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The Pacific War 1941-1943
The Pacific War 1941-1943
Sep 20, 2024 2:58 AM

Author:James Holland

The Pacific War 1941-1943

Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES

- Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbour?

- How did the Americans underestimate the Japanese?

- What were 'banzai charges,' and how did the discipline of the Japanese lead to their downfall?

FOLLOW the lethal turns of World War II through the theatre of the Pacific War. From the devastating attack on Pearl Harbour to the decisive triumph of the Allies at Guadalcanal, the entry of Japan and America to the fighting changed the course of World War II completely.

JAPAN'S DEADLY OFFENSIVE, AMERICA'S DECISIVE VICTORY

Written by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland, THE PACIFIC WAR 1941-1943 is an essential, accessible introduction to the battles that defined Pacific conflict in World War II.

Reviews

Masterly...illuminated by a host of hitherto unpublished anecdotes and quotations, together with the fruits of his own labors in Dutch archives. A meticulous, wonderfully vivid, and justly angry account of one of the great cock-ups of World War II

—— Max Hastings

This absorbing new account of the battle with the eye for telling detail which we have come to expect from Antony Beevor. . . this time, though, he turns his brilliance as a military historian to a subject not just of defeat, but dunderhead stupidity.

—— Tony Rennell , Daily Mail

Beevor tells a story that is more human and complex than what he calls "the great myth of heroic failure", a tale of vanity, hubris, occasional incompetence, human frailty and remarkable grit. . . In Beevor's hands, Arnhem becomes a study of national character.

—— Ben Macintyre , The Times

Antony Beevor's magnificent account. . . Beevor's skill lies in his ability to recreate the tumultuous brutality of battle. . . With stark honesty, Beevor describes the terrible panoply.

—— Gerard De Groot , The Times

The analysis he has produced of the disaster is forensic. Aficionados of military history will revel in Beevor's microscopic detail, with every skirmish given its rightful place. . . Beevor's prodigious research has nevertheless unearthed many treasures, particularly his record of the sufferings of Dutch civilians who risked their necks by nursing wounded allied soldiers.

—— Giles Milton , Sunday Times

Complete mastery of both the story and the sources. The beauty is in the details. . . . This gripping book, with its tightly focused timescale and subject matter, shows him once again at his very best.

—— Keith Lowe , Literary Review

Another masterwork from the most feted military historian of our time. . . Does the story need to be retold? Beevor is such a good writer, with a gift for clarity and a knack for the telling personal portrait, that the answer is undoubtedly yes.

—— Jay Elwes , Prospect Magazine

Our greatest chronicler of the Second World War . . . The drama of manoeuvre and counter-thrust, the courage and cowardice of soldier and civilian, the follies and vanities of commanders, which are especially rich in this story, are deployed with colour and humanity. His fans will love it.

—— Robert Fox , Evening Standard

As Antony Beevor showed in Stalingrad, he is a master of his craft as a military historian. . . We have here a definitive account of one of the most painful episodes of the Second World War.

—— Piers Paul Read , The Tablet

It is, in short, a chapter of the Second World War that was crying out for the storytelling talents of Sir Antony Beevor, arguably the finest narrative historian of his generation. This is the result - and his many fans will not be disappointed . . . Beevor's particular skill is his ability to unearth new sources that articulate the experience of war felt by ordinary people: soldiers and civilians, men and women. . . Beevor has produced another superb book, tirelessly researched and beautifully written, that will long be the benchmark for this subject.

—— Saul David , Daily Telegraph

Beevor's superlative new book . . . Arnhem sees him return to Stalingrad form. Forensic is too soft a word to describe the breadth of detail he brings.

