War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific [With DVD]

War Stories II is a must have for history buffs or novices alike. First hand accounts along with maps and excellent research lead you through the war in the Pacific step by step. The war in the Pacific was especially bloody and costly simply because we were fighting an enemy that preferred death to defeat. The Geneva Conventions Accord meant nothing to the Japanese. You will feel just about every emotion available to you. My feelings were anger, disgust and shock. War is a terrible thing but the war in the Pacific was brutal and inhumane. You will not have a dull moment in this great book, from cover to cover. This should be required reading for all High School students.

A wonderful book with a DVD containing interviews of some of the greatest generation who fought for our future. Dopes like Joseph from San Diego, who put down Lt. Colonel North, would'nt know a heroe if he had to spit on one. Physical cowards like Joseph show the weakness of the younger generation. I was in the Marines and know how honorable people like my WWII Colonel grandfather and his kind are. You liberals live your spoiled lives because of people like him, the ones in this book, and Lt. Colonel North. Hey Joseph, cover your ears because this will hurt: "GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

Since I'm not much of a fan of cousin Olie it bothers me that I like the book so much. But what can you say? It's an excellent history filled with detail and insight that I think only an ex-combat marine would see. Very readable and interesting. A very decent work that will personalize the battles that more academic historians write about.

I am 63 and listened to the end of the War on Grandma's console Short Wave radio. I studied a lot of history in college and read all the WWII naratives in paperback in the 50's. But you know...amost NONE of the younger generations know anything about just how big and tough the War was on the world, and how much sacrifice the Allies went through to win. When you learn that enslaved prisioners died under Tojo's troops building the Burma railroad .... at one per 12 feet, or that sometimes 42 of 45 men in a company were killed trying to take island atols the size of a Walmart parking lot, or if you can visualize what it must have been like to watch 5 big naval ships go down in sight of each other, then you grasp just how destructive the war was. This book weaves the big picture of the Pacific theatre strategy with personal experiences of Rangers, Marines and Sailors. This is easy to read and perfect for folks who don't sit down with heavy books. Print-size worked for my aging eyes. Just after reading about retaking the Phillipines we stopped on the road at Springville, UT for lunch. In comes an old man with his son, and I couldn't help but ask, " Did your Dad serve?" "Sure, he says, hey, Dad what ship were you on?" "The Nevada!" The Battleship Nevada was attacked at Pearl Harbor! (More tears.)

Just as the title says, this is a series of war stories. To the history buff the broad outline of the war is well known. We know about the midget submarines at Parh Harbor, the Doolittle raid, breaking the Japanese code at Station Hypo which led to our victory and Midway and so on. What makes this book so good is the stories of the men. How Col. North found the seaman manning the gun on the USS Ward which sank one of the midget subs, the Corporal on one of Doolittle's B-25s, a crewman from the Yorktown which was lost at Midway I can't imagine. But it's these stories, their war stories that really make this book. In addition to the printed material, there's a DVD included with the book giving more War Stories.