World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-Military Study Review

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(More customer reviews)World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-Military Study is a detailed survey of the Pacific islands which served as battlegrounds during the war. The author, Gordon L. Rottman, a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant and Vietnam veteran, served with elite units, such as the Airborne, Rangers, and Special Forces. Rottman is also the author of more than two dozen other books, including most recently: U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939-1945 (Greenwood Press, 2001) and Korean War Order of Battle: United States, United Nations, and Communist Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, 1950-1953 (Praeger Press, 2002).
The 477 pages of the World War II Pacific Island Guide are divided into three parts. In Part I, "Geo-Military Aspects of the Pacific Theater", Rottman briefly discusses the Pacific Ocean, physical categories of islands, health hazards, island populations and political dynamics, distances and dimensions, times and dates, military organization, and military ranks. In Part II, he provides a chronology of World War II in the Pacific. In Part III, which occupies the vast majority of the book, Rottman discusses (in detail) the islands themselves and the battles fought on or near them. This last portion of the book is itself divided into six sections - Central and Southern Pacific U.S. Possessions, South Pacific Area, Southwest Pacific Area, Central Pacific Area, Western Pacific, and North Pacific Area.
I can think of absolutely nothing that has been omitted from the World War II Pacific Island Guide and the only criticism that I can make regarding this superb volume is its prohibitive cost. I certainly do not blame the author and I realize that this is a specialty book, but $104.95 is an utterly ridiculous price. Unfortunately, the price will probably prevent many people from purchasing this volume, which is regrettable, because I believe that it should be on the shelf of anyone seriously interested in the Pacific Theater during World War II. I highly recommend this book and I am convinced that it will be a generation or two (if ever) before it is supplanted.

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Covering all Pacific islands involved in World War II military operations, this book is a detailed, single source of information on virtually every geo-military aspect of the Pacific Theater. Arranged regionally and, to the extent possible, chronologically according to when islands entered the war, entries provide complete background information. Along with island names, nicknames, Allied code names, location, and wartime time zones, the entries include such topics as the island's physical characteristics, weather, health hazards, historical background, native population, natural resources, and military value. Japanese and Allied strategies and operations, military problems caused by terrain, military installations, Japanese units and key commanders, Allied units and key commanders, and brief battle descriptions are also covered along with the island's postwar status. A valuable resource for researchers, historians, military history enthusiasts, and war gamers, the book provides complete background information on the geo-military aspects of the Pacific Ocean region, its islands, and the roles they played in the war. 108 maps provide specific information. Until now, geo-military information could only be found by searching four to ten publications on each island.

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San Diego Then and Now Review

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(More customer reviews)It's facinating to see the way the city has changed, the author has some good history and trivia throughout the pages as well.
If you are from San Diego or have ever lived here, this makes a great coffee table book.

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Celebrating beloved cities from around the world, this book from the Then and Now series offers a unique combination of historic interest and contemporary beauty. Then and Now San Diego features over 100 fascinating archival photographs contrasted with specially commissioned, full-color images of the same scene today. Each work is a visual lesson in the historic changes of this great urban landscape.

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The Fleet the Gods Forgot Review

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(More customer reviews)This was truly an outstanding book. It's filled with short stories about the few victories and many defeats suffered during the first few months of the war. It tells of how a few heroic men made their stand alone against a vastly superior enemy. We have learned and appreciated all of the successes and heroes from this war, but this book shows us how we can learn and appreciate from the real lives of men that history has largely forgotten.

