Customer Reviews

War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.)

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.

For someone who has forgotten many of the details of the pacific war with Japan, this was an excellent refresher on the battles, the key events, and the struggles that took place in a part of the war that is often overshadowed by the European theater. More than that, it is a snapshot of the feeling, emotions, sights and smells of the battlefield, of heroism, and of fear.

I quite enjoyed North's easy writing style, and his ability to cut to the quick of a battle or an event. This is not a book which spends time discussing the politics, ideologies, or controversies that surround the war, but sticks to the knitting.

I particularly enjoyed reading about some of the events that I was previously completely unaware of such as the account of the mini-subs that helped (?) in the attack of Pearl Harbor.

If you are looking for critical analysis of the war, this is not the book for you. It is, unapologetically, a general overview of what happened, what was important, and how it affected the ultimate conclusion.

This fine book by ex-Marine Oliver North covers the entire war in the Pacific from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 to the Japanese surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri on September 2, 1945. Each major campaign of the Pacific war is covered. Battles such as the Coral Sea, where the Japanese were turned back for the first time, Midway, where the Japanese lost four aircraft carriers in a matter of minutes, Guadalcanal, where a six-month struggle ensued, and concluding with the bloody battles of Iwo Jima, where twenty seven medals of honor were awarded, and Okinawa, where the Japanese kamikazes wreaked havoc with the American fleet.

Each battle is described through the oral histories of the men who actually fought there. These testimonies shed light on what it was really like to fight against the fanatical Japanese, who were known to fight to the last man, never surrender, and beat and starve American POWs. Although North's narrative is good, the oral testimonies are the best part of this book.

An excellent DVD is also included. It describes the battle of Midway and the invasion of the Marianas. Actual footage along with expert narration by North make this bonus DVD a pleasure to watch.

Along with covering all of the major battles of the Pacific war, North also includes some lesser-known items as well. These include interesting chapters about the Flying Tigers, a group of volunteer American fighter pilots who fought the Japanese in China, the Black Sheep, a group of Marine fighter pilots led by Gregory "Pappy" Boyington who became the terrors of the South Pacific, and the attack on the POW camp at Cabanatuan which freed over 500 American POWs.

Overall, I thought this was a very good book. North does a good job of blending the narrative and the oral histories together, and the photographs and maps are extremely detailed. However, there were some mistakes, such as the Japanese battleship Yamato being referred to as the Yamamoto, and the false claim that the American carrier Saratoga was sunk off of Iwo Jima. The Saratoga actually survived the war. I recommend this book to people who are looking for a general overview of the Pacific war. The information provides a good foundation for each battle of the Pacific campaign, but does not go into great detail. The DVD makes the book that much better. Pick up this book and learn a little about each phase of the war in the Pacific.

War Stories II is a must have for history buffs or novices alike. First hand accounts along with maps and excellent research lead you through the war in the Pacific step by step. The war in the Pacific was especially bloody and costly simply because we were fighting an enemy that preferred death to defeat. The Geneva Conventions Accord meant nothing to the Japanese. You will feel just about every emotion available to you. My feelings were anger, disgust and shock. War is a terrible thing but the war in the Pacific was brutal and inhumane. You will not have a dull moment in this great book, from cover to cover. This should be required reading for all High School students.

A wonderful book with a DVD containing interviews of some of the greatest generation who fought for our future. Dopes like Joseph from San Diego, who put down Lt. Colonel North, would'nt know a heroe if he had to spit on one. Physical cowards like Joseph show the weakness of the younger generation. I was in the Marines and know how honorable people like my WWII Colonel grandfather and his kind are. You liberals live your spoiled lives because of people like him, the ones in this book, and Lt. Colonel North. Hey Joseph, cover your ears because this will hurt: "GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

This book is a great package. If you buy the hard cover, it comes with a DVD that has about an hour's worth of content on it.

As for the book itself, it's well written, engaging, detailed, and contains many first-hand testimonies. Another thing I'm very happy about is the many diagrams and pictures scattered throughout. They all contributed to my understanding of the material.

I don't have much more to say, this is a great read. I plan on buying North's other books, especially the one covering the Iraq War.

Overall: Great book!

If you're looking for a book with a decent telling of the war in the Pacific during World War II, this one should work for you. There are several first-hand accounts of combat and such, which are woven into a narrative history of the war. Some chapters have more personal accounts than others, and some of the accounts don't add very much in my opinion.

My problem with this book is what appears to be very poor proof-reading on the part of the either the publisher or the author(s). For instance, on two maps the islands of Sumatra and Java are incorrectly identified. Several ships are identified incorrectly, and one, the USS Saratoga, is mistakenly identified as being sunk (it survived the war and was sunk during the atomic bomb tests in 1946). Maybe I'm just nit-picking, but these kinds of errors really annoy me and detract from the reading experience.

What would Oliver North be able to tell us about honor? Isn't this the same Oliver North who stumbled into the spotlight as a Reagan-administration fall guy, and prime suspect in the Iran-Contra scandal of the mid-1980s? I'm sure that one story of WWII valor that goes unrecalled in Ollie's book is that of Congressional Medal of Honor winner Senator Daniel Inoue of Hawaii. After all, Senator Inoue (who lost an arm during fighting in Italy while serving with the legendary Japanese-American 442 Regiment) presided over the Senate committee which investigated the Iran-Contra scandal, and when, during cross-examination, North questioned Inoue's patriotism, he was soundly chastised by other committee members present who had to point out to North the enormity of Inoue's sacrifice and the depth of his honor. North's reply was incredulity; after all, he had just displayed and unforgivable ingnorance of WWII history, and had embarrassed himself and his uniform in the process. I'll give this book - and it's author - a pass.