The Conquering Tide

War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944

By: Ian W. Toll

Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan

Length: 27 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

The devastation of Pearl Harbor and the American victory at Midway were prelude to a greater challenge: rolling back the vast Japanese Pacific empire island by island.

This masterful history encompasses the heart of the Pacific War - the period between mid-1942 and mid-1944 - when parallel Allied counteroffensives north and south of the equator washed over Japan's far-flung island empire like a "conquering tide", concluding with Japan's irreversible strategic defeat in the Marianas. It was the largest, bloodiest, most costly, most technically innovative and logistically complicated amphibious war in history, and it fostered bitter interservice rivalries, leaving wounds that even victory could not heal.

Often overlooked, these are the years and fights that decided the Pacific War. Ian W. Toll's battle scenes - in the air, at sea, and in the jungles - are simply riveting. He also takes the listener into the wartime councils in Washington and Tokyo, where politics and strategy often collided, and into the struggle to mobilize wartime production, which was the secret of Allied victory. Brilliantly researched, the narrative is propelled and colored by firsthand accounts - letters, diaries, debriefings, and memoirs - that are the raw material of the telling details, shrewd judgment, and penetrating insight of this magisterial history.

©2015 Ian W. Toll (P)2015 Recorded Books

Fascinating and very informative.

This was the best historic account of WWII in the Pacific I have ever found. The massive scope of the gathered material was masterfully broken down and delivered in a gripping and historic account. I thought I knew some things about this subject. I learned so much more. Great detail and material from both sides. Very, very educational. Well written. Well read.

Great book

Most history books are a little tedious, but this one combines behind the scenes decision making with thrilling battle action.

Extremely complete & detailed

Toll does a magnificent job of narrating the Pacific war. He masterfully interweaves American views and circumstances with those of the Japanese. No doubt, America won the war because of industrial power, superior trading of aviators & seamen and a bold strategic and tactical vision. Yet, Toll clearly demonstrates how the Japanese beat themselves by Army-Navy in-fighting and the inability to face reality on the battlefield, in the air and on the sea. I was disappointed he didn't deal in more detail with the last year of the war. All in all, an excellent book which was well read.

Excellent History

A detailed naval,air force, and army history of the second world war pacific campaign. Highly recommended,

Tide

It is obvious a ton of research was done, with so many examples of events and observations by so many Japanese military and politicians referred to. Plus this book shed more light than many of the books I have read on WWII on interactions among the senior US military leaders and operational participants regarding events and actions all over the Pacific war. It was refreshing to be exposed to this new information. I look forward to the third book. These books are great reads.

Intense View of the Pacific War

Ian Toll has written a stunning second volume in his history of World War I in the Pacific. At the end of the Guadalcanal campaign, the Americans begin receiving quantities of new ships, aircraft, and materiel. First matching the Japanese fleet strength, then surpassing it in almost every respect. By the Spring of 1944, the Americans outclass their enemy in sea power, air might, and soldiering so overwhelmingly that when the Japanese venture out in strength at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in mid-June, their air power is swept from the skies, their carrier fleet mauled beyond repair, and the strategic Marianas Islands fall to the Americans.

Ian Toll draws on contemporary sources, including private diaries, to get inside the minds of both sides' key planners and military leaders. This results in a more complete picture of the conflict than any previous history of the Pacific War. Especially fascinating are accounts of political maneuvering among Japanese leaders in Summer 1944 as Prime Minister Hideki Tojo jockeys to retain power after the military debacle at Saipan. A bonus for students of military aviation is Toll's detailed assessment of the "second generations" of naval aviation put forth by Americans and Japanese. The former concentrated on rugged construction and intense firepower; the latter on speed and range. The critical difference--relative quality of Japanese aircrews as the war progressed.

"The Conquering Tide" ends as General MacArthur and his commanders prepare to retake the Philippines from the Japanese. Great battles remain to be fought on land, air, and sea. But the strategies are set, and the die is cast. Now it is just a question of how much destruction will rain down on cities, islands, and fleets before the war ends. Toll's next and final volume in this history will surely by as enthralling as his first two.

War is more than battle, it's people.

What makes this telling of the Pacific war remarkable is the insight into the mind and life experience of the Japanese public. Political leadership may hold the power, but the truth is with its people.

Great Start but dissapointing ending

I very much enjoyed this book, it was informative and interesting, but I expected more for the ending.
there was no mention of the battle of Pelelu, Iwojima or even Okinawa, not even a talk about how The atom bombs have effected the Japanese.
Hell it didn't even mention the sinking of the Yamato or Musashi!

That aside I still enjoyed this novel.

good history lesson

Great story, good to learn what goes on behind the scenes - things some people find unpleasant

Pesky Pronunciation

The story and writing is engaging, and in depth. After a while though, I could not ignore the narrator's continual mispronouncing of place names made so famous for the battles fought there. He did a good job with the Japanese names, but stumbled on many of the names of pacific islands. As an example, he continually said TAH-RAW-WA, instead of the the more familiar TARA-WA. He also omits the "point" in task force designations, so that it sounds as if he's referring to TF 51, instead of TF 50.1
It was annoying and sometimes confusing. But all in all an excellent book. So looking forward to the next volume in the trilogy.