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Eight Survived: The Harrowing Story of the USS Flier and the Only Downed World War II Submariners to Survive and Evade Capture Review

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(More customer reviews)Eight survived is another title to make Admiral O'Kane's 'Clear the Bridge' soar. This one is barely readable and is barely a one star book. The author is not familiar with nautical terminology. The skipper of the sub is ordered to "anchor at a dock", is standing on the "floor" of the conning tower, and the crew's compartment has a steel "floor". Campbell opens the book with an involved description of the Flier going aground at Midway. The chapter screams for a chart of the Midway atoll to put some coherence in the chapter and it isn't there. All we know is that the channel is narrow and difficult and the Flier skipper, who supposedly has fourteen years' experience at sea, totally bungled the approach. The sub runs aground and in attempting to set the anchor in a heavy sea, a seaman is lost overboard and drowned and several others come close to drowning.
To pad the word count Campbell digresses with character vignettes that just don't fit into the narrative which is shaky enough. We have no interest in the men mainly because the war patrol events aren't clearly defined and the result is both stories lack involvement and coherence. My thought is that Mr. Campbell doesn't want to clutter the book with a lot of submarine lingo which is a criticism of O'Kane's book. Clear the Bridge has a compelling story that moves and is involving and we are quite willing to work with O'Kane when he discusses, clappers and angles on the bow, etc. This story dumbs down the action to generalities that insult the intelligence of the reader with a minimal knowledge of submarine warfare.
The writing style is plodding and formulaic. Two or three subject-verb-object declarative sentences in a row. Then a compound sentence with a subordinate clause. This would be good high school level non-fiction writing since the author did the research. He doesn't cite O'Kane's Clear the Bridge in his bibliography and he should read it. The gaps in Eight Survived may become more visible to him and his next effort may benefit. This book will remainder very soon and be available at a very low price right after Christmas.

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The incredible wartime saga of the only American submarinersto survive the sinking of their ship and evade enemy capture in WWII On the night of August 13, 1944, the U.S. submarine Flier struck a mine in the Sulu Sea in the southern Philippines as it steamed along the surface. All but fifteen of the more than eighty-strong crew went down with the vessel. Of those left floating in the dark, eight survived by swimming for seventeen hours before washing ashore on an uninhabited island. The story of the Flier and its eight survivors is wholly unique in the annals of U.S. military history. Eight Survived tells the gripping story of the doomed submarine and its crew from its first patrol, during which it sank several enemy ships, to the explosion in the Sulu Sea. Drawing on interviews with the survivors and on a visit to the jungle where they washed ashore-where a cast of fascinating characters helped the U.S. sailors evade the Japanese-Douglas Campbell fully captures the combination of extraordinary courage and luck that marked one of the most heroic episodes of World War II.

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Battle Surface: Lawson P. "Red" Ramage and the War Patrols of the USS Parche Review

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(More customer reviews)Steven Moore's analysis of the men and action on the Parche (SS384) is better than mine, and I was an officer on the Parche for all six war patrols.l

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Cmdr. Lawson Paterson Red Ramage was among an elite group of just seven U.S. submariners who were awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II and the first not to die in the course of his heroic exploits. He was honored for his actions in the Pacific on the night of 31 July 1944 when he kept his submarine, USS Parche, on the surface and defiantly charged into the midst of a large Japanese convoy. Ramage's close-in, furious surface rampage became the talk of the submarine force, both in terms of its boldness and its destruction of the enemy shipping. Remarkably, Parche's crew had managed to reload their torpedo tubes while their skipper twisted and turned the boat through the chaos of machine gun bullets, exploding heavy shells, and Japanese ships trying to ram them.To tell Parche's dramatic story, author Stephen Moore draws on recently discovered wartime diaries and interviews with dozens of veterans, who add rich details to the official record. Readers learn what it was like on patrol in the Pacific to endure the terrors of torpedo attacks and depth charges, as well as learn how they relieved the stress of combat on liberty. The only book to focus exclusively on Parche and the incredible Red Ramage, it offers a rare, up-close look at the actions of the legendary World War II submarine, whose conning tower and periscopes are on permanent display in Pearl Harbor.

