Pacific Express: The Critical Role of Military Logistics in World War II, Vol. III (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII series) [Paperback]

William L. McGee with Sandra McGee (Author, Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0970167881 | ISBN-13: 978-0970167880 | Publication Date: September 1, 2009 | Edition: First

PACIFIC EXPRESS is the third volume in William L. McGee's acclaimed Pacific war trilogy, AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC IN WORLD WAR II.

From the Back Cover

Victory is won or lost in battle, but all military history shows that adequate logistics support is essential to the winning of the battle. In WWII, 16.1 million men and women served in the U.S. Armed Forces. For every ONE who served in combat, TEN served in a support role.

Now under one cover, an edited collection of the best works by noted military historians on the importance of military logistics in WWII. The editors profile the many major components that made up the Pacific express including:

U.S. Navy Seabees and U.S. Marine Corps Engineers who built the Advance Bases.

U.S. Navy crews who manned the amphibious force and Fleet s floating mobile Service Squadrons throughout the vast reaches of the Pacific.

U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Naval Armed Guard who manned and defended the thousands of WSA cargo ships, transports, and tankers to deliver the goods!

U.S. Coast Guardsmen who manned hundreds of U.S. Army and Navy long-haul vessels and thousands of battle-loaded amphibious landing ships and craft.

111b&w photos, 7 maps, 21 figures, tables & charts, plus appendix, notes, bibliography and index.

Other books in the series: THE AMPHIBIANS ARE COMING! Vol. I

THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS, 1942-1943, Vol. II

Other books by William L. McGee: BLUEJACKET ODYSSEY, 1942-1946: GUADALCANAL TO BIKINI, NAVAL ARMED GUARD IN THE PACIFIC

THE DIVORCE SEEKERS: A PHOTO MEMOIR OF A NEVADA DUDE WRANGLER

LEARNING TO COPE WITH SIGHT LOSS: SIX WEEKS AT A VA BLIND REHABILITATION CENTER (BOOKLET AND AUDIO CD SET)

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Foreword

 "As the grandson of three World War II veterans, read this book and you will understand what it took to win this war and why the men and women who made it happen are called the Greatest Generation." --Dennis R. Blocker II, National LCI Association Historian, Pacific War

Reviews for the Series

Marine Corps League

One real-life incident during World War II was the inspiration for the box office success Saving Private Ryan ....However, there is enough gripping drama, heroism, and heartbreak in McGee's almost encyclopedic The Solomons Campaigns to supply Hollywood with material for a century.... It is difficult to select what to excerpt from McGee s narrative, because his spare but effective style is as precise and economical as a Mickey Spillane novel....His narrative is copiously supplemented with photographs, tables, stats, command lists, and even official critiques of operations and lessons learned. He drew extensively on a variety of sources to tell the whole tale: records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy, Marine, Army and Army Air Corps archives, Japanese records, veterans accounts, memoirs, and other histories of the campaigns. And, as with a good Spillane novel, his tale bears repeated readings. Edward Cline

Library Journal

McGee has written the second of a three-volume set that will form a definitive account of naval, sea, and land operations in the South Pacific, where America s response to Pearl Harbor began.

McGee's narrative coverage in this second volume is encyclopedic, providing concise details of operations, often on a daily basis. His introductory essay is an informative summary of events from 1931 to 1941 that illustrates how these events led up to World War II. An exhaustive list of sources and notes creates a solid background for a detailed but readable text. In addition to battle history, the book discusses logistics, tactics, and the deployment of forces. Most useful is the author s analysis of the campaigns ("Lessons Learned in the Solomons"). Numerous interviews and recollections of veterans bring in the war s human side, and a long list of military abbreviations and designations aids the reader, as do photos, maps, and charts. This work is a thoroughgoing historical record and analysis that historians and scholars will find invaluable. Recommended for academic and large public libraries and for specialized collections. David M. Alperstein

Midwest Book Review

Amphibians Are Coming! is a deeply engaging biographical history of World War II ship-to-shore landing craft and their crews....A welcome and informative addition to personal, academic, and community library World War II history and reference collections.

Leatherneck, Magazine of the Marines

Author William L. McGee's work [The Solomon's Campaigns] is intended to accomplish a mighty task: to encompass the entire Solomons campaigns in a single, detailed study. The result is a masterpiece. The indexes and appendices are the book's crown jewels. A great read worthy of any Marine s time and efforts. Capt. Scott E. Ukeiley

WWII History

The Solomons Campaigns is a broad-ranging and informative study, a masterwork of extensive research, brisk prose, and convincing analysis.

