Book Review: The Pacific War: The Strategy, Politics, and Players that Won the War

Archives

by William B. Hopkins

Minneapolis: Zenith/MBI, 2008. Pp. vii, 392. Illus, maps, notes, biblio., index. $30.00. ISBN:0760334358

As indicated in its sub-title, this work provides a comprehensive look at Pacific War at the highest levels, policy, grand strategy, economics, and particularly the personalities, political and military, who directed the war. 

A trio of chapters setting the deep background are followed by a series of chapters that unfold chronologically, and cover specific campaigns or aspects the war, including strategic direction, economic mobilization, the submarine and air offensives, and the surrender of Japan .  Operational developments are treated only in the broadest outline, and tactical and technical matters hardly at all, which is appropriate given the purpose of the book. 

The book successfully synthesizes a good deal of recent scholarship on the war, and is likely to be of use to anyone with an interest in the Pacific Theater.


Reviewer: A. A. Nofi   


Buy it at Amazon.com

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close