The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942–1944 (The Pacific War Trilogy, 2)

This book is the second book in a 3-part series on WW II’s Pacific War. The first book (Pacific Crucible) was excellent. This second book is also excellent. It covers the period from Guadalcanal to the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. (I have not yet read the third and final book, Twilight of the Gods.)This book, like the first book, writes about the war from a fairly high level and with a broad perspective. So, in addition to covering the battles themselves, there are discussions on the war planning, the island spotters reporting from Japanese-held islands, the impact of logistics, the use of radar, the superiority of Japanese torpedoes (and the huge inferiority of American torpedoes), the death of Yamamoto, the wartime expansion of Pearl Harbor facilities, American-Australian relations, the island-hopping strategy (e.g., avoiding well defended islands such as Rabaul), America sending experienced flyers back home to train newer flyers, American submarine warfare against Japan’s maritime supply line, Japan’s propaganda machine, etc. And, of course, the book presents both American and Japanese perspectives (though there is more information presented from the American perspective).War planning might sound like a boring topic to some readers, but it wasn’t (to me, anyway). For example, the “Germany first” policy was discussed, as it impacted decisions regarding the allocation of resources for the Pacific War campaign. Though prioritizing Germany, most leaders understood that the less resources the USA allocated to the Pacific War early in the war, the more time Japan would have to prepare the defenses of their conquered island territories (in anticipation of eventual American attack). Also, the longer it took ground forces to re-capture an island, the longer naval support forces had to stay nearby, thus increasing the threat of attack by enemy submarines. And tactical planning changed as well since the many American ground force casualties at Tarawa meant tactics had to change if future Tarawa’s were to be avoided.Guadalcanal was initially fought from a position of rough parity between military forces. But by the time the American advance reached the Marianas, America’s armed forces were mostly dominating the seas and controlling the air over the battlefields because of the greatly increased number of ships and the newer and more capable naval aircraft. The USA as an “arsenal of democracy” was clearly responsible for such a massive fleet expansion, though the book mostly just mentions it in passing (perhaps because that would better be the subject for a book on economics).Bottom Line: Interesting, important, well written history.Note: I’m 78 years old; so by now, I’ve read many WW II history books. Initially, I was concerned these books might simply repeat what I already knew. Turned out, no concern. These books did an excellent job presenting a lot of material and showing how decisions and events combined together to result in initial Japanese successes and, later, a faltering Japanese situation.

...to the two other books, which book-end this excellent trilogy. The author seems to have a knack for presenting the overview, but then going into details, without getting bogged down on either end. It is a clear picture of events, basically from the Canal, to Tarawa, to Saipan/Guam/Tinian. And the major carrier battles that ensued. These two themes are inter-woven, and give the Pacific theater it's unique aspect, as opposed to classic ETO land battles.I must agree with the author, in that many aspects of the Pacific War have been over-looked, or under-reported, as compared to the European theater. For instance, British attacks on Italian shipping have been immortalized in many accounts, whereas US Naval attacks on Japanese bases have been largely ignored. And while Coral Sea and Midway have been covered in lavish detail, lesser known sea battles in the Solomons and Gilbert Islands have been largely neglected.Some readers (including myself) have keyed in on the island-hopping campaign; others study the naval battles. When you read of them both, in fairly balanced form, you get a much larger sense of this war, and this is what I think this author has excelled at.One issue that may be touchy for some is the Japanese POV during this conflict. It was a hard radical religious belief, combined with an extreme militaristic bent, which caused an otherwise decent folk to expand and subjugate their neighbors, as their Divine Right. I think the author faces this head on, and pulls no punches describing this radical POV, which really surfaces in the last phases of this conflict.I find myself not really caring what their excuses were; I simply want to read about how we defeated them. Maybe that's harsh, but oh well.Have to say, having read much on this theater over many years, this trilogy is definitely worth checking out. It definitely put all the battles in a chronological perspective for me (because I tend to read first-person narratives of specific battles), and linked them together into a coherent whole.Whole 3-volume set highly recommended.

Simply the best writing on the pacific war, period. If you’re interested in this subject, it’s a must have

If one has already made aquaintance with other works on the Pacific war, this history stands out in giving a balanced and presumably accurate picture of these events. It shows events from the perspective of both adversaries, working out, how the US turned basic concepts into workable strategies and how their enemies failed to do so. The political side is shown in its many facets. In a convincing way, strenghts and weaknesses of the major leaders are discussed. Even racist lapses on the US side are mentioned.This is to me US history writing at its best.

Impossible de poser le livre

An historical tour-de-force! Simply superb!

I wanted a history of the Pacific war from the perspective of the front line as well and the broader strategic view of the generals and political leaders. This book really delivered on that and I have now ordered the 3rd and last volume.