Customer Reviews

War in the shadows: Bougainville 1944-45

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This is unequivocably a supurb book. It is written from first-hand experience and is one of the best insights of the actions of everyday Australian soldiers in the Pacific, in the 2nd World War.

Written from the perspective of the soldier, it is funny, tragic and humbling. I was struck by how devastating they were against the Japanese in Bougainville and - at the end - how unexpected their reaction was to the dropping of the atomic bombs and the ceasation of fighting.

It is so valuable to have this perspective written-up, as so much of that history has been written with a Macarther/US perspective. As the 'main game' of island hopping progressed northward to Japan, this is a precious insight into the difficult fighting that continued near to Australia.