The Rising Sun in Pacific, 1931-April 1942: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume 3

Having been 5 years old when the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor took place, I delight in WWII history, especially regarding the Pacific Theater of operations. This is a signal work in that genre and I am delighted to have it and for a very reasonable price.

These remarks cover this entire series, rather than a single volume. If you enjoy naval or military history, this fifteen volume set will prove to be one of the most enjoyable reading experiences of your life. It covers virtually every USN operation of World War II in some detail, but at the same time, rather than reading like dusty history, it has a first-hand feel to it because the author actually participated in much of what he writes. It also contains personal anecdotes that don't exist in Official Histories; they add a little salt to the writing. The details of the various actions are quite complete and even an action as confusing as a night surface action is made very clear even for a non-sailor. It may seem like a lot of reading, but I have read the series cover to cover three times - it's that good. This is history as it is rarely written, up close and personal and at the same time on a global scale. Not to be missed.

This is volume III of Morison's fifteen volumes on U.S. naval operations in WWII, and his first of nine on the Pacific theater. It covers the rise of the Japanese empire during the decades leading up to Pearl Harbor and specifically the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the events which propelled them toward war such as the Manchuria incident and the sinking of the Panay. At the conclusion of the section on the rise of the IJN, Morison states a theme of sorts that informs much of the remaining volumes on the Pacific war. He writes that never since 1814 has the United States faced such a "tough, well-trained or powerful fighting force." But that "Stupidity characterized the strategy by which the Japanese navy was directed, and the supporting industrial base was fatally weak." Thorough coverage is given of the Pearl Harbor attack, and the subsequent rescue and salvage efforts. Then, the plight of the Philippines is chronicled, from the first attacks through the capitulation of Bataan and Corregidor. Next, the ordeal of the gallant but doomed Wake island garrison. In the final section, Morison details how the Japanese tightened the noose on the Dutch East Indies and the Malay peninsula, with the eventual disintegration of ABDA, the combined American-British-Dutch-Australian forces in the southwest Pacific. Morison ends the volume with the Doolittle force striking the mostly psychological blow against Tokyo. The long saga of Japanese triumphs and Allied setbacks concludes with a demonstration of the essential vulnerability of the Japanese empire, foreshadowing the reversals of fortune at Coral Sea and Midway, which are covered in volume IV.

This book is as well written and researched as the rest of the author's series on the US Navy during World War II. It is as informative and entertaining as any in the collection and well worth the price.

Although this is #3 in a set of 15, this is my first book read out of the group. Mr Morrison does a wonderful job piecing together accurate accounts of the early stages of the Pacific theater, along with the well written chapters regarding the prelude to war with Japan. How he achieved this was by actually writing about the war during the conflict. So much more is gained by writing in contact with events, while the participants are still alive. This book is much more detailed with events than other similar books, and the writing gives a feeling of almost being there.

This is the third volume in a fifteen volume series. Volume III is a very thorough history of the rise of Japan militarily between World War I and World War II. The book ends with the Halsey-Doolittle raid over Tokyo launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet on April 18, 1942.Morison's writing style is highly entertaining and his attention to detail unsurpassed. It is important to note that the author wrote this history right after the war's conclusion and from the perspective of one who had served on eleven different U.S. ships during the conflict.