What are the best books on the pacific theater of wwii. Mar 17, 2002 war japanese soldiers finally tell their story hell in the pacific from vivisection to cannibalism richard james havis published 4. The stories that helped us win world war ii by molly guptill manning hmh last week we received your book on mr. In this balanced and thoughtful chronicle, historian and world war ii expert len deighton dares to explore intriguing questions, including why the british werent more prepared for the. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including.
With tons of ammunition on board for the nevada and on the dock we were attacked buy four jap planes. Untold stories from the marine heroes of world war ii by adam makos and marcus brotherton jan 7, 2014 4. The naked and the dead norman mailer book description. Never before have the separate stories of fighting in china, malaya, burma, the east indies, the phillipines, new guinea, the solomon islands, and the aleutians been so brilliantly woven together to provide a clear account of one of the most massive movements of men and. The ministry for culture and heritage interviewed 14 veterans of the pacific war and collated their stories as a book.
While this attention is both wellearned and welldeveloped, it leaves the story of an enormous effort left largely untold. The fiftiethanniversary edition of an american classic, with a new introduction by the author. A world war ii story of survival, resilience and redemption by. Finish one chapter laughing, the next with tears in your eyes. Izard was the luckiest ship as the japanese battle fleet sailed by and hit taffy 3. A collection of public domain world war ii books, radio broadcasts, vdiscs, films, and other ephemera. New zealanders remember the pacific war, auckland, harpercollins nz, 2006. At peleliu and okinawa chronicled his combat experiences during world war ii and was subsequently used as source material for the ken burns pbs documentary the war 2007, as well as the hbo miniseries the pacific.
The pacific war is a series of alternate history novels written by newt gingrich and william r. Weapons of the imperial japanese army and navy ground forces, leland ness. Kirbys war time experience, from hilarious incidents to heartbreaking events. Read your way through wwii with these true stories of blood, sand, and saltwater. Dale dye, military advisor for band of brothers and the pacific firstperson accounts of war with the same gutlevel realism as the opening scene in saving private ryan. This amazing book is the american forgotten soldier and tells the story of the author in the first marine division as it fought through the pacific.
May 11, 2019 this is a question that has been begged by the decades of europefirst histories of great quality, but extreme focus on the the battles in the west including the germans eastern front. Basic books, 1997 is the story of the massacre that followed japans 1937. If you want a more detailed set of reads i would look at willmotts empires in the balance, the barrier and the javelin, the war with japan, and his battle of leyte gulf. Sledge talks about being pinned down for weeks in one campaign. The best fiction and nonfiction on the war between the allied forces and japan in the pacific theatre. Moreover, the tone of this book is less gungho shoot em up story telling, but more of a tribute to fallen brothers, and the transformation of a young wisecracking kid. Pacific war, major theatre of world war ii that covered a large portion of the pacific ocean, east asia, and southeast asia, with significant engagements occurring as far south as northern australia and as far north as the aleutian islands. I think my names at the bottom of the list to read it. World war ii veterans stories, listed alphabetically by last name experiencing war. Stories from the south pacific, wwii us war dog association.
Guadalcanal, guam, iwo jima subject interview april, 1977 our three kids all grew up around dogs. Winslow stories of the crews and ships of the phillipines fleet immediately after pearl harbour, detailing the many losses and few victories. Selected fulltext books and articles world war ii in the north pacific. Favorite fictional military war story books page 3 china.
Aug 19, 2015 world war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. The mad uniqueness of his story goes some way toward making up for his understandable lack of authorial skills. John costellos the pacific war has now established itself as the standard onevolume account of world war ii in the pacific. As a young man, he served in the united states marine corps with the 1st marine division during world war ii. What is never in dispute, though, is gwen edelmans power as a writer. Reader provided stories world war ii the early years. Those 3 p40 pilots are heroes in my book, trying to take off with the zeros right on them. Praise for voices of the pacific trueand terrifying stories of combat. Unlike their first album this was released under their own sick symphonies label. During his tour ofduty he took part in three amphibious landings and was wounded and decoratedfor valor. Bob welch, author of resolve imagine a last conversation with your father or grandfather who fought in wwii, only this time he. This is the most extensive collection published to date of firstperson oral histories on so many diverse aspects of the war in the pacifictold in gripping, eyewitness accounts by more than seventy veterans from all branches of service.
These stories are able to illustrate the impact of the great war on british society and culture and the many modes in which short fiction contributed to the war s literature. All our physical stores and our online store are temporarily closed. The editors create for the reader, as the veterans themselves recall it, what that war was likehow it looked, felt, smelled, and sounded. Books on the pacific war from pearl harbor to hiroshima. Looks at an impressively wide range of the weapons used by the japanese military during the second world war, covering personal weapons such as machine guns or grenades, the full range of artillery and antiaircraft guns, aircraft detection systems, tanks. Heres your opportunity to let others know your favorite books on the war. Oct 01, 2004 the stories collected here are a unique portrayal of the mundane, exotic, boring, terrifying, lifealtering events that made up their wartime experiences in world war ii in the pacific, a war fought on countless farflung islands over an area that constitutes about onethird of the globe.
At wars end he spent about 30 days in combat stress treatmentbefore being discharged. Stories from the veterans history project of the library of congress, american folklife center. Fortunately, there is no shortage of worthwhile books about the. The interviews are available to researchers at the alexander turnbull librarys oral history centre.
