The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima [Hardcover]

Daniel Marston (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Companion | Publication Date: June 12, 2005

Published to commemorate the 60th anniversary of V-J Day, 'The Pacific War Companion' brings together the perspectives and insights of world-renowned military historians. From the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor through the release of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the conflict in the Pacific was characterised by amazing tactical innovations in amphibious warfare and horrific battles that raged in the unforgiving climate of the island jungles. Each chapter in this book focuses on a different aspect of this conflict, from the planning of operations to the experiences of the men who were there.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This big, thoroughly satisfactory introduction to the Pacific War, including its diplomatic prelude of deteriorating Japanese-American relations, boasts contributors who are all highly qualified. Some, such as Dennis Showalter, are virtually household names to World War II buffs, while others, less well known, saliently include Tomoyuki Ishizu on the opening amphibious operations and Joseph Alexander on the amphibious counterattack that carried Americans back across the Pacific. H. P. Willmott is particularly trenchant on the subject of Japanese naval strategy after Midway, in which the Japanese lost the rest of their naval opportunities. The accompanying photographs constitute a definite strength, inasmuch as, while not overwhelming the text, they are reproduced at large-enough scale, cover a wide range of subjects--from Japanese tanks on Chinese roads to American tanks on Pacific island hills--and exclude the overly familiar image. The combined efforts of the contributors also include annotation and bibliography well suited to leading Pacific War neophytes to further research. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

‘[A] big, thoroughly satisfying introduction to the Pacific War . . . boasts contributors who are all highly qualified.’ -- Roland Green (Booklist (Journal of the American Library Association))

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (June 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841768820
• ISBN-13: 978-1841768823
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #981,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Provides a number of strategic perspectives, January 14, 2006

By 

J. Groen "Jerry Groen" (GURNEE, ILLINOIS USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima (Hardcover)

This book provides a number of different strategic perspectives on the Pacific War in World War II. It is made up of a number of articles written by leading thinkers in the field of military history. Most are professors at universities. As mentioned in one review, one article has inaccurately identified that the US used Avengers for torpedo bombers at Midway when they used Devastators. However, the rest of the articles are accurate in the basics, and some of the strategic perspectives are interesting. Here are a couple for you. (1) Although the US used a Europe first strategy, the most powerful naval units fought in the Pacific, and the number of army divisions provided to MacArthur were still significant (when the divisions in Europe were below necessary), and the most advanced bomber (B-29) was provided to the Pacific War in mid 1944 when the bomber offensive in Europe would have needed them. Obviously, all along, the US had decided to fight a major two front war, and expected to win in Europe with Russian and British help of course. (2) The Japanese expected the US to back off because they expected the US not to be willing to fight a war with significant casualties. Consequently, Japan was not prepared for a long war and essentially fought the war with the same resources at the beginning as at the end: the same fighter planes, the same carriers, the same infantry weapons, etc., while the US technology increased. So, by the end of the war, Japan was outclassed. These are just some of the interesting perspectives of the book. I especially liked the chapter on Central Pacific campaign and the debate that went on between Nimitz and MacArthur to conduct that. However, I didn't give the book 4 stars because some of the articles are weak including the one on Midway that wrongly highlights the use of the Avenger. In spite of this, I do recommend this book especially for anyone interested in WWII.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent analysis, September 29, 2005

By 

LagunaDave (Laguna Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima (Hardcover)

As one who doesn't read such book for the pictures, but for the ideas and analysis, I found this book outstanding. Each topical chapter was fascinating. While it isn't a narrative history of the war, it helps put the key elements in focus; a highly readable, academic quality dissection of the strategy and tactics.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best, December 5, 2011

By 

BWC - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pacific War: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima (Companion) (Paperback)

The best synopsis of the Pacific War I've ever read. Who would've thought that a bunch of history professors could be clear in concept and still be entertaining? This is my Christmas present to others.