rough at points, but you get inside the terrors, joys and fears of a marine fighting in the pacific. Throughout the war, in fact, submarines had preyed on japanese.
World war iis direct impact and its repercussions still lay imprinted on the face of earth. The rape of nanking by iris chang basic books, 1997 is the story of the massacre that followed japans 1937 capture of that city. Merrills marauders ballantines illustrated history of the violent century. With japanese troops stationed in this section of the solomon. Crisis in the pacific the battles for the philippine islands by the men who fought them, gerald astor.
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