What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Discussion about books, videos, DVDs, games and other media related to the Pacifc Theatre.

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Andy in West Oz
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Andy in West Oz »

baders wrote:The reference work "Beaufighters in the Pacific - A History of the RAAF Beaufighter Squadrons in the South West Pacific Area" By Neville Parnell. ISBN 0-589-50181-X
The definitive Pacific Beaufighter reference work.
Received this book in the mail this week (could afford it at last) and it truly is superb. A4 format, well-produced and just full of detail.
Andy Wright
Aircrew Book Review
I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library - Jorge Luis Borges

Timerover51
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Timerover51 »

Presently, I am going through The Japanese Navy at the End of WW2, and also Morison's Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, since I am planning an expedition to the New Georgia group in the Central Solomons to locate the wrecks of several ships, to include the USS Grampus, a submarine that vanished in the area in March of 1943.

roger-wilco-66
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by roger-wilco-66 »

Nice thread, I have just finished "Flights of passage" by Sam Hynes, an autobiography of his time as a TBM pilot. Very interesting and a little unusual because he takes a very personal viewpoint and tries to describe what has happend through the eyes of a 21 year old "boy", in which - in my opinion - he really succeeded.

Now I read "Black Cat raiders of WW2" (I think for the 4th time :-) )


Cheers,
Mark

Timerover51
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Timerover51 »

Right now, I am working through a collection of short stories covering WW2, called 100 Best True Stories of World War Two. It covers the entire war, including the Eastern Front, and has one piece on the Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940. The stories are either personal accounts or news stories filed by correspondents during the war. There is a nice one about Al Schmid, the Marine machine gunner at Guadalcanal; Ike Kepford, the Marine Ace; Hugh Barr Miller, the Castaway of Arundel Island; and a host of other good personal Pacific accounts. It came out in 1946, and has been long out of print, but there are copies available on the web for a reasonable price.

diddyriddick
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by diddyriddick »

Re-reading War Plan Orange: The US Strategy to Defeat Japan, 1897-1945 by Edward S. Miller. Since I am rereading, I won't say there are any eye-openers, but it does challenge some of what I believed to be true about WWII. Specifically, there was an ongoing disagreement between the Navy and the Army over the Phillipines. The Army believed that it should be defended as fully as possible, and immediately retaken if lost. The Navy pretty much gave up on The Philippines by 1925 as indefensible and irretrievable until much later in the war. Obviously, the Navy proved correct.

A bit dry, but still an excellent read!

richard rudd
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by richard rudd »

Just finished a re-read of "The Searchers" by J Eames. Covers just a few of the many missing RAAF aircraft and aircrew, from the searcher parties put out thru PNG, Dutch New Guinea, Halmaheras and etc. Keith Rundle et al, really busted themselves in extremely difficult conditions. One guy even took a party
from Lae to Port Moresby ..on foot!! ..chasing up leads from locals all over the inland country.

One of the aspects of the book that was fascinating from todays warbird interest... when looking for US and RAAF aircraft, they found many Japanese aircraft as well.... but that wasnt their mission, so they just moved on. Heaps of stuff still out there, obviously.

Andy in West Oz
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Andy in West Oz »

It's a good book, Richard, and thanks for reminding me about it. I remember reading certain sections with a lump in my throat. Read it in 1999 (time to read it again) when I lived in Bunbury. The cover, with the helicopter hovering off a cliff ledge on which lies the wreck of a B-25, is very dramatic and certainly one to suck anyone like us in. Would be great to see more like this.
Andy Wright
Aircrew Book Review
I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library - Jorge Luis Borges

Andy in West Oz
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Andy in West Oz »

While we were away on holiday I read Michael Olson's Tales From A Tin Can - the USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. A good read indeed with lots of memories from crewmembers throughout Dale's career.

Hornfischer's Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors is still the benchmark for me.
Andy Wright
Aircrew Book Review
I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library - Jorge Luis Borges

Anthony J. Mireles
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Anthony J. Mireles »

I am reading My New Guinea Diary by Sergeant pilot Ernest Ford.

Almost done.

TonyM.

Andy in West Oz
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Andy in West Oz »

Now into Zero Hour In Broome by Lewis and Ingman.
Andy Wright
Aircrew Book Review
I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library - Jorge Luis Borges

LarryRickert
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by LarryRickert »

Have read and keep at hand for research purposes:

Back Load
433rd Toop Carrier Group
February 1943 - June 1944
New Guinea

Contains pics from MacArthur down to group pics of ground and air crews (with names), a history of the 433rd, operations, narratives on "life in the jungle" and, by squadron, narratives, stories, and much more.

Will attempt to do lookups (within reason). But, since it is not indexed, the more search criteria available - the better the results. It is not copyrighted, so I can scan and send immages.

Also, I have the squadron records for the 66th TC SQ, of the 433rd TC GP - fantastic daily details. It covers from activation in Dec 1943 to Nov 1945 (approximately 90 pages per month). Due to being microfilm copies of the original documents, which were then scanned to PDF, the quality is readable, but not searchable as text.

You can contact me at: Lrickert741@aol.com

richard rudd
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by richard rudd »

Just finished RUFF STUFF by Tina Susedik. The story of Norbert C Ruff, pilot with the 80th FS in PNG, flying P39, P400 and P38.
Fascinating yarn and good pictures. Gives a good insight into the problems of the Pacific war in the early days. He knocked down 4 confirmed and some damaged? all in the P38. Altho he has now passed on, Fred Hagen's fighter collection has his P38 done up as X "Ruff Stuff", so his memory flies on.

Andy in West Oz
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Andy in West Oz »

Finally into Ernest C Ford's My New Guinea Diary.
Andy Wright
Aircrew Book Review
I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library - Jorge Luis Borges

Sydhuey
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Sydhuey »

Almost finished "Air Combat at 20 Feet" by Garrett Middlebrook, low level B-25 staffer stories with 38th Bomb group,
read again for about the 3 rd time "Battle of the Bismarck Sea" by Lex McAulay, air ops in the Battle good read and great start point for research on crews/sqns/aircraft in the battle,
and got last month "Rampage of the Roarin'20's", by Lawrance J Hickey, great book on the A-20's of the 312th BG, also have "Warpath Across the Pacific" by Lawrence Hickey and intend to get his "Saga of the Sunsetters" 38th BG next.

Boba
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Re: What Pacific based book are you reading at the moment?

Post by Boba »

I'm currently into The Emperor's Codesby Michael Smith (Arcade. 2007. ISBN 1-55970-852-2), which goes a long way towards debunking the myth of the Americans being the first to break the Japanese codes, when in fact the British and Australians were active from the 1920s. The book includes detail on the British, American and Australian code breakers, kanaoperators and translators, including that hoary old chestnut as to who actually cracked Yamammoto's itinerary in April 1943.

Thus far a very absorbing book.

Cheers,

Bob Alford
Lampang Thailand

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