—— Marco Giannangel , Daily Express, *****

The compressed time scale and limited strategic scope of Market Garden ideally suit the author's testimony-rich approach . . . Beevor is a highly accomplished architect of what the American literary scholar Samuel Hynes calls 'battlefield gothic': the nightmarish horrors and absurdities of combat

—— Daniel Todman , Wall Street Journal

On holiday I read and am wholly absorbed by Antony Beevor's Arnhem. Though I am defeated by much of the military detail, the human side of the action, the troops in the gliders, their fears and all too often their fates, are beautifully told, with some of the bloodshed and killing unbearable

—— Alan Bennett , Diary 2018

This is destined to be a World War II military history classic . . . Beevor's superb latest offering, in keeping with his established record of excellence, is a must-read

—— Publishers' Weekly

Arnhem brings a wealth of new detail to a major World War II disaster . . . Beevor brings to the familiar story a vast amount of research in German, British, American, Polish, and Dutch archives. As usual, his narrative bristles with specifics, including countless observations gleaned from eyewitnesses to every stage of Market Garden. Devoted readers of military history will enjoy the wealth of details

—— Steve Donoghue , The Christian Science Monitor

With devastating command of his subject, Antony Beevor shows how one commander's hubris destroyed an army . . . No one beats Beevor at recreating the bewildering cacophony of war

—— The Times, History Book of the Year

Arnhem was one of the most epic engagements of WW2 and Antony Beevor gives it his usual excellent and fascinating big battle treatment, which makes for a gripping read

—— Stuart Tootal

Accomplished

—— Prospect

Rich and colourful . . . [there is] a vividness and poignancy that other accounts have lacked

—— Richard Overy , Financial Times

McKay's book is better than narrative history. It is biography, but of place, rather than person. He makes Dresden come alive, before, during, and after the infernal 13th

—— John Lewis-Stempel , Daily Express, *****

A passionate and original account of the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945, one of the most controversial evens of the Second World War

—— Best Books of 2020: our favourites so far

A weighty and considered investigation of events . . . an excellent book . . . providing a reliable, engaging, informative and, above all, sober narrative of events. The book will enable readers to make up their own minds - should they so desire - on the rights and wrongs of the matter. It is highly recommended

—— BBC History Magazine

This minute-by-minute retelling tackles the big questions, but also - by drawing on the letters and diaries from the Dresden City Archive - never loosed sight of the experiences of people who witnessed, and suffered, the attach first-hand

—— BBC History Revealed, Book of the Month

It's a wonderful book, so absorbing, thoughtful and thought provoking, I didn't want it to end

—— Maureen Waller, author of London 1945: Life in the Debris of War

Bouverie’s well-written Appeasing Hitler aims to provide a timeless lesson on the challenges of standing up to aggression.

—— Jo Johnson , Financial Times

Bouverie has mined an impressive range of sources and quotes from them judiciously. His narrative is lucid, his prose efficient, his put-downs witty… [he] tells an important story well.

—— Lucy Hughes-Hallett , New Statesman

The skill with which Tim Bouverie navigates here through the worlds of politics, officialdom and diplomacy is quite exemplary… his explanations of complex issues are always lucid; his narrative style is thoughtful, unshowy and always a pleasure to read… This is, quite simply, the best book ever to have appeared on this whole subject

—— Noel Malcolm , Oldie

Bouverie’s Appeasing Hitler provides a meticulous picture of a Britain that faced very different problems from our own

—— Thelma Lovell , Catholic Herald

Scrupulously fair, [and a] readable account… [an] excellent book

—— Marcus Tanner , Tablet

Appeasing Hitler…is a staggeringly good account of the build-up to the Second World War… gripping, dramatic and revelatory

—— Christian May , City AM

Bouverie’s prose is fluent and assured throughout. Those in search of an entertaining read will find one… an admirable retelling of traditional history

—— Robert Crowcroft , History Today

An enthralling, nuanced tale… the narrative is absolutely compelling

—— Times Literary Supplement

An elegantly written account by a rising young historian

—— The Times, *Summer reads of 2019*

This is a gripping account of the wishful thinking that led us to the precipice

—— Neil Armstrong and Hephzibah Anderson , Mail on Sunday, *Summer reads of 2019*

There is a sure command of narrative and judgment in faultlessly lucid prose, with subtexts of pathos

—— Bruce Anderson , Spectator

A fascinating narrative on the politics of wishful thinking and the law of unintended consequences in international relations

—— Ali Ansari , History Today, *Books of the Year*

[A] finely researched and well-argued book

—— Daily Mail, *Books of the Year*

[A] phenomenal book

—— William Keegan , Observer

Excellent

—— Andrew Roberts , Wall Street Journal

Excellent and compelling

—— William Leith , Evening Standard
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