Over the following 18 years, gordon massively expanded the site to include a wide range of naval history research. The book covers every major naval engagement in the pacific and european theaters by year to include japanese commerce raiders in the indian ocean, the dunkirk withdrawal, britishsoviet supply routes, the sinking of the bismarck, guadalcanal, etc. The naval battles for guadalcanal 1942 osprey publishing. The pacific war saw the allies pitted against japan, the latter aided by thailand and to a lesser extent by the axis allies, germany and italy. The pacific war, sometimes called the asiapacific war, was the theater of world war ii that. Clash for supremacy in the pacific campaign book 255. Drawing on new primary sources and personal accounts of americans and japanese alike, here is a thrilling narrative of the climactic end stage of the pacific war, focusing on the us invasion of the mariana islands in june 1944 and the momentous events that it triggered.
Battle of tarawa in wwii the toughest battle in marine. Throughout the book, the reader learns about all phases of the guadalcanal campaign, including the battles of alligator creek and bloody ridge. After the 7 december 1941 japanese attack on pearl harbor and the united states entry into the war, the use of civilian labor in war zones became impractical. This article features a comprehensive history of ww2 navies, including the types of axis and allied ships that appeared in battle, the major naval battles in the. This 1925 novel inspired japans attack on pearl harbor the. Geoffrey martin bennett after discussing the traumatic effects of the washington and london naval treaties on the fleets of the principal maritime powers between the wars, and their astonishing growth and technical progress. Possibly uss gambier bay cve73 receives attack by the japanese surface units. Heres your opportunity to let others know your favorite books on the war that led us from pearl harbor to tokyo bay.
What is the best book about the pacific naval battles in wwii. The book picks up the story of world war iis pacific theater where volume one. This book is one of them, and additionally is an outstanding autobiography about destroyer service during wwii. Explore history books about the battle of okinawa, considered the last great battle. Gordon started the site in 1998, initially with books he had written on the royal and dominion navies of world war 2. Account of the pacific wars greatest battle by art shaw with robert l. As the most significant new book on the battle of midway since jonathan parshall and anthony tullys shattered sword potomac books, 2005, joe rocheforts war will be remembered as 2011s most important contribution to pacific war scholarship. This new time of naval combat had some notable battles in the pacific theater.
Refighting the pacific war an alternative history of. Clash for supremacy in the pacific campaign book 255 kindle edition by stille, mark, gerrard, howard. This book covers most if not all aspects of naval conflict in both parts of ww2 vs germany and italy, and vs japan, included are traditional actions such as river plate and midway, campaigns such as the convoy war from 1939 on, inc some individual convoy battles, and the usmc pacific islands assaults, and some more obscure matters like op. The need for a militarized naval construction force to build advance bases in the war zone was self. If a battles name isnt known its just referred to as action of date.
The pacific war was one where the aircraft carrier proved to be essential. Naval power and naval air power played a crucial role in the war in the pacific in ways not seen before or since in modern warfare. Fighting consisted of some of the largest naval battles in history, and incredibly fierce battles and war crimes across asia and the. Book description html bill brady has already demonstrated, in his previously published works, that he is able to relate important war history in a manner which keeps the student of history avidly reading ever on wards and devouring the knowledge which has been imparted by this master historian. Refighting the pacific war an alternative history of world war ii sign in to follow this. One of the first books to present the japanese side of the war in the pacific. Pearl harbor, guadalcanal, midway the great naval battles as.
This bestselling work of nonfiction uses detailed interviews, letters, and diary entries to recount the story of. One of americas preeminent military historians, james d. It was the first major offensive by allied forces against the empire of. The guadalcanal campaign, also known as the battle of guadalcanal and codenamed operation watchtower by american forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 august 1942 and 9 february 1943 on and around the island of guadalcanal in the pacific theater of world war ii. This book is a great resource for anyone interested in ww ii naval battles.
The nine battles presented in this highly illustrated and authorative work edited by the noted naval historian, antony preston, are those which were noteworthy in both their scope and significance throughout the three and a half year os war against imperial japan. The official army campaign histories are the principal references for chapters covering army operations, while samuel eliot morisons volumes do the same for naval actions. Crisis in the pacific the battles for the philippine islands by the men who fought them, gerald astor. This list of naval battles is a chronological list delineating important naval fleet battles. Historical works in this category span the age of sail to the many naval battles of world war ii and beyond. World war ii history books about the battle of okinawa hachette. Miscellaneous actions after the battle of the java sea. Jordan, wall street journal a lucid and learned exposition of the grand chess match between high commanders in the middle years of the pacific war, vividly evoking the grit and gristle of its many horrors and triumphs. This was a remarkable turnaround for a navy that only began to modernize in 1868, although defeats inflicted on the russians and chinese in successive wars. Of all the battles fought in the pacific in world war ii, nine stand out as the most important. In 1925, bywater published the great pacific war expanding on his ideas about a future clash between japanese and u. This 1925 novel inspired japans attack on pearl harbor. At the battle of the java sea in late february and early march, the imperial japanese. This article on war in the pacific is an excerpt from barrett tillmans book on wave and wing.