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War Plan Orange: The U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan, 1897-1945 Review

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(More customer reviews)Author Miller has justly received many honors for this book which present the US planning for response to any Japanese aggression against the United States during the period between World War I and World War II. Miller also wrote another book, "Bankrupting The Enemy" about the US economic actions concerning Japan leading up to the war that is equally high quality and required reading for World War II historians.
Outside of the plans themselves representing various schools of thought among Naval strategists, thrusters, defensivists, cautionaries, etc., the political situations in the United States with respect to limitations on military capabilities are covered thoroughly. Often the planning foundered on the reality of inadequate resources, rendering official strategy rather feckless in hindsight. Politicials were simply not up to the task of providing military preparedness, and it was not until Roosevelt was able to obtain a major naval expansion through Congress in 1937 that sufficient force would be available for a strategy for victory starting as early as 1943.
Although the author makes the case that the Rainbow-5, the last pre-war Plan Orange, was followed in the main to victory, the most disturbing element was the sacrifice of the Philippines inherent in the planning but not communicated to MacArthur or the officers or men in the Philippines. Troops were sent to the Philippines to sacrifice themselves, unbeknownst to them. Plans to relieve the Philippines were simply not realistic given the resources of the Navy, even if there had been no losses at Pearl Harbor. This is clear from Miller's book, and an indictment of the American arm-chair admirals, generals and politicians involved. This lesson went unlearned for the future, as the Army's Berlin Brigade was defenseless throughout the Cold War, and truthfully its only purpose was to die so that American public opinion could be mobilized against the Soviets.
One is ultimately led to the conclusion that War Plan Orange was successful more due to the limited options available to the planners than to any inherent brilliance in planning. The adjustments during the War such as invading the Marianas to supply a long-range bombing base tended to be more decisive than the pre-war plans. Nonetheless, Rainbow-5 provided an effective starting point and should not be underestimated.
A side point is that the author apparently does not believe that Truman would have invaded Japan if there had been no atomic bomb. As he writes, "... it is questionable that after 292,000 American deaths in all theaters of World War II, any president would have accepted carnage on that scale (of the invasion) as the only option for ending the war." Interesting point. I guess the belief the the American public can't sacrifice or has limited staying power in a conflict is alive and well. Maybe even true.

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The Encyclopedia of Warships: From World War II to the Present Day Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is quite entertaining when it comes to the quality of pictures. Its covers most of the warship classes in different type such as Submarines, frigates, destroyers, cruisers, battleship, and aircraft carrier.
You will get brief description on each class and also history of the ship it self.
The writer devide the time line :
1. World War 2
2. Cold War
3. Modern
Each time line come with explanation on different type of warship and classes. However, not everyship are covered. This book is not intended for details reference.
I like this book because of the simplicity, not too heavy and come with great pictures. I gave 4 stars instead of 5, because this book more focus on the coldwar rather than WW2.


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Ahoy, Sea Dogs and Battleship Historians! Here's a book you're bound to love. The Encyclopedia of Warships is an exciting compendium of more than 300 of the finest battleships, aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, and cruisers ever built.Each ship is described in great detail and is illustrated with full-color artwork and photographs of the ship in action. You'll learn all about each vessel's design, development, and service record.It's arranged in chronological order by type of vessel and provides a selective guide to the most important fighting vessels from WWII onward. Naval buffs will especially enjoy the meticulous specification tables featuring information on dimensions, powerplant, performance, armament, speed, and complement. This requisite reference includes legendary grey ladies like the Bismarck and the U.S.S. Enterprise.

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The Naval Institute Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy Review

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(More customer reviews)The "Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy" does for Naval engagements what the "West Point Historical Atlas" series has done for land wars: simplify and illustrate conflicts and put them into their proper historical context. Over 90 maps include all major naval accomplishments, including voyages and battles from the American Revolution to the Civil War to the birth of the nuclear Navy to Desert Storm. This book contains charts and maps of naval battles and voyages accompanied by a narrative text on a facing page that explains clearly what happened and why it was significant. The maps are in color and are easy to read. The text is not overly complicated, but not so simplified that it's useless. The authors strike a good balance here, providing a reference work that will be useful to both military historians or casual readers of military history. Highly recommended.

