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It’s now two years since I’ve been writing for Friends. Looking back, I realize that I have not written about events in the Pacific nearly enough. This month marks the eightieth anniversary of the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, the biggest naval battle of World War II. With that in mind, here are my favorite books about the Pacific War.
1] With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa – Eugene Sledge
All war is hell and this book, widely considered a masterpiece, reminds us why. Sledge served with the 5th Marines and first saw action at Peleliu eighty years ago. Combat was soul-searing and utterly savage, a “nightmare of flashes, explosions, and snapping bullets.” Beautifully written, drawn from notes he kept in battle, Sledge’s memoir takes us to the dark heart of the island-hopping war. Sledge learned fast how to kill, how to hate, how to survive and, ultimately, how to still remain human, capable of love and hope.
2] Helmet for My Pillow - Robert Leckie
Like Sledge, Leckie served with the Marines, seeing action at Guadalcanal, New Britain, and Peleliu. As with Sledge’s book, this classic was the basis for the celebrated HBO drama, The Pacific. Leckie was a hell of a warrior, lucky to survive, and a superb, deeply thoughtful writer, providing in this harrowing account one the finest descriptions of combat ever put to page. A must read for anyone who wants to know what guts and sacrifice really look like.
3] Miracle at Midway – Gordon Prange
This is a riveting, wonderfully inspiring tale. Six months after Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese Navy massed to deliver a knock-out blow to the United States, aiming for the atoll of Midway. With nail-biting suspense, Prange shows how great luck, the superb leadership of Admiral Chester Nimitz, and breath-taking heroism secured the first and most significant victory in the Pacific, turning the tide of the entire war.
4] The Admirals – Walter Borneman
It’s easy to forget how quickly the United States transformed from isolationist nation to a global super power during WWII. There’s no better example of this than the emergence in just a few short years of the United States Navy as the world’s most dominant. In this elegant history, America’s finest living naval historian, Borneman, zeroes in on four five-star admirals: William Leahy, Ernest King, Chester Nimitz, and William Halsey. Friends and rivals, this foursome was, without doubt, the key team that led the United States to victory over barbarism in the Pacific.
5] Day of Infamy – Walter Lord
Walter Lord sure knew how to write a page-turner and is most celebrated for his account of the sinking of the Titanic – A Night to Remember. There was a time in publishing when concise, short narratives were hugely successful. And this epic story - a blow by blow account of the events surrounding and actually on 7 December 1941 – is one of the finest examples of how brevity is often best. A brilliant distillation of vast research, it’s by far the most readable account of the day that would forever live in infamy.
6] Guadalcanal Diary – Richard Tregaskis
Rightly regarded as one of the finest pieces of reportage ever written, this is a haunting account of the 1942 Guadalcanal campaign – the first large-scale Allied attack in the Pacific. Richard Tregaskis was a volunteer combat reporter, one of just two to record the momentous invasion, and his meticulous and sober prose is still the model for the best combat journalism.
7] The Rape of Nanking – Iris Chang
Some may argue that this title does not belong in a list about the Pacific War, but Chang’s unforgettable account of Japanese atrocity is a must read if you want to understand how brutal humans can be, and why the Japanese were so loathed by their adversaries in WWII. In 1937, the Japanese army entered the Chinese city of Nanking and in just a few weeks committed one of history’s most appalling atrocities - murdering, raping and torturing over 300,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians. It makes for gruesome but very important reading. How easily we humans can descend into unimaginable darkness.
8] Goodbye, Darkness – William Manchester
Manchester was a gifted academic and perhaps the finest biographer of Winston Churchill. This is the most moving of his many books. Manchester was terribly haunted by his time in combat as a 23-year-old. He eventually returned to where he fought, hoping for catharsis perhaps, “angrily demanding to know what had happened to the three decades since he had laid down his arms.” The result is a profound, deeply emotional story of a young man who returned from hell and somehow found the resilience and words to record his own trauma. cid:clip_image009.png
9] The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors – James Hornfischer
I was blessed to have Hornfischer as my agent for many years. He was also a good friend who changed my life. Tragically, he passed away in 2021, at his prime, a victim of brain cancer. This book, his first about the US Navy in the Pacific, recounts the battle of Samar eighty years ago. I won’t spoil the story by adding more details – needless to say, this beautifully-told account of the US Navy’s finest hour is the best reminder of how talented Hornfischer was, and of how much he is missed.
10] Flags of Our Fathers – James Bradley, Ron Powers.
Hornfischer was an agent, a writer and an editor. His most celebrated blockbuster as an agent was this engrossing book, deservedly a huge New York Times bestseller and adapted into an acclaimed movie. This story of one of the most celebrated episodes of WWII – the raising of the Stars and Stripes atop Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima in February 1945 – is also a fantastic portrait of the Greatest Generation. Few books about war have had such impact in the recent decades.