Sea Classics

McGee is no novice when it comes to writing. He has lived much of what he writes. Certainly one of the longest of the hard-fought Pacific battles, the six month campaign to secure these islands fills Volume II with enough dynamic action, derring-do, brutal horror and conflict to keep one on the edge of his chair for days on end.

--Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William L. McGee (1925- ) was born and raised on a ranch in Montana. At seventeen, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific Theater from 1942 to 1946. Following WWII, he returned to cowboying and worked as the head dude wrangler on an exclusive divorce ranch south of Reno, Nevada that catered to wealthy Easterners and Hollywood celebrities seeking a six week divorce. In 1950, Mr. McGee left cowboying and made a successful transition into the radio and TV broadcasting field where he enjoyed a thirty-two year career and was the recipient of numerous broadcast advertising sales awards. In 1971, he launched BMC Communications and, under the imprint of BMC Publications, wrote and published guidebooks on broadcast advertising sales. After a brief retirement in 1985, McGee turned his interest to military research and writing, producing four military histories (and one Nevada history) that have garnered critical praise from editorial reviewers and readers alike. Mr. McGee is a member of Broadcast Legends and Western Writers of America.

Sandra McGee is a veteran publicist for the performing arts and currently serves as VP/Director of Marketing for BMC Publications. Sandra is a member of Western Writers of America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: BMC Publications; First edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970167881
• ISBN-13: 978-0970167880
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > History > Australia & Oceania > New Zealand

More About the Author

William L. McGee (1925- ) was born and raised on a ranch in Montana. At age 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Naval Armed Guard from 1942-1946 in the Pacific. After the war, he worked as a dude wrangler on an exclusive Nevada divorce ranch 20 miles south of Reno that catered to wealthy divorce seekers who came for a six-week divorce. In 1950, Mr. McGee left cowboying and made a successful transition to the film, radio and TV industry where he enjoyed a 32-year career in broadcast sales. Mr. McGee is the author of numerous books and is a member of Broadcast Legends and Western Writers of America. He and his co-author wife, Sandra, are currently consulting on a feature-length documentary, "Reno and the Romance of Divorce" (anticipated completion: 2012/2013). Visit the author's web site at www.williammcgeebooks.com.

Sandra McGee is a former publicist for the performing arts and currently VP/Director of Marketing for BMC Publications. Sandra is a member of Western Writers of America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars READERS' PRAISE for PACIFIC EXPRESS, August 18, 2009

By 

William L. McGee, Author (San Francisco, Calif.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pacific Express: The Critical Role of Military Logistics in World War II, Vol. III (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII series) (Paperback)

"A very polished and professional volume covering a major and relatively unheralded part of World War II...I'm sure you will receive widespread acclaim for providing the quality and quantity of naval history in PACIFIC EXPRESS."
--David H. Grover, CDR USNR (Ret), and author of "U.S. Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II"

"Bill McGee's account of amphibious operations in the Pacific and of the supply effort needed to support all operations there is meticulously researched and told with the skill of a born story teller. PACIFIC EXPRESS and the other volumes in the series will make a proud addition to anyone's library."
--Gordon Smith, Chairman of the Board, Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum

"Besides providing statistics, you've provided a personal touch with interviews and references to persons who were actually there."
--Jim Higman, Merchant Marine Engineer (Ret) and editor of "California Central Coast U.S. Navy Armed Guard & Merchant Marine Vets WWII

"Bill McGee hits another home run with PACIFIC EXPRESS. My time served in the South Pacific in WWII springs to life as I hear the bow doors open and the ramp fall on Pacific soil...Reading this book brings back memories and tears to this eighty-plus year old LSM sailor."
--Royce N. McNeill, USS LSM-LSMR Association

"With PACIFIC EXPRESS, Bill McGee secures his title of 'godfather of amphibious operations history.' This Volume III in his series anchors Volumes I and II as essential reading and reference for military history."
--Joe Flynn, California Director and Member National Board, USS LCI National Association

"Although about WWII, much of what is written in PACIFIC EXPRESS applied when I served on the USS Helena (CA-75) during the Korean War and after. Bill McGee does a through job of explaining military logistics in ways we can understand."
--Dave Brouchoud, USS Helena (CA-75), Jan 1952-May 1955

"Just finished reading Bill's third volume in his AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS series and it certainly passes inspection!"
--Ron Swanson, Editor, Flotilla, LCT Flotillas of World War II

"As a youngster in WWII, I wondered how the troops got what they needed. Pacific Express explains it all."
--Walter C. Reid GMGC, USN, Retired