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From the Battle of Flamborough Head during the American Revolution to the naval air wars over Vietnam and Kuwait, this historical atlas charts the course of the U.S. Navy across its entire history. Laid out here are the frigate duels of the War of 1812, the confrontation of ironclads during the Civil War, the World War II carrier battles in the Pacific, and the amphibious landings in Korea. Depicted also are campaigns, operations, and interwar interventions--like the cruise of the Susquehanna, Perry's mission to Japan, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Desert Storm--all helping to make this cartographic portrait of U.S. naval actions understandable at a glance. The maps in this large-format, high quality book are presented in full color and show the deployment of ships, their tracks, and even some shore activity. Each map has facing text that describes the action and its political, economic, and strategic significance. The atlas is organized chronologically into ten eras with each section preceded by a thoughtful essay about that historical period and accompanied by relevant illustrations of ships, battles, and portraits of significant individuals. Winner of the 1996 John Lyman Book Award, this handy and attractive reference will be treasured by everyone who enjoys reading American maritime history. Students, scholars, and old salts alike will appreciate the bird's eye view of how the Navy's fortunes have changed over the years, successfully guarding the nation and securing its interests.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy's Story (Classics of Naval Literature) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a splendid analysis of the Battle of Midway as seen from the Japanese side. The authors had firsthand knowledge of the plans, actions, mistakes, strengths, and weaknesses of the Imperial Japanese Navy in connection with the Battle of Midway, and they pull no punches telling us about the battle. The Battle of Midway turned the tide of the Pacific War for all time against Japan, as an outnumbered and outmatched, but plucky, U.S. Navy inflicted a devastating defeat on the greatest carrier force ever assembled up to that time. This book goes far in explaining how this miracle took place. The authors tell us about the dithering of the Japanese commander as to whether to strike Midway again, or to strike the American fleet, or do a hasty strike against the American fleet before all his planes were recovered--and how this indecision helped lose a battle that almost could not be lost. So too did the sloppiness of the deck crews, who stacked bombs and torpedos carelessly on the decks of the carriers as the Admiral kept changing his mind--this ordinance of course exploded when the American dive bombers attacked, ensuring that three Japanese carriers went to the bottom, rather than having a chance of surviving through damage control. The book is filled with excellent details like this.
The authors also do a fine job explaining the motivations and outlooks of the Japanese leaders, including the great famed Admiral Yamamoto--who evidently reacted to the Doolittle Raid by pushing for the attack on Midway. This key decision signed Japan's death warrant as regards the Pacific war. Had Japan instead turned west and attacked Russia, this could have changed the entire complexion of the war, as Germany might have prevailed against Russia, forcing the US to divert even more resources in its "Germany First" policy. The authors reveal how close Japan may have been to adopting this strategy.
This book impresses the reader not just with the mistakes the Japanese made, but also of the tenacity, skill, and competence of the former Japanese foe. The book was written in the early 1950s and the authors' viewpoints are somewhat overly colored by the aftermath of defeat--Japan had not yet shaken off the trauma of defeat and this pessimism about Japan's prospects is readily apparent. I trust the authors lived to see that in reality the Japanese people won, not lost, the war by becoming a prosperous and democratic economic powerhouse.
Incidentally, it appeared clear to me that the movie "Battle of Midway" with Henry Fonda was essentially based on this book.
This is a fine analysis of the most important battle of the Pacific War and constitutes essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the Battle of Midway and the reasons that Japan was defeated in both the battle and the war.

