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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It’s a very well-researched overview of the Pacific campaign in WW2. There is background on the countries right before Pearl Harbor and also on major players:Admirals Yamamoto,, King, Nimitz etc. The history is told in broad strokes but thoroughly.
I haven’t quite finished it as of this writing but it is holding my interest and so far I’m …
Outstanding history of the events leading up to WWII, including US-Japan relations that developed over the 100 years prior to the conflict.
Excellent research and compelling narrative.
Highly recommend to those interested in geo-politics and/or US Naval history,
Excellent description and feelings of events leading to and after Pearl Harbor. Both the failures and successes of our country and our enemies.
As a historian who received his masters degree in Military History concentrating in Naval history of the 20th century I found the book well written. I would recommend it to someone looking for a overview of the war in the pacific.
Ian Toll writes well and his books are well researched and informative.
After hearing the “Hardcore History” episodes on the Japanese forces during World War II I knew I had to read this. This first parts covers the first six months between Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway. It is a master description of the fighting, the economy and how society faced these terrible times.
I have read many different books about the Pacific Theater in WWII. This was accurate, well-written, and it did not sugar-coat the decisions of the politicians. Additionally, the assessment of commanders and personalities on all sides of the conflict was thoughtful.
Two years of action packed into a thoroughly informative and interesting history of the naval actions in the Pacific theater. Very well researched and written.
Easy read well documented history of early Paciific Naval action
If you’d like to know what happened during ww2 in the pacific, you should read this book
Here I thought I knew all about WWII in the Pacific. Man was I wrong. If you really want a page turning entertaining historical novel, this one is for you. If my history books were written like this I would have enjoyed historical courses.
A must read for anyone interested in the campaigns in the Pacific during WWII.
Very well written history of a very important time for the USA and the world.
historical, informative and well presented in the audio book form. It’s a book one should definitely read if one has any interest in the WWII pacific efforts and the how and why of it.
Very informative. A must read for those interested in the WWI battles at sea including fantastic desciptions of the characters involved on both sides. Highly recommend this book.
WW II began at about the time I was born. Because the events described in this book resulted in the tremendous change in the attitudes of the US government and the citizenry, it proved to be an eye-opener for someone who never was confronted with the hostilities of WW II
Good detail. Easy to follow the sequence of battles and the action of the carriers, Nimitz and Halsey.
Sometimes get too much into the details to the point of wondering off course and then suddenly ends half way through the story.
Outstanding detail full of facts I did not know about key individuals on both sides.
This book is very well written. It tells the story of the actions of the US Navy during the desperate early months of WWII from the perspectives of both the US and Japan.
I love to read history, and this book is outstanding.