The Doolittle Raid: America's Daring First Strike Against Japan Review

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(More customer reviews)This book, I believe, is a very good account of a relatively forgotten event during the Second World War in the Pacific theater. Sandwiched between two intensely covered events such as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the American victory at Midway, the Doolittle raid often gets overlooked. The author did a good job to provide a detailed account of the events leading up to the raid as well as an excellent account of the experiences of each of the sixteen bomber crews as they made their raid over Japan. Other lesser-known areas concerning the raid were covered such as the voyage of the carrier task force and just how close they came to being attacked by Japanese aircraft and surface forces. Also the technical challenges that occurred to the aircraft were elaborated on as well as an account from the Japanese standpoint pertaining to their preparedness for such an air raid. To complete this telling of the Doolittle Raid the author explains the fate of the aircrews that either survived the raid to continue the fight or those that were captured by the Japanese. Finally the plight of the Chinese people as a result of their part of the raid was not forgotten or overlooked, as is often done by history. Overall, for a person generally interested in World War II history this book would rate a 4 out of 5. If you are particularly interested in the Pacific war against Japan this book is definitely a 5 of 5.

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It was the biggest gamble of World War II, but Lt. Co. ""Jimmy"" Doolittle's legendary bombing raid on Tokyo gave America the morale boost it needed in the wake of Pearl Harbor. This is the full story as told by the Doolittle Raiders' official historian. Carroll Glines is also the author of Attack on Yamamoto.

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How They Won the War in the Pacific: Nimitz and His Admirals Review

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(More customer reviews)After the Pearl Harbor disaster, President Roosevelt decided to relieve Admiral Husband Kimmel of his Pacific Fleet command. Many thought that Kimmel was made out to be a scapegoat and did not deserve to be relieved, but Roosevelt felt that a new commander was needed to lift America out of the ashes of Pearl harbor and begin the road to ultimate victory. The man chosen for the task was Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
Nimitz was chosen over many higher-ranking officers, but in the end, Nimitz proved to be the perfect choice to lead the American Navy. Blessed with a keen sense of fairness to his fellow man, this fine book examines Nimitz and his admirals and how they ultimately won the war in the Pacific.
Although Nimitz was considered a "calm tower of strength" and the principal architect of victory in the Pacific, he could not have accomplished this feat alone. His choices of supporting staff members and Admirals are the ones who, in the end, helped win the war for the United States.
This book examines many of Nimitz' Admirals, but four really stand out above the rest: Ray Spruance, Bill Halsey, Kelly Turner, and Marc Mitscher. Halsey was the fire and brimstone commander who fearlessly took on the Japanese in the early days of the war. He also said that after he was finished, the only place where the Japanese language would be spoken was in hell. Spruance was the antithesis of Halsey. Calm and cerebral, Spruance endeared himself to Nimitz with his careful consideration of the task at hand. It was said that Halsey could win a battle, but Spruance could win a campaign. Turner was cut from the same mold as Halsey. Fearless and intimidating, even to a fault, Turner was the architect of the brilliant amphibious landings of the war. Meanwhile, Mitscher was in charge of the fast carriers and endeared himself to his fliers by lighting up his entire force's lights to help bring the boys home after a nighttime raid against the Japanese. In the end, it was Nimitz' use of these important men that ultimately won the war for the United States.
This book, written by historian Edwin P. Hoyt, does a fine job of explaining the transition of the U.S. Navy from a weakened and busted fleet early in the war to the offensive juggernaut that it became by the time of Japan's surrender. Each important naval battle is discussed, and the role of Nimitz and his commanders is explained. Form the dark days of January 1942 to the ultimate victory in September 1945, Nimitz' navy fought the Japanese tooth and nail, and, more often than not, came out on top. The book also discusses the inter-service rivalries that existed between the Army and Navy, as well as the rise of the "young turks", or the Naval Aviator Flag Officers. I recommend this book very highly. It does a very good job of explaining Nimitz' role in the Pacific war, as well as that of his commanders. Read it and learn about one of the greatest commanders and leaders our country has ever had.

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A meticulous study of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the principal architect of victory in the Pacific during World War II.

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America's Fighting Admirals: Winning the War at Sea in World War II Review

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(More customer reviews)The American naval actions of the second world war were some of the most dramatic in the history of sea warfare, taking place over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans alike with an admiral overseeing each action and battle. The battles are here described from the perspective of American admirals who fought them and comes from a World War II navy veteran who not only covers all major campaigns and admiral leaders, but analyzes strategy and decision-making challenges during battle. Serious World War II military collections, particularly those with strong naval history sections, need AMERICA'S FIGHTING ADMIRALS: WINNING THE WAR AT SEA IN WORLD WAR II.

