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Title: Touched With Fire: The Land War in the South Pacific by Eric Bergerud ISBN: 0-14-024696-7 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: July, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.32 (34 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A different way of writing military history
Comment: I have read many stories of World War II, but this one treats things differently. Instead of book with a story that starts at the beginning and ends at the end of the campaign, this book condenses the "story" into a single 38-page chapter.
The remaining almost 500 pages deal with different aspects of the entire campaign. It includes sections on the terrain (almost all jungle), the armies, the tactics, and many other features of the South Pacific war. There are many reminiscences from those who fought, and occasionally a story of a specific campaign.
What this does is give you a far better picture than most books of what it was like to be there. Instead of talking about the "harsh" jungle or the "relentless" Japanese, you get a huge detailed picture of exactly what it was like - the smell of the jungle, and the tactics the Japanese used.
Interspersed with this are Bergerud's comments on the effectiveness of how each company waged war, the strengths of the weapons, and how unprepared all sides were for the terrain.
I finished this book with a far deeper understanding of these battles, and I'd be interested to see this approach applied to other military history books.
Rating: 4
Summary: Splendid coverage with a few too many details for many.
Comment: Many people reading this review are well read concerning the European theatre and shockingly ignorant about the Pacific. I was also, until now. While Bergerud's style is not nearly as gripping as other recently popular authors on WWII his complete coverage of the savagery and confusion in the Solomons and New Guinea will grab even the hardest East Front grognard. The author gives extensive coverage of the armies, the weapons, and the brutal terrain that defined the war in the South Pacific. My only complaint about the work is its somewhat overly detailed description of the force structures and island geography that may distract the casual reader at times. Bergerud gives the Australian forces much deserved respect and completely immerses the reader in the horror that was Jungle warfare in WWII. His books about Vietnam have given him extra insight into the jungle warfare that is still so foreign to the American military. The book focuses completely on the South Pacific and does not cover the mid-Pacific campaign (Siapan, Guam, Iwo Jima, etc.) and this is also a strong point. I strongly recommend this book as an introduction to the land war in the Pacific in WWII. All European theatre fans should read it.
Rating: 5
Summary: An Eye Opener
Comment: Like many Americans, my view of land combat against Japan was heavily influenced by books and movies that focused on the island hopping campaign highlighted by Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. While aware of Guadalcanal, I was less familiar with the fight for New Guinea and its strategic importance.
This book does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the nightmarish conditions found in New Guinea and of linking the battles there to the ones fought at the same time on Guadalcanal. It does not get bogged down in the military minutia of unit designations. Instead it concentrates on the impressions of individual soldiers while they struggle to achieve "big picture" objectives that were as imperceptible to them as the jungle landscape they were fighting for.
I highly recommend it to anyone interested in getting a feel for these under publicized but crucial battles in the South Pacific.
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Title: Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific by Eric M. Bergerud ISBN: 0813338697 Publisher: Westview Press Pub. Date: May, 2001 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: The Siege of Rabaul by Henry Sakaida ISBN: 1883809096 Publisher: Specialty Pr Pub. Date: January, 1997 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Strong Men Armed: The United States Marines Against Japan by Robert Leckie ISBN: 0306807858 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: October, 1997 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle by Richard B. Frank ISBN: 0140165614 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: January, 1992 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Utmost Savagery by Col. Joseph Alexander ISBN: 0804115591 Publisher: Ivy Books Pub. Date: 27 November, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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