Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943

With this excellent entry, military historian McManus (Deadly Sky) begins a two-volume chronicling of the history of the U.S. Army’s activities in the Pacific theater during WWII. The first section focuses on Pearl Harbor and the disastrous American defeat in the Philippines, with a particular emphasis on the plight of American POWs enduring unsanitary conditions and abuse at the hands of their Japanese captors. The second part looks at the key battles of the American counterattack in the Pacific, including Buna, Guadalcanal, and Makin. Extensive research drawing on government archives and academic and private collections has yielded diverse and extensive sources, allowing the author to seamlessly shift the reader’s point of view from high command to the frontline view of soldiers in battle. McManus doesn’t shy away from noting the flaws of the major players, such as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who deviated from the long-accepted war plan for the defense of the Philippines and kept his family with him throughout the war in contradiction to army policy. For all its length and its detailed scholarly research, this history is imminently readable. Both the general reader and the military history expert will find it informative and enjoyable. Agent: Michael Congdon, Don Congdon Assoc. (July)