War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific [Hardcover]

Oliver L. North (Author), Joe Musser (Editor)

Book Description

Series: War Stories | Publication Date: October 1, 2004

From the awared winning and number one rated Fox News Channel hosted by Oliver North, War Stories highlights the most riveting stories of monumental battles in American history. North brings to life the heroic and sometimes gruesome World War II battles from the Pacific.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Another Marine reporting for duty, sir. I’ve spent my time in Hell."—A World War II Marine to St. Peter at the Pearly Gates When it comes to sheer savagery endured by the American fighting man, few combat theaters could match the Pacific in World War II: the sodden malarial and Japanese-infested jungles of Guadalcanal and Tarawa, the kamikaze pilots for whom death was no deterrent, and the blood-soaked beaches taken by island-hopping Marines. Here, in their own words, as told to decorated combat veteran Lt. Colonel Oliver North, are the compelling, personal stories of American veterans—soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines—about what it was really like to fight in the Pacific.

In War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific, you’ll experience the fierce combat at Bougainville, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa; you’ll fly into flak with the fabled Flying Tigers and the Black Sheep Squadron of Pappy Boyington; and you’ll come face-to-face with the enemy, as North interviews the Japanese veterans who fought so tenaciously against us. In War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific, North reveals:
· The secret plan behind Japan’s belief that it could defeat the United States
· Eyewitness testimony from Pearl Harbor veterans that Japanese Zeros did not fire the first shots: Our defending forces did—with startling results
· The living hell of the Bataan Death March and the daring rescue of the Ghosts of Bataan
· The "impossible" mission of the daring Doolittle Raid
· MacArthur’s dramatic and emotional return to the Philippines
· The Big Battles: the Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, the Marianas, Leyte
· The forgotten China-Burma-India Theater
· How Americans cracked the secret Japanese JN-25 code and changed the course of the war War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific is the essential book for every veteran of the war, every student of military history, and every American who is inspired by the courage and sacrifice of the Greatest Generation in one of its greatest moments.

About the Author

OLIVER L. NORTH is a combat-decorated Marine who served in Vietnam and was counter-terrorism coordinator for the United States from 1983 to 1986. He is a New York Times bestselling author of six books—including War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom. In addition to hosting War Stories on the FOX News Channel, North is a popular speaker, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, and has covered U.S. Marine and Army forces in Afghanistan and Iraq while embedded with combat units.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 471 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing; Har/Vhs edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089526109X
• ISBN-13: 978-0895261090
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,095,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Know the Battles, This is About the People, November 24, 2004

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific (Hardcover)

Just as the title says, this is a series of war stories. To the history buff the broad outline of the war is well known. We know about the midget submarines at Parh Harbor, the Doolittle raid, breaking the Japanese code at Station Hypo which led to our victory and Midway and so on.

What makes this book so good is the stories of the men. How Col. North found the seaman manning the gun on the USS Ward which sank one of the midget subs, the Corporal on one of Doolittle's B-25s, a crewman from the Yorktown which was lost at Midway I can't imagine. But it's these stories, their war stories that really make this book.

In addition to the printed material, there's a DVD included with the book giving more War Stories.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tears in your Eyes - Get this for 20-30 somethings!, December 19, 2004

By 

B Keb "keb" (Hotchkiss,CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific (Hardcover)

I am 63 and listened to the end of the War on Grandma's console Short Wave radio. I studied a lot of history in college and read all the WWII naratives in paperback in the 50's. But you know...amost NONE of the younger generations know anything about just how big and tough the War was on the world, and how much sacrifice the Allies went through to win.

When you learn that enslaved prisioners died under Tojo's troops building the Burma railroad .... at one per 12 feet, or that sometimes 42 of 45 men in a company were killed trying to take island atols the size of a Walmart parking lot, or if you can visualize what it must have been like to watch 5 big naval ships go down in sight of each other, then you grasp just how destructive the war was. This book weaves the big picture of the Pacific theatre strategy with personal experiences of Rangers, Marines and Sailors.

This is easy to read and perfect for folks who don't sit down with heavy books. Print-size worked for my aging eyes.

Just after reading about retaking the Phillipines we stopped on the road at Springville, UT for lunch. In comes an old man with his son, and I couldn't help but ask, " Did your Dad serve?"

"Sure, he says, hey, Dad what ship were you on?"

"The Nevada!"

The Battleship Nevada was attacked at Pearl Harbor!
(More tears.)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent histories, December 1, 2005

By 

Dennis R. Mitton "tolstoy" (Eastern Washington, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific (Hardcover)

Since I'm not much of a fan of cousin Olie it bothers me that I like the book so much. But what can you say? It's an excellent history filled with detail and insight that I think only an ex-combat marine would see. Very readable and interesting. A very decent work that will personalize the battles that more academic historians write about.