History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 8: New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944 [Paperback]

Samuel Eliot Morison (Author)

Book Description

Series: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II | Publication Date: November 16, 2001

The University of Illinois Press continues its paperback release of Samuel Eliot Morison's panoramic fifteen-volume naval history with three volumes that chronicle the war in the Pacific from May 1942 through May 1944. This new edition will be issued in increments of three volumes per season through Spring 2003.

Morison's genius for capturing the flash and fire and the pathos of combat infuses his narrative with an immense vitality and suspense. 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.

Volume 4: Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, May 1942 -- August 1942 details the American victory in the Coral Sea and the U.S. Navy's stunning defeat of a far superior Japanese force at Midway, as well as the events leading up to the six-month struggle at Guadalcanal. This volume also provides a richly detailed look at the first-year exploits of the "Silent Service": the fledgling American submarine corps in the Pacific. Morison supplements his firsthand experience of American operations and access to Allied documents with critical information from the Japanese side.

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (November 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252070380
• ISBN-13: 978-0252070389
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #922,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > World War II > Naval
  • #36 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Naval
  • #66 in Books > History > Australia & Oceania > Papua New Guinea

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Task Force 58 Deals the Japanese Navy a Fatal Blow, June 18, 2003

By 

Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Guinea and the Marianas: March 1944-August 1944 (History of United States Naval Operations in World War II) (Hardcover)

This book keeps up the tradition of other books in this fine series. This volume describes the action which took place in and around the Marianas Islands in the summer of 1944. The islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam were successfully captured and turned into air bases for the big B-29 Superfortresses so they could reach the Japanese homeland. These battles were fought with great savagery on both sides. For example, rather then surrender to the American forces, many Japanese soldiers and civilians threw themselves from cliffs overlooking the Pacific on Saipan.

The Battle of the Philippine Sea is where the Japanese navy ultimately, for all intents and purposes, ceased to be an effective fighting force. However, at the beginning, it was the Japanese who sighted the Americans first. They launched four successive attacks against Admiral Spruance's carriers while Spruance was still searching for the Japanese ships. Thanks to murderous anti-aircraft fire and superior combat air patrol, the Japanese would end up losing over four hundred aircraft in what has become known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". Three Japanese aircraft carriers were also sunk by American submarines and planes. However, this victory was greatly scrutinized. Spruance was criticized for not finding the enemy ships sooner, and for conducting poor air searches. Many believed that the victory could have been even greater than it was had the Japanese been spotted sooner, or had the Americans done a better job of pursuing the fleeing Japanese.

This is a very good book, and the battle is explained expertly with the help of numerous maps and photographs. I highly recommend this book, as well as others in this series. They give the reader a first-hand account of the war at sea.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 8: New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944 (Histor, February 13, 2008

By 

Nicholas E. Phillips (Cleveland OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 8: New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944 (Paperback)

My 86 year old father served in the New Guinea campaign. Only now, in his later years, has he been interested and willing to talk about his World War II experiences. As an enlisted man with an army amphibious unit, he never knew the details of the New Guinea campaign in which he participated. This book is not a novel, but it is an extensive, detailed history of this military campaign which includes the names, photos and maps of the operating area. My father had not heard these names for over 60 years. This is a great resource for any World War II veteran who served in the Pacific in these areas.[ASIN:0252070380 History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 8: New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944 (History of United States Naval Operations in World War II)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The MacArthur and Nimitz pincers kick into high gear, October 16, 2008

By 

William S. Grass "Bill Grass (Wsgrass)" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 8: New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944 (Paperback)

This is the eighth of Morison's fifteen volumes on the U.S. naval operations in WWII, and the sixth of nine on the Pacific theater. This particular volume covers the clearing of New Guinea by the MacArthur branch of operations, and the subjugation and capture of the Marianas by the Nimitz arm, including the famous "Marianas Turkey Shoot" during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, which was the last time Japanese carrier based air power posed any significant obstacle to the U.S. advance toward Japan. Thereafter, the two pincers were to join at Leyte and the invasion of the Philippines, which are covered in volumes XII and XIII.

By March, 1944 the great Japanese anchorage at Truk, and their naval and air bases at Rabaul had been pounded into submission by U.S. air power and were to be bypassed. MacArthur was then able to proceed along the northern New Guinea coast, subduing the Japanese forces there in a series of actions including Biak, Hollandia and Noemfoor. Although not as well known in the popular mind as the action at the Marianas, I was interested nevertheless because my uncle was in the 503rd PIR, which participated in the Hollandia and Noemfoor operations.

Meanwhile, Nimitz, having secured the Gilberts and Marshalls, proceeded in force to the Marianas. There, not only was Guam, Saipan and Tinian taken from the Japanese, but their carrier air forces were dealt a fatal blow in a two day battle where Japanese planes came at the U.S. carriers one day, and U.S. planes at the Japanese carriers the next day. The order to launch U.S. planes came late on the second day and consequently many returned after dark. In a dramatic decision, Admiral Mitscher ordered the lights of the carriers turned on, even at the risk of exposure to Japanese submarines.

Morison is most enthusiastic when describing amphibious landings. The lessons learned the hard way at Tarawa and improved somewhat in the Marshalls were improved upon yet again in the Marianas and Morison spares no detail in explaining the intricacies of the planning and execution of the beach assaults. Also, Morison is supportive of Spruance's decision to stay back and not uncover the Marianas instead of going full bore after the Japanese carriers.