A beautiful blend of history and prose and proves again mr. Hornfischer has written his most expansive and ambitious book to date. The battle of savo island on the night of 9 august 1942, saw the japanese inflict a sever defeat on the allied force, driving them away from. While the main concentration is on the major naval actions, the book also delves into key island battles, like tarawa, saipan, iwo jima, and okinawa, as well as pre war and post war. The book has over 70% of its pages devoted to the 1st battle of guadalcanal.
While the troops of the us marine corps and later the us army battled the japanese occupiers on the densely jungled island of. The pacific naval war 19411945 is an account of the war between the allies. Enterprise and the first year of the war paperback by. The battle which involved over 270 warships 64 japanese, 216 american and 2 australian was fought off the philippine islands of. 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. Most of them were night surface battles, where the weapons and tactics of the. List of 10 greatest battles of the pacific war history lists. But as us attacks on japanese naval forces and merchant ships escalated from isolated raids to fullscale battles, the learning curve proved costly and deadly. What is the best book about the pacific naval battles in. While the main concentration is on the major naval actions, the book also delves into key island battles, like tarawa, saipan, iwo jima, and okinawa, as well as prewar and postwar. Admiral yamamoto was forced to deliver a groveling personal apology to the emperor. Pearl harbor, guadalcanal, midway the great naval battles of the pacific seen through japanese eyes. Navy is gaining confidence in its ability to disrupt japanese operations in the pacific and american pilots experience and skills are increasing. An excellent account of the second world war in the philippines, from the prewar american colony to the disasters of 194142, the long struggle of the resistance to macarthurs eventual return and the costly battles that followed.
The first allied naval successes against japan were scored in the battles of the coral sea and midway, where u. This section lists the naval battles between the united states and japan in chronological order during world war ii. The player takes the role of a us marine tasked with taking peleliu airfield, repelling counterattacks, destroying machinegun and mortar positions and eventually securing japanese artillery emplacements at the point. Pacific naval surface battles naval history and heritage navy. Orders of battle battles of the pacific world war ii. World war ii pacific theater naval books goodreads. Under international law civilians were not permitted to resist enemy military attack. The battle of leyte gulf, sometimes also referred to as the second battle of the philippine sea was the largest naval battle in world war ii and according to some historians, the largest naval battle in history.
The battle of peleliu is featured in many world war ii themed video games, including call of duty. The imperial japanese navy in the pacific war general military stille, mark on. Fortyeight warships go down off guadalcanal, 24 on each side. I found the naval wars around guadalcanal to be one of the most fascinating and intriguing periods of the war in the pacific, especially against the vaunted. The war in the pacific, 19411945 chapter 15 the cambridge. Hey everyone, i was wondering if anyone knew of any book out there that looked at the pacific war in its entirety from a naval standpoint. Navy suffered over three times the casualties as the marines in heavy naval combat around the island as both the american and japanese navies each lost 24 ships. Blunting the japanese onslaught throughout the winter and spring of 1942 the war news reaching the united states from the pacific was grim.
How computational poweror its absenceshaped world war naval battles situational awareness before gps and computers was a serious challenge. The allied beachheads on guadalcanal are far from secure, but the u. It follows eight more chapters proceeding chronologically from february 1944 through june 1945. Travel with our historians to the islands where the battles raged during the war in the pacific, where uncommon valor was a common virtue. Chapter one summarizes the pacific war through 1943. The pacific strategy, 19411944 the national wwii museum. The naval and air battles described in the book definitely benefit from recent works by naval historians like james d. The outbreak of war in the pacific between japan, the united states and the british. I think that guadelcanal was the true turning point. Solomon islands naval battles the solomon islands were the scene of the pacific wars lengthiest and most bitterly fought naval campaign. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Thomas has written a fine and apparently controversial book focusing on the pacific naval war and four personalities admiral bull halsey and commander ernest evans for the us and admirals matome ugaki and takeo kurita for japan.
As part of operation iceberg, the navys fifth fleet and more than 180,000 u. Japanese naval policy had also long considered a strength equivalent to 70 percent of the total strength of the. 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. He made some good points but however i still think that midway was not the real turning point of the pacific war. Decisive battles of the pacific war book, 1979 worldcat. The four are quite different from one another but do explain some of the problems of the pacific war.
The battle of savo island on the night of 9 august 1942, saw the japanese inflict a sever defeat on the allied force, driving them away from guadalcanal and leaving the justlanded marines in a perilously exposed position. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the naval battles for guadalcanal 1942. How was the usa able to win naval battles in the pacific. Our experts in wwii history will discuss the american and japanese strategies and how these strategies actually played out on the pacific islands of hawaii, saipan, tinian, guam and iwo jima. On the sea, the americans and japanese slugged it out at savo island, as well as the great naval battles of november, 1942. Refighting the pacific war focuses largely on naval battles and campaigns, including pearl harbor, coral sea, midway, guadalcanal, philippine sea and leyte gulf. These are a few of the more notable aircraft carrier naval battles of the pacific war. How computational poweror its absenceshaped world war. The imperial japanese navy in the pacific war general military. The pacific naval war 19411945 kindle pen and sword books. The battle for guadalcanal that lasted from august 1942 to february 1943 was the first major american counteroffensive against the japanese in the pacific. For a look at military and naval innovation between the wars, see military innovation in the interwar period, edited by williamson murray and allen millett.