On the first Sunday in December 1941, an armada of Japanese warplanes appeared suddenly over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Six months later, in a sea fight north of the tiny atoll of Midway, four Japanese aircraft carriers were sent into the abyss, a blow that destroyed the offensive power of their fleet. Pacific Crucible–through a dramatic narrative relying … predominantly on primary sources and eyewitness accounts of heroism and sacrifice from both navies–tells the epic tale of these first searing months of the Pacific war, when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history to seize the strategic initiative.
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Gt it. Read it. This guy can write his ass off, and he reports things I’ve never known about not only the sea battles for the Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal, but also lesser-known actions as well as interesting personality profiles of the major players. Buy The Conquering Tide, also by Toll, for the continuation of the Pacific campaign. …
One of the best accounts of the early stages of the Pacific war that I’ve read. The analysis of Japanese strategy was particularly enlightening.
This book opened my eyes to the skill and competence of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. He did his job, did it well, and then kept his mouth shut as to what he did. He made no excuses, did not explain and did not complain. He just got the job done at Midway and in the the Philippine Sea.
The Author uses a fast paced narrative style that pulls you into the early months of WWII when the United States was ill prepared for the massive Europe/Asia conflict. He does a great job of introducing the reader to the key players that had to set policy to contain the Japanese offensive in the Pacific while dealing with the Roosevelt/Churchill …
Very detailed, but still readable and gripping.
Very informative
Very well researched and written.
Great historical account of one of the critical theater of operations of world war 2.
The author makes history come alive. Detailed non-fiction about the first year of WWII in the Pacific.
Hardly lives up to its title
I found this an interesting narrative of this pivotal period of World War 2 – War in the Pacific. Relatively quick read also.
One of the best most readable books on WWII in the Pacific and most informative and comprehensive
Very good portrayal of actions immediately leading up to Dec 7th and the first year of our war with Japan.
The sacrifice our navy made was incredible.
The chapter on pre Perle Harbor Japan was worth the book.
Since we know the outcome, we are looking for insight and details. They are here and from both sides of the battles.
Long and detailed but very readable account of naval warfare in teh Pacific in 1941-42. This book held my interest and I learned a lot fromreading it.