Although most people associate the term D-day with the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, it is military code for the beginning of any offensive operation. In the Pacific theater during World War II there were more than one hundred D-days. The largest - and last - was the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, which brought together the biggest invasion fleet ever assembled, far larger than that engaged in the Normandy invasion.
D-Days in the Pacific tells the epic story of the campaign waged by American forces to win back the Pacific islands from Japan. Based on eyewitness accounts by the combatants, it covers the entire Pacific struggle from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Pacific war was largely a seaborne offensive fought over immense distances. Many of the amphibious assaults on Japanese-held islands were among the most savagely fought battles in American history: Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, New Guinea, Peleliu, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. D-Days in the Pacific is the finest one-volume account of this titanic struggle.
Donald L. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of History at Lafayette College. He is author of City of the Century and has been involved with HBO and PBS productions.
©2012 Donald L. Miller (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc
"This…is a major publishing event.… The total effect is one few readers will ever forget." (David McCullough, nbumber-one New York Times best-selling author)
"This…account of World War II is likely to remain a classic for generations to come.” (Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times best-selling author)
"Every book written about the Pacific campaign must struggle with the shadow of the mushroom clouds that loom at its end. Unlike many others, D-Days in the Pacific succeeds in making that ending a part of the entire narrative, so that when it finally arrives, its entrance is not just understandable but inevitable and obvious - as inevitable and obvious as the decision to employ the atomic bombs seemed to President Truman." (Washington Post)
Love well written and well narrated books of any type.
"Terrific one volume history of the Pacific war."
Puts you in the middle of the action, as though you are in the boots of the soldiers. Personal anecdotes are relevant and uncensored.
Tarawa.
Narration was not great.
Some battle scenes were horrific.
Excellent listen. Well written and riveting. Recommended as are the author's other titles available on Audio.
"Well written book handicapped by poor narration"
Provided a reasonable mix of smaller details and overarching strategic situation. It did feel like it took awhile to get to the "D-Days". The author provided a substantial amount of material devoted to setting the stage for Pearl Harbor and the beginning of the United States' entry into World War Two.
No favorites. Interesting to hear a broad spectrum of opinions and perspectives, from a multitude of services and branches.
No.
Most likely.
"Bad Title; Good Intro to Pacific Theater"
Easy to read.
The most interesting aspect of the book was the overarching strategy: unconditional surrender, leapfrogging; the arguments between MacArthur, Nimitz and King over how to prosecute the war; the separate campaigns in the South Pacific and Central Pacific and the vast tactical differences between them.
The Kindle version does not have page numbers or a table of contents which is irritating.
"Great Content. Distracting Pronunciation"
The content and flow of the story is excellent.
The reader not only mis-pronounced the names of several of the key battles (Tarawa, Peleliu, etc.) he also mis-pronounced the word "adjutant." More than likely, people listening to this book will be familiar with the correct pronunciations and will therefore find the mispronunciations extremely distracting.
Also, though the reader has an excellent cadence and clear voice, his Australian accent is terrible.
"Worse Narration - Could not finish listening .."
no one.
Never - I'm a World War II buff.
He sounded like he was reading to 1st graders....
great disappointment
What a waste of money ...