History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 6: Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, 22 July 1942-1 May 1944 [Paperback]

Samuel Eliot Morison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2001

With this volume, Morison tracks the Allies' entrance into the offensive phase of the Pacific war. Having gained crucial victories at Midway and Guadalcanal, Allied forces committed substantially increased resources to breaking the Bismarcks barrier, a formidable net of Japanese air and naval bases stretching from the central Solomons to New Guinea, with the bastion of Rabual as linchpin. Morison traces the gradual turning of the conflict from the advantage of the overconfident Japanese to that of the dogged, undersupplied Allies, an international contingent of Australian, Dutch, and American forces. The narrative takes in land and air sorties as well as naval operations, covering the pivotal Papuan campaign of 1942-43, the Huan Gulf and Bougainville campaigns, and the spectacular conflicts that culminated in the Allies' taking of Rabual. Morison's genius for capturing the flash and fire, the suspense, and the pathos of combat infuses his history with an immense vitality, an almost swashbuckling brio. This is not an official history in the ordinary sense of that term, but " Morison's history," a gripping, face-to-face encounter with the human drama of war.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" Here is an author who knows the conflict in the Pacific. He writes not only with clarity, vigor, and authority but with a good amount of brine in his pen." -- American Historical Review " It is a great virtue of this book that it draws together all fragments of action--air, sea, land and amphibious--into a clear and intelligible pattern." -- New York Times " An exciting tale of the valor of the American forces." -- Chicago Sunday Tribune " Terse, sinewy, meticulous, and sweeping. Morison's 15-volume history of the U.S. Navy in World War II was a milestone in the record of 20th-century arms... Admiral Morison's series has merited a central niche in the annals of WWII." - WWII History

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (June 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252069978
• ISBN-13: 978-0252069970
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,116,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)