One real-life incident during World War II was the inspiration for the box office success, "Saving Private Ryan".... However, there is enough gripping drama, heroism, and heartbreak in McGee's almost encyclopedic THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS to supply Hollywood with material for a century .... It is difficult to select what to excerpt from his narrative, because his spare but effective style is as precise and economical as a Mickey Spillane novel....His narrative is copiously supplemented with photographs, tables, stats, command lists, and even official critiques of operations and lessons learned. He drew extensively on a variety of sources to tell the whole tale: records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy, Marine, Army and Army Air Corps archives, Japanese records, veterans' accounts, memoirs, and other histories of the campaigns. And, as with a good Spillane novel, his tale bears repeated readings.
-Marine Corps League Magazine, Edward Cline
Author William L. McGee's THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS is intended to accomplish a mighty task: to encompass the entire Solomons campaigns in a single, detailed study. The result is a masterpiece outlining U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations in the South Pacific from Aug. 7, 1942, through Nov. 25, 1943. As McGee points out, there is no other single work of this detail that covers such a large expanse in time and space ... McGee is particularly qualified to document the Solomons campaigns. He knows the fear and frustration of torpedo and aerial attack, the monotony of endless watches and the thrill of victory because he was a young enlisted sailor serving in the waters off Guadalcanal, as well as during other engagements throughout the Pacific campaign ... The reader who desires to see life through the eyes of the men who actually manned the guns, fought the fires and stood mind-numbing "go on, stay on" watches, will come away with an enlightened appreciation of just how good our sailors and Marines are. The indexes and appendices are the book's crown jewels--detailed and easily accessible as a starting point for further research. McGee has done an absolute superb job here, and future authors will benefit from his efforts. Overall, the book is a great read worthy of any Marine's time and efforts.
-Leatherneck, Magazine of the Marines, Capt. Scott E. Ukeiley
THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS is a broad-ranging and informative study, a masterwork of extensive research, brisk prose, and convincing analysis. Besides being a wonderfully comprehensive overview of operations in the Solomons, from Tulagi and Savo Island to Tassafaronga and Rennell Island, McGee's volume provides considerable detail about the American and Japanese sea, ground, and air units involved; planning and logistics; leaders and heroes; equipment and weaponry; the costs and lessons learned.
-WWII History Magazine
The same penchant for authentic detail is evident in McGee's latest companion volume entitled THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS, 1942-1943. Certainly one of the longest of the hard-fought Pacific battles, the six month campaign to secure these islands fills Volume II with enough dynamic action, derring-do, brutal horror and conflict to keep one on the edge of his chair for days on end. Astute use of photos and maps helps clarify many engagements, making these offerings a must read for anyone interested in the perils of amphibious warfare.
- Sea Classics, Rod E. Redman & Myrle Chivers
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ...
■ THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS will become the definitive work on the campaigns.
- John Cummer, President, USS LCI National Association
■ Your book brought tears to my eyes. A "must read" for all sea services veterans and their descendants.
- Charles C. Espy, Lt (jg), USNR, SS Thomas Nelson, Armed Guard C.O.
■ As a Marine who landed on Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942, THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS is the most comprehensive book that I've read on the war in the Solomons. It brought back memories of those very dark days. Semper Fi.
- William J. Carroll, President, Guadalcanal Campaign Veterans
■ To say Bill McGee is a serious naval historian is an understatement. As they say in the Navy, well done!
- W. C. Hilderbrand, Capt, CEC, USN (Ret), CEC/Seabee Historical Foundation
■ THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS is perfectly balanced between riveting history, personal narratives, and pleasing layout, packed with photos, maps, and illustrations. As the son of a Flotilla Five veteran of the Pacific, McGee's books are a fine tribute to all who served in that theater.
- Ron Swanson, Editor, The Flotilla Newsletter, LCT Flotillas of WWII
■ Having experienced a full measure of life at sea during WWII, I find your military histories detailed, vivid, accurate. They capture the essence of that war.
- Anthony P. Tesori, USNR, Gunnery Officer, LST-340
■ I knew McGee's years of exhaustive and intensive research would produce a lasting history of THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS. That he has done. Admirably.
- Charles J. Adams Jr, LST-281
■ One of the best books I've ever read on WWII. I was impressed with the scholarly effort the author put forth. I'm a former Marine and didn't know the kind of detail that occurred in that sector of the campaign, but I sure do now.
- Jim Comiskey, Author, "Academic Innovations"
■ I heard about this book from my cousin, John A. McNeill Sr, skipper of the LCT-159 of the Solomons campaign. I was a sailor on USS LSM-342 which evolved out of the LCT in 1943 and first hit the beaches in the Philippines in 1944. Every 'amphib' needs to have all three volumes of William McGee's series, Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII so the next generation can read and learn what their loved ones went through.
- Royce N. McNeill, USS LSM-LSMR Association
■ Another great book. There is very good coverage of the amphibs' role during the Solomons campaigns.
- Jacob Miller, Fightin' Foxes Reunions
