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The Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War Paperback – November, 1989

by Samuel Eliot Morison (Author)

33 customer reviews

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Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison's "The Two-Ocean War" is a classic work, a grand and wholly engaging distillation of Morison's definitive fifteen-volume history of U.S. naval operations in World War II. Morison was a distinguished historian, a former Trumbull Professor of American History at Harvard University. But he also wrote as a participant in many of the events described in this volume: he served on eleven different ships during the war, emerging as a captain with seven battle stars on his service ribbons, having gone to sea specifically to be able to write in contact with the events covered. Fully illustrated with 35 photographs and 54 charts and maps of key engagements, this is a blazing record of the action from Pearl Harbor to the long war of attrition between submarines and convoys in the Atlantic, through Midway and Guadalcanal, to the invasion of continental Europe, to Okinawa, Leyte, and the final grudging surrender of the Japanese. Morison's narrative is rich enough to reveal all levels of each wartime encounter, dramatizing the strategic arguments that went on between Churchill and King, between MacArthur and Nimitz, as well as highlighting the glory of individual feats of arms. "The Two-Ocean War" is a truly outstanding contribution to military history.

The Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War

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Product details

Series: Two Ocean War (Book 1)
Paperback: 611 pages
Publisher: Little Brown and Company; Reprint edition (November 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316583529
ISBN-13: 978-0316583527
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
Average Customer Review: 33 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1590 in Books > History > Military > Naval
- #6485 in Books > History > Military > World War II
- #25212 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Engineering

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The Best One Volume History of the USN in WWII out there

ByBill Pilonon November 16, 2010

Verified Purchase

Two Ocean War by Samuel Eliot Morison is a one volume abridgement of Morison's 15 volume History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. What makes Two Ocean War a particularly interesting book is Morison's contemporaneous access to the major players in the US Navy during the war. At the beginning of WWII, Morison, a Harvard history professor and friend of FDR, proposed writing and official history of the war from the inside. FDR and SecNav Frank Knox agreed, commissioned Morison a LTCDR USNR and turned him loose.

Morison apparently went wherever he wanted during the war to "get the story". During the war be sailed on convoy duty in the Atlantic twice, watched the TORCH landings from USS Brooklyn, made a cruise with "Ching" Lee's fast battleships, patrolled "the Slot" with PT boats, and was present at the battle of Kolombangara (USS Honolulu), the invasions of the Gilberts (USS Baltimore) and the Marianas (USS Honolulu) before wrapping things up in 1945 aboard USS Tennessee as it pounded Okinawa before and during the invasion.

As a result of his unprecedented access, Morison's writing displays a great familiarity with the personalities of the Admirals involved I the operations. At times one almost gets the impression that Morison is writing about the doings of his friends to be read by other friends. He has a very lively writing style, which strikes a good blend of narrative and exposition. He not only tells the reader what happened, but when appropriate, why it happened. I wonder if the 15 volume history (of which this is supposed to be an abridgement) features the same writing style.

There are only a few small criticisms of the book. First, it is, as one might expect from a history of US Naval Operations in WWII very Pacific-centric. Although operations in the Atlantic and Med are covered, they have nothing like the detail of those in the Pacific. This includes the Battle of the Atlantic, which is given a cursory examination and account. However since it was largely a British battle I suppose this makes some sense.

The second criticism is kind of the "flip side" of Morison's access and apparent acquaintance with the Admirals involved. There is very little serious criticism of American forces involved. Even Halsey gets no more than a nominal "tutt-tutt" finger shake for haring off after Ozawa's empty carriers and leaving Ziggy Sprague's behind flapping in the breeze at Samar Island.

Which those provisos, this is still the best one volume account of the American Navy in WWII, especially in the Pacific, that I've ever seen or heard about. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants to understand the USNs experience in WWII.

44 comments 15 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A must read for anyone wanting to understand the WWII ...

ByWoody 2on September 1, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A must read for anyone wanting to understand the WWII war at sea. Condenses highlights from Morrison's 15 volume "History Naval Operations in WWII. This later provided the material for the critically acclaimed NBC series "Victory at Sea"

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Five Stars

ByCindy L. Frommon August 12, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Bought this for my dad who is a ww11 vet. He is actively reading and enjoying this book

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Gift

ByHRon August 28, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This was a gift to my brother, and he is really enjoying it.

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documentary with tons of information

ByDLon November 8, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I'd just completed intensive research regarding the War in Bataan and Luzon and was directed toward Morison's fine book. It added some information that seemed unattainable elsewhere and caused me to reassess several conclusions I had come to. If you're looking for great writing in the fiction genre, this is not the book, though the author has a few surprisingly good passages that a good historical fiction writer might pay attention to, but for the most part, "Two Oceans" is a facinating factual account of some of the most grueling and exciting days of the war in the Pacific. Written by a Navy man -it has a touch of glory and shame for the seagoing and little detail of any land battles. For World War II buffs, a must have.

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Good book of U.S. Navy history in WW-II. Well written!.

ByT0m Q.on July 31, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I participate in some of the Pacific Ocean events well covered by the author Morison. It was a trip back in time and I enjoyed it as a senior of 900 years old but it wasn't exactly fun at the time.

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None better to understand both oceans simeltaneous wars

ByJoe D. Whiteon May 8, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I have read this book twice, 25 years apart. I consider it maybe the best information of the ocean wars because of the many charts and maps following the narrative. The last of the book gave credit to the admirals and other officers that did outstanding planning and execution efforts. j