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The great air and sea battle of the Pacific, as seen through Japanese eyes . . . On June 4, 1942, Admiral Yamamoto launched his attack on Midway with the largest fleet yet assembled in the Pacific. His strike force included 350 ships and over 100,000 officers and men. His objective: to smash the U.S. aircraft carriers based at Midway and break the Navy's power in World War II.Now, for the first time, Japanese officers open the sealed archives to tell the authoritative, dramatic story of what really happened at Midway -- the battle that doomed Japan!--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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The Twilight Warriors Review

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(More customer reviews)By the spring of 1945, the Japanese had been driven west across the Pacific by the ever-increasing strength of the American Navy. Okinawa, only 350 miles from mainland Japan, was to be the final battle leading up to the invasion of Japan. Okinawa would serve as a major staging area as well as a base for aircraft. But before these preparations could be made, the Japanese garrison needed to be defeated. On April 1, 1945, the Americans stormed ashore. What laid ahead was the most costly naval battle of the war. Author Robert Gandt describes the naval aspect of the battle for Okinawa in "The Twilight Warriors".
I've read several books about the battle for Okinawa, and this one is unique from the previous ones I've read. This book focuses specifically on the naval aspect of the fighting, while only mentioning the land battle in broad terms. Gandt pays particular attention to the kamikaze attacks, the suicide mission of the battleship Yamato, and the numerous air battles that took place in the area. The pilots who flew the planes were called "Tail-End Charlies", due to their status as late-comers to the war. These men also flew at the back of formations, stood at the end of chow lines, and even had their own sleeping quarters called "boys' town".
Perhaps the area of greatest danger was the destroyer picket stations. These ships would intercept incoming kamikazes and radio ahead to the main fleet. The Japanese were soon setting out to destroy these ships, and many American destroyers were lost as a result of the kamikaze attacks.
I felt Gandt did an especially good job of describing the suicide mission of the Yamato. He devotes several chapters to this story, and I was amazed at the possibility of this ship actually reaching the beaches at Okinawa, beaching itself, and firing on the American soldiers and ships. Fortunately, the "Tail-End Charlies" and other flyers sank the ship before it was too late.
This is a fine work of World War II history. The writing is very good, and Gandt has done a thorough job of researching the aspects of the battle. Highly recommended.

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A BATTLE HISTORY OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY (1941-1945) Review

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(More customer reviews)There is very little -even after 60 plus years, material on the Imperial Japanese navy written by western authors. The ones I've seen are biased, repeat cliches, or are simply inaccurate. I know now that Mitsuo Fuchida's account of Japan's failure at the battle of Midway is largely questioned, even rejected in Japan but has been the basis for many books in the western world.
Hallelujah, this author does not make mistakes like that. He took the trouble of combing through thousands of microfiched archives taken directly from the Japanese at the end of the war. His knowledge of the Japanese language is definitely a plus as he explains more than once how subtle nuances in translation between Japanese and other languages can alter the meaning of the content. This was evident in the intelligence gathered by the Americans, as the author points out.
The book starts with an explanation on how militarism had dominated Japan's politics and how even Yamamoto risked assassination over his opposition to a war with the USA. You get a flavor on what it was like to be a naval cadet or officer in the pre-war imperial navy. Dull also points out some of the misconceptions and political mistakes that the US government made that may have contributed to Japan's decision to go to war. One of the key points in the book is the statement from Admiral Nagano to none other than the emperor stating that Japan must go to war, even though it is a war she very likely will lose but a nation not willing to fight for her survival is doomed anyway.
Dull also mentions that the Japanese had some knowledge of the US Navy 'rainbow' plan, a plan crafted in case of war against Japan, in that the basic strategy was the island-hoping that later became a reality.
Every major or even medium sized engagement or operation is covered, using the Japanese name for such. For example, the battle for Savo Island is known to the other side as the First Battle of Solomon Islands. The author paints the battles, by phase, extrapolating the Japanese interpretation as well as the opposing one, resulting in the most accurate assessment possible, as each side frequently misjudges the enemy's position and intentions or actions during the heat of combat.
The text is extremely readable, you cannot put this book down. There aren't many photos but they are not missed. Dull's style flows naturally, making his a very pleasant book, and the amount of information given is simply astounding. Book is over 400 pages, but I read it in less than 5 days, it is that good. I'm now on my second pass, discovering new facts that either escaped my grasp or simply forgot. This book is a keeper, and it should form the basis for many future books on the theme.

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