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If Mahan Ran the Great Pacific War: An Analysis of World War II Naval Strategy Review

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(More customer reviews)There are many books telling what happened in individual battles or to particular ships. This book tries to grade the thinking of those who determined where forces went into battle and why.
Mostly it succeeds at describing the strategic goals and thinking (or lack thereof!) of the admirals in charge of the Pacific War on both sides. Yamamoto gets failing grades for not ensuring that his brilliant and risky gambles were sufficiently followed through; King gets consistently fairly high grades; a number of characters on both sides are criticized for various flaws.
One flaw in this book is the over-use of hindsight; the author judges various strategic ideas as if everyone should have understood at the time things that did not become clear until much later; for instance, the total dominance of the aircraft carrier over the battleship, or the inability of high-altitude bombers to hit anything in motion. He several times criticizes admirals for not understanding that their cherished goal should only have been the means to an end (e.g., Ugaki's desire to take Guadalcanal) but does not realize that his somewhat repetitive chanting of "Never divide the fleet" or "Sink the carriers" are both ends toward maintaining control of the sea. (He probably should at least have looked at some of Sir Julian Corbett's criticisms of Mahan's work.)
That said, there are many excellent gems of observation, and quite a lot of good analysis, in the book. To experienced naval strategists, they will come as no surprise; to the vast majority of the human race and Pacific War buffs who are not, this will be a very useful learning course. Readers will probably want some previous acquaintance with the history of World War II in the Pacific, but given such acquaintance this is a challenging and rewarding analysis.
Highly recommended.

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Guardians of Empire: The U.S. Army and the Pacific, 1902-1940 Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is extremely well done and spells out the history of American involvement in the Pacific after 1898 much better than anything else on the market. Although Miller's WAR PLAN ORANGE is also an interesting book, but from the navy's point of view, I feel this one is much better done.Highly recommend this work to anyone wanting background on the Pacific War.

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In a comprehensive study of four decades of military policy,Brian McAllister Linn offers the first detailed history of the U.S. Army in Hawaii and the Philippines between 1902 and 1940. Most accounts focus on the months preceding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By examining the years prior to the outbreak of war, Linn provides a new perspective on the complex evolution of events in the Pacific. Exhaustively researched, Guardians of Empire traces the development of U.S. defense policy in the region, concentrating on strategy, tactics, internal security, relations with local communities, and military technology.
Linn challenges earlier studies which argue that army officers either ignored or denigrated the Japanese threat and remained unprepared for war. He demonstrates instead that from 1907 onward military commanders in both Washington and the Pacific were vividly aware of the danger, that they developed a series of plans to avert it, and that they in fact identified-even if they could not solve-many of the problems that would become tragically apparent on 7 December 1941.

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Review

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(More customer reviews)This book attempts to provide some insight into the subject of Admiral Husband Kimmel and General Walter Short and their roles in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Although the information presented in the book is good, it is very basic and does not go into much detail. The information included in the book really only amounts to a thumbnail sketch, and the author seems to concentrate his discussion more on the shortcomings of General Short than Admiral Kimmel.

The author bases his arguments from information obtained from the several Pearl Harbor inquiries, mainly the Army and Navy board inquiries. For example, in the chapter entitled "Accountability", each charge against Short is listed, along with an analysis of the response of Short. What perplexed me is why a similar approach was not taken in regards to Admiral Kimmel? I felt that by reading this book, much of Admiral Kimmel's story was omitted.

There are some interesting parts of the book, however. The author presents compelling evidence about the inter-service rivalries that existed between the Army and Navy, and how these rivalries directly lead to the disaster on December 7. Also, the failure to coordinate training and liasion activities between the two branches is effectively discussed.

Overall, I found this book to be interesting, but very basic. The information presented is good, but only the surface is scratched and the author doesn't go into great detail on any subject. I would recommend this as an introductory book, but there are other books about Pearl Harbor that discuss these same topics in much greater detail than this one does.

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When these two [authors] combine their considerable experience, the reader has to pay attention. Naval Aviation NewsIn 1999, by a vote of 52 to 47, the U.S. Senate cleared the names of Admiral Husband Kimmel and Lieutenant General Walter Short of blame for leaving Pearl Harbor vulnerable to attack. According to the declaration, Kimmel and Short had performed their duties "competently and professionally," and that America's losses at Pearl were "not the result of dereliction of duty." Revisionist historians have been trying for years to portray Short and Kimmel as innocent scapegoats. However, Major General Kenneth Bergquist is among the many witnesses who went to their graves crying "foul," but not before telling their stories to historians Jack Lambert and Norman Polmar.This book combines the evidence of never-before-seen photos and documents, Lambert's taped interviews with some of the last surviving witnesses, exhaustive research of all remaining evidence, Polmar's perspective as naval warfare commentator for the History Channel, and Barry Levenson's legal experience trying cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, to finally put the case of the tragic failure of command and dereliction of duty leading up to December 7, 1941, to rest.Senator Strom Thurmond called Kimmel and Short "the final two victims of Pearl Harbor." In reality, was the last victim the truth?

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