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25 Best World War II Sites Pacific Theater (Greenline Historic Travel)

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Chuck Thompson has done an excellent job in THE 25 BEST WORLD WAR II SITES, PACIFIC THEATER of informing and recommending, to war buffs and casual travelers alike, the best World War places to see including Pearl Harbor on Oahu, the route of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines, and the original Bridge on the River Kwai in Thailand.

Hundreds of points of interest are revealed in the book, and Thompson provides comprehensive directions for each site, including detailed maps, guides to hotels, insider tips and photos of the sites.

This was the first book I've read by Chuck Thompson and I am definitely interested in checking out some of his other work because of the throughness of his research and the objective tone throughout.

Ever consider traveling to the real Pacific battlefields of WWII? If so, this is the essential travel and history reference for 25 of the best sites in the 20 million square miles of the Pacific theater. As this book proves, even for those who only dream about travel, it is still an impressive reference to the history and sites today.

25 Best Pacific Site
Author Chuck Thompson draws from his vast travel experiences to present the best sites of the Pacific. He begins the book by explaining the criteria for rating the 'best' sites of the Pacific, by three equally important criteria: historical significance, the amount of attractions at a give site, and finally on its merits as a travel destination (services, natural beauty, desirability). Although subjective, it is a excellent rating system. That includes Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Battan, Tokyo, Tarawa, Saipan, River Kwai, China, Alaska, Hiroshima, Corregidor, Singapore, Peleliu, Marshalls, Guam, Okinawa, Leyte, Solomons, Papua New Guinea, Manila and Nagasaki, to name a few. The final chapter covers North American Pacific WWII sites - including museums and memorials, and general details on auxiliary sites that are more difficult or expensive to get to, such as: Burma, Indonesia, Eniwetak, Midway, Wake and Iwo Jima.

Travel Guide Reference
A chapter is devoted to each of the 25 locations, complete with sites of interest and detailed maps. A one to five 'star rating' system rates each site, in terms of its interest level. Although all sites are important, the star system helps travelers with limited time, or budgets choose what they will want to see. Also, Thomoson draws upon his own travel experiences and suggests the ranges of time required to see the WWII sites - everything from a single full day in some locations, to several days in order to reach all sites.

Well Known & Obscure Location Details
Each chapter covers a wide range of both well known sites, and more obscure ones. For instance, in the Ohau chapter, the natural importance of Pearl Harbor Memorial is fully detailed, but also, lesser known sites, like the "Natsunoya Teahouse" where Japanese spy Takeo Yoshikawa conducted much of his surveillance of Pearl Harbor. Also, lesser known and out of the way sites, like the barracks, airfields and forts of signifigance. Each details any special permissions, limited access, contact information, entry fees and other related information.

More Than A Travel Guide
Author Chuck Thompson has done more than just write a travel guide book, in the traditional sense of the term. Each chapter begins with an informative, concise and well researched historical summary of each of the 25 best sites. Also, a list of suggested reading & references related to that location, that includes history books, veteran memoirs and reading.

For those that dream of exotic Pacific travels, and even those who have already been to some of the 25 best sites, this guide book come highly recommended, and a worthy addion to your history library too, for prespective on the wartime sites today. After completing the book, any reader will be tempted to travel to one, or all 25 of these sites - as soon as possible!

Chuck Thompson has compiled a great book on World War II sites in the Pacific. After living in the Phillippines and visiting several of the sites described in his book, I can definetly state that the descriptions in this book are 100% accurate. This is a must have book for anyone travelling in the Pacific.

I consulted this book on a recent trip to Japan with a focus on visitng Japanese war memorials. My review is concerned with the chapters on Hiroshima, Nagasaki/Kyushu, Tokyo, and Okinawa. I was diaappointed by the incomplete nature of the book and lack of directions on how to get to some of the places described.

First off, the Kyushu/Nagasaki chapter is really only about Nagasaki. The author does briefly mention the Kamikaze Peace Museum at Chiran, which is dedicated to the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) pilots who flew kamikaze missions. There is no mention of the Japanese Naval Museum at Kanoya, where the memorial to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) kamikaze pilots is located. The two memorials are similar, but the IJN memorial has many interesting artifacts, such as a reconstructed Zero, much information of Japanese naval aviation, pieces of the Betty bomber shot down while carrying Admiral Yamamoto, and a large display of and special memorial to the pilots of the Okha rocket bombs.

The Hiroshima chapter covers the usual ground, but misses the memorial at Hiroshima castle located in the south wall of the castle, the former communications bunker, dedicated to the girls from the Hiyajima Girls High School who manned the switchboards on August 6, 1945.

An interesting side trip from Hiroshima that is not mentioned in the book is the island of Okunoshima, where the Poison Gas Warfare Museum is located. This small two-room musuem and the remains of the poison-gas factory on the island, as well as the myriad rabbits that give the island its nickname "Bunny Island" (much better for the tourist trade than "Poison Gas Factory Island"), can seen in a couple of hours. A local train to Tadanoumi station drops one off within a five-minute walk of the ferry. A 12-minute ferry ride takes you to the island, where there is a small resort.

The Okinawa chapter was disappointing in that it seemed to be a long advertisement for the services of a local guide. Contrary to this book and other guide books, it is easy to get around Okinawa by public buses. You can easily visit the Naval Underground HQ, the Peace Memorial Museum, the Himeyuri Monument and Museum, and Shuri Castle. A useful addition to this guide would have been a map to the prefectural monuments at the Peace Museum, as well as at Konpaku No To.

The Maizuru Repartriation Museum is worth a side trip from Kyoto. What the author fails to mention is that the museum is located in East Maizuru, which is Higashi Maizuru, (there is also a West Maizuru), and is about 4 miles from the train station. The public bus that goes by the museum runs about once every 90 minutes, so you may wish to add in a trip to the World Brick Museum, which is a refurbished IJN torpedo warehouse, while waiting for the bus out.

In the rather short Tokyo chapter, the author misses the Tokyo Air Raid Memorial at Yokoami-Cho Park, which is located a block north of the Tokyo-Edo Museum. The Museum as an excellent display on the air raids, showing a typical Japanese home, and neighborhood firefighting equipment, as well as interactive maps and a display of a Japanese balloon bomb.

While not a WWII site, mention should be made of the battleship Mikasa in Yokosuka, about 1 hour 40 minutes from Tokyo station. It's the only pre-dreadnought still around, and the displays on ths ship are excellent in Japanese and English.

The review of the Maritime Museum in Tokyo is dated, as the Kawanishi H8K Emily flying boat is no longer there, but at the Japanese Naval Museum in Kanoya (see above).

All in all, while the book provided some information, it lacks information on local transport and many sites of interest in the locations that it does cover.

The 25 Best World War II Sites: Pacific Theater is a guide for travelers and tourists to exploring World War II historical sites, battle sites, monuments, and museums throughout what was once the Pacific Theater. 500 individual points of interest, enhanced with detailed histories and maps, tips, travel information, suggested hotels, and more fill the pages of this excellent and highly recommended travel guide specifically designed for anyone seeking to visit (or revisit) and learn more about the important events and places of World War II while vacationing or otherwise traveling through the regions comprising the Pacific Theater.