War in the Pacific 1941 - 1945

Richard Overy

A detailed look at the war against Japan in the Pacific Islands during the Second World War. Published to coincide with the ten-part HBO mini series, The Pacific, produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Speilberg and Gary Goetzman.

War in the Pacific 1941-1945 looks at the relentless war against Japan in the Pacific Islands which formed an integral part of eventual Allied victory. Setting the scene with the unprovoked Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and the almost simultaneous attack on US bases on Guam and Wake Island it then goes on to document the bloody battles fought in the jungle islands of Guadalcanal, the Philippines and the seas of the Pacific. As fortunes turned in 1942 the Allies fought hard to regain lost ground and the intensity of battle did not waver. It tells the story of the heroic actions of the men who toiled on the islands, the names of which have now become synonymous with bloodshed, hardship and unstoppable spirit which eventually resulted in victory for the Allies - Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Rabaul, Guam, Iwo Jima and finally Okinawa.

This fascinating and heart-wrenching story is brought to life by the addition of 15 pieces of carefully selected facsimile memorabilia, ranging from military orders, to propaganda leaflets dropped by the Japanese on US troops to the personal diaries and letters home of  US generals, officers and ordinary soldiers.

Hard cover, photographs, removable facsimile documents, 64 pages.