World War II Database

The Pacific Campaign is an excellent primer for the Pacific Theater of WW2. The book is decided navy-focused, therefore tends to be in much greater detail when it comes to naval matters. Land-based actions is a bit grab-bag in nature. While, Some battles are in much greater detail, for instance the Japanese advance through the mountains of central New Guinea was written in beautiful detail and supported by quotes by surviving Japanese commanders as well as later-found diaries of soldiers, other battles were mentioned briefly with a single-page (sometimes less) narrative.

The author also brought many interesting views to light, for example the extent of Yamamoto's failures damaged the Japanese war effort and how MacArthur downplayed the importance of Australian troops in his mission to reclaim the Philippines. An extended section on code-breaking is also very intriguing and perhaps opens new topics of interests for new WW2 readers.

Politics, like land-based battles, are plentiful in some aspects but lacking in others. International politics are centered around Roosevelt and how he shaped the United States into the next world superpower through the major conferences. The author did a great job with this topic as the book revisits this idea whenever a conference is discussed, and the reader truly sees how each conference links with the previous, and how the war progressions affected the diplomacy between the United States, Great Britain, and Russia. However, the famed political intrigues between MacArthur and Roosevelt is merely mentioned by a few sentences.

Overall, the book is well written and the narratives captivating. Condensing the entire Pacific War into 400 pages is no easy task but Dan van der Vat succeeded with his attempt, omitting some fine details but yet not losing sight of the underlying reasons for each campaign and how the outcome of each campaign shaped subsequent events. This book is highly recommended for those who are seeking a refresher on the Pacific Theater, as well as a quick reference book on your desk for looking up a quick overview of a particular topic involving the Pacific.

From the Publisher:

Dan van der Vat's naval histories have been acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic as "definitive," "extraordinary," and "vivid and harrowing." Now he turns to the greatest naval conflict in history: the Pacific campaign of World War II. Drawing on neglected archives of firsthand accounts from both sides, van der Vat interweaves eyewitness testimony with sharp, analytical narration to provide a penetrating reappraisal of the strategic and political background of both the Japanese and American forces, as well as a major reassessment of the role of intelligence on both sides. A comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of the war in the Pacific, The Pacific Campaign promises to be the standard work on the U.S.-Japanese war for years to come.