A novel of 8 december 2007 days of infamy 2008 the pantheon series by james lovegrove imagines alternate earths where the gods of ancient myth and legend are real and play an active role in human affairs. Soldiers stories war in the pacific nzhistory, new. Hailed as one of the finest novels to come out of the second world war, the naked and the dead received unprecedented critical acclaim upon its publication and has since enjoyed a long and welldeserved tenure in the american canon. With unprecedented access to the veterans, rare photographs, and unpublished memoirs, voices of the pacific presents true stories of heroism as told by such world war ii veterans as sid phillips, r. In war stories, you will find civil war stories most people have never heard before, told by people who actually lived during those momentous times, stories full of danger, fear, excitement, joy, humor, and heartache. The stories collected here are a unique portrayal of the mundane, exotic, boring, terrifying, lifealtering events that made up their wartime experiences in world war ii in the pacific, a war fought on countless farflung islands over an area that constitutes about onethird of the globe. War in the pacific page 5 soldiers stories they were involved in fighting in the jungle, some spent time in japanese prisoner of war camps, others took part in air raids or manned ships, while others played a vital support role. First days of the war on pyro pyro was at west loch ammunition depot. World war ii in the pacific stories of some who were there on the morning of december 7, 1941, i was eleven years old. Robert leckie december 18, 1920 december 24, 2001 was an american author of books on united states military history, sports, fiction, autobiographies, and childrens books. The rape of nanking by iris chang basic books, 1997 is the story of the massacre that followed japans. Its a challenge that takes innovative thinking, careful strategy, and. The point of divergence is the decision of admiral isoroku yamamoto, commanderinchief of the japanese combined fleet, to take personal command of the 1st air fleet. A world war ii story of survival, resilience and redemption by laura hillenbrand, escape from.
The pacific is a 2010 american war drama miniseries produced by hbo, playtone, and dreamworks that premiered in the united states on march 14, 2010 the series is a companion piece to the 2001 miniseries band of brothers and focuses on the united states marine corpss actions in the pacific theater of operations within the wider pacific war. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover. Childrens books about world war ii 19391945 librarything. It might be weird to admit this but if i recall correctly the book nearly made me cry seriously. A list of the best childrens picture books and stories about world war 2. An excellent account of the second world war in the philippines, from the pre war american colony to the disasters of 194142, the long struggle of the resistance to macarthurs eventual return and the costly battles that followed. This is a question that has been begged by the decades of europefirst histories of great quality, but extreme focus on the the battles in the west including the germans eastern front. We were in the outer channel of pearl harbor when the japanese attacked. For reasons big and small, understandable and unjustified, the war in the pacific during world war ii has largely been overshadowed by the allies war against hitler.
This is the other must read along with war stories for girls that is doing the rounds of my book club at school they mostly girls aged 1011 love it. Asiatic fleet in world war ii bluejacket books by w. How americans cracked the secret japanese jn25 code and changed the course of the war. These are just a few of the entertaining accounts you will find in war stories. This fine book by exmarine 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. World war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. Despite the volumes written about world war ii, many questions remain unanswered. Year after year, publishers of war and military history books must breathe new life into moments fixed in history. While this attention is both wellearned and welldeveloped. Rikugun guide to japanese ground forces 19371945 volume 2. This book may be about war, but it is, like most of these books, mostly about people. The main character of the book was the xoi forget his name. Heres your opportunity to let others know your favorite books on the war that led us from pearl harbor to tokyo bay. I read it in 1972 while deployed aboard uss john f kennedy in the mediterranean.
Aug 19, 2015 a selection of the most viewed stories this week on the monitors website. If you want to read about what it was really like, then this is the book. I will describe a couple of stories hes shared with me, and now my kids, about his experiences during his tour of service during wwii. This cd only contains one song with breal, unlike their first cd where breal was on most of the songs. Untold stories from the marine heroes of world war ii paperback january 7, 2014. War story is a novel that has already caused heated prepublication debate here and abroad, where rights have been sold to leading literary publishers in six countries. Childrens books about world war ii 19391945 description. Image and memory of world war ii in the pacific, the history of the war in the pacific comes vividly to life in the words of those who witnessed it first hand. Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and videos from thousands of public libraries worldwide. Heroism in the pacific is the essential book for every veteran of the war, every student of military history, and every american who is inspired by the courage and sacrifice of the greatest generation in one of its greatest moments. The book i will describe is not a war story but a story about a fictional royal navy carrier entitled hms levithan by john winton.
And though the battle locales that constitute the war in the pacific pearl harbor, midway, guadalcanal, iwo jima are common knowledge, the actual struggles that defined the war remain a mystery. Shop world war ii pacific theater books and collectibles. The pacific war by costello is a similar read akin to spectors book. War stories books, ebook download format epub, mobi, azw3, pdf. Little known stories about ww2, the pacific war, the early years.
My grandfather served in the south pacific during wwii. Journey of heroes graphic novel a history of punchbowl. Browse and buy a vast selection of world war ii pacific theater books and collectibles on. Pacific war diary is the diary of james fahey, an ordinary sailor from waltham, massachusetts, who served aboard the light cruiser montpelier from the time it left the u. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Free ebooks, world war ii, military history, nook books. Paperback reprint edition april united states naval inst isbn. Sam anguss top 10 war books the author of soldier dog and a horse called hero picks her favourite novels and diaries from the two world wars. All that said, this book is a beautiful love story and is also quite funny. Eugene bondurant sledge november 4, 1923 march 3, 2001 was a united states marine, university professor, and author. What was it like to be a soldier in the pacific during world. The series deals with the pacific war between the united states of america and the empire of japan.
Image and memory of world war ii in the pacific, the history of the war in the pacific comes vividly to life in. Sep 17, 2016 these books are interesting, but ultimately contain little or no analysis of the effects of war on the lives of okinawans, who would come to describe the role their island played in the conflict. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. What was it like to be a soldier in the pacific during. A war story book i is the second studio album by american hip hop group psycho realm. A world war ii story of survival, resilience, and redemption by laura hillenbrand, with the old. Crisis in the pacific the battles for the philippine islands by the men who fought them, gerald astor.