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The Pacific War: The Strategy, Politics, and Players that Won the War Paperback – November 4, 2010

by William B. Hopkins (Author)

23 customer reviews

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This book provides a fresh take on World War II in the Pacific that goes beyond the simple recounting of battles won and lost to synthesize the strategies, politics, and key players that shaped the conduct of the war. The author takes a regional approach to this multifaceted, often nonlinear war conducted on land, sea (and significantly by America undersea), and in the air across the immense reaches of the Pacific to effectively develop the major themes and causes of the battles.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Leatherneck, March 2009

“The Pacific War is an especially important book. It aims to present a readable and authoritative history of lasting value on both famous and little-known episodes that occurred in that theater. Holding firmly to documented fact, the hardcover offers a freshness that will be appreciated by historians and thos of us who simply enjoy well-presented historical facts.”

The Roanake Times, February 08, 2009

“The Pacific War will stand as an important comprehensive study of the structure and the philosophy that brought victory over Japan. The information is important to our understanding of the Pacific aspect of World War II, but the prose is what will make you want to read this book in one sitting.”

The NYMAS Review

“As indicated in its sub-title, this work provides a comprehensive look at the Pacific War from the highest levels, policy, grand strategy, economics, and particularly the personalities, political and military who directed the war. A trio of chapters setting the deep background are followed by a series of chapters that unfold chronologically, and cover specific campaigns or aspects of the war, including strategic direction, economic mobilization, the submarine and air offensives, and the surrender of Japan. Operational developments are treated only in the broadest outline, and tactical and technical matters hardly at all, which is appropriate given the purpose of the book. The book successfully synthesizes a good deal of recent scholarship on the war, and is likely to be of use to anyone with an interest in the Pacific Theater.”

Bob Walch, MyShelf.com

“It has been over sixty years since the end of World War II. With the advantage of hindsight, William Hopkins returns to the Pacific Theatre to discuss the strategy, politics, and players that shaped the conflict and ultimately defeated the Japanese...

“It is a complex topic and one that has been written about by many other historians. Hopkins provides a new perspective that looks beyond individual battles and diverse military personalities to give the reader a broader understanding of the Pacific campaign and why it succeeded. A collection of over sixty black and white photos and diagrams are included in this volume that anyone interested in military history will want to read.”

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

In this book, a veteran and respected military author opens the history of WWII in the Pacific to a broader and deeper view. Going beyond the usual accounting, William B. Hopkins investigates the strategies, politics, and personalities that shaped the conduct of the war. His regional approach to this complex war conducted on land, sea (and significantly by America, undersea), and air explores not just the whats and hows but, more significantly, the critical and often ill-considered whys of this multifaceted conflict.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Zenith Press; First edition (November 4, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0760339759
ISBN-13: 978-0760339756
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 23 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,148,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4072 in Books > History > Military > Strategy
- #19083 in Books > History > Military > World War II

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars

5 star		35%
4 star		44%
3 star		13%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

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OK WITH OMISSIONS

ByEric Rachuton November 28, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

MacArthur certainly was fixated on the Philippines and denigratory of the US Navy and its central Pacific drive, as shown by the evidence in this book. (You might also be interested in "Odd Man Out," by R Thornton, diplomatic history of the Korean War, which shows that the retreat to Pusan and the Inchon landing were in the plans in 1949, a year before the outbreak of hostilities. Inchon was not MacArthur's invention). It was interesting to read how MacArthur's vaunted charm turned Halsey around when they met. Also of great interest was the description of the vast US naval supply and repair facility at Ulithi in the Carolines, in late 1944/early 1945, which unquestionably was a key element in victory and which was kept secret at the time. There are some redundancies and inconsistencies which could have used an editor.

OMISSIONS:

1). Mush Morton was recognized by his XO, Dick O'Kane, to have a pathologic hatred of the Japanese. His crew knew this too and anticipated the loss of the Wahoo by the reckless actions of its captain. The Japanese "troopship" sunk and its survivors machinegunned (movie footage from the Wahoo taken of this) were actually Indian prisoners of war - a war crime made worse and one reason Morton never received the Medal of Honor. The Japanese today have also not forgotten how the Wahoo sank a liner in the Sea of Japan in 1943, with the loss of more than 500 lives - many of them refugee children. "The Pacific War" does not give the truth on these things. Read De Rose's "Unrestricted Warfare" for details.

2). The phrase "the world wonders," part of Nimitz's inquiry to Halsey about where Task Force 34 had gone during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, was just a filler intended to foil enemy crypto. It was inadvertently kept in the message and infuriated Halsey. "The Pacific War" does not tell us the real basis of the phrase (many other books do).

3). No mention of Ralph Christie, head of US Pacific subs at Pearl Harbor before Lockwood. Christie was involved with the development of the faulty Mark XIV torpedo and Mark VI exploder and refused to acknowledge the problem after the war began. These lousy torpedoes plagued US subs for two years, until Christie had been transferred.

0Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

I enjoyed this book

ByLJPon June 10, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I enjoyed this book. I have some problems with it. The title and Amazon description claim a broader treatment of the war but the book, sometimes confusedly, intermixes small unit actions with large scale strategic and political discussions. I bought the book for the latter as I have a large library of the war at the tactical level. Once again, I have some problem with the notion that the Marine Corps won the pacific War alone with a bit of help from the Navy. No one can possibly detract from the Corp's performance but it was a contribution in hand with all of the other services.

The author does make an effort to correct the nearly universally held view of McArthurs' performance. That effort is a rare stab at the hagiography created by his worshippers (including most worshipfully, himself). An accurate and balanced biography of MacArthur is yet to be written. It will be a massive departure from the likes of William Manchester.

All in all worthy of four stars. Given the author's clear capabilities it could have been much better.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Finally, a book that discusses the pathetic Gen. MacArthur

Byoscaron June 2, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This long overdue account of the truth about just what a pathetic general MacArthur really was. He did not get that " Dugout Doug " monicker from the men who served under him for little or no reason. He was an incompetent self serving coward throughout the entire war.
His inexcusable initial response 10 hours AFTER the attack on Peal Harbor should have put an end to his command as it did Admiral Kimmel`s. Kimmel was in command of all forces in Hawaii at the time of the jap attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
Mac managed to lose his entire air forces on the ground 10 hours AFTER the attack on Pearl Harbor. He also managed to lose the vast majority of all the supplies that would be needed to fight the Japs in the Phillipines. Mac was paid $ 500,000 by president elect Quezon to arrange for his departure by way of a submarine. In a word " extortion ". This extortion money paid to Mac is well documented and was never denied by Mac. Among other things it was one of many CRIMES committed by Mac.
This General was guilty of many crimes. He consistently filed totally made up stories about the great victories he was achieving against the japs. These reports were taken seriously by the high command including the president of the USA.
I have only read about one third of this book. I will update my review as I progress through the book. There is a LOT of previously unreported events this book delves into.
My one critisism so far of this account is it`s NO MENTION of the Russian defeat of the japs in 1939 just prior to the Nazi invasion of Poland. This battle put an end to any thought by the japs of attacking Russia from the east and was the first of the many victories attributed to Russian general Zhukov during WWII.
This massive tank and infantry battle did just what I said: It forced the japs to look for easier targets and was a crucial event that helped decide WHO the japs would attack next, the USA at Pearl Harbor and ALL the rest of their attacks against the USA, UK, Dutch and others.
You can read about the BATTLE of Khalkhin-Gol here or do your own search regarding this decisive battle, few historians ever mention: [...]

Also as Hopkins stresses throughout his book: This war was a NAVAL war that included the crucial land battles. It was the US Navy along with it`s Marine Corps that did the lion`s share of the fighting. Yes the US army and other ground forces played a crucial role in all this. But in many important ways it WAS a naval war between the US Navy and the jap navy. And I was a Marine and active participant of the Vietnam war. I was not even born until years after WWII had ended for whatever that is worth. I am sure, NOT MUCH.

This book also makes known the FACT that the US Navy`s submarine fleet accounted for fully 55% of all jap ships sunk or destroyed during WWII.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that NO US Marine Corp general was invited to take part in the Jap surrender ceremony aboard the battleship USS Missouri. Seems more than a little strange to me. But then Gen. Eisenhower and others successfully degraded the USMC to Naval police duty prior to the Korean War. The Korean war changed all such thinking. Oh, gee whiz, those Marines do come in handy when we are really up against it. And on and on. ...Oscar

44 commentsWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most recent customer reviews

Five Stars

An excellent and comprehensive view of the war with an emphasis on the Japanese perspective.

Published 1 year ago by Ralph Dickman

These falsities makes only secondary sources like Hopkins useful to historians

The Pacific War by William B. Hopkins is a fascinating blend of politics and combat that offers insight into the American chain of command from the top down focusing on the...Read more

Published 1 year ago by Seth Herchenbach

A Good Overall View of the Pacific Theater

A bit convoluted time-wise (by design apparently) but contains a lot of information about the Pacific side of WWII.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Ricardo

Well told

Very informative for me. Where was this secret base?
I never heard of but it's for real.

Published on August 17, 2015 by Willie the Shoe

Four Stars

Good book

Published on February 20, 2015 by Cole Rollins

Five Stars

Recipient enjoyed.

Published on November 7, 2014 by Pearl

Compelling

The book does an excellent job of providing insight into the function of plans and tactics and how they worked during the path across the Pacific.

Published on October 23, 2014 by Eric J. Myers

A good overview of the war against Japan

The Pacific War is a good book that covers a huge subject about as well as can be done in one volume.Read more

Published on May 22, 2014 by readsalot

Well- written!

I got this book for my husband, because of his interest in WWII. He loved it, and highly recommends it!

Published on March 13, 2014 by Linda L. Troutman

This ties what together?

The author, William B. Hopkins, does a good job of informing the reader key hightlights about the historical backstory to America's entry into WW2 after Japan's bombing of Pearl...Read more

Published on August 2, 2013 by kayjay

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