Zenith Press

The Pacific War - The Strategy, Politics and Players That Won the War

by  William B. Hopkins

Reviewed By  Les Walden, IPMS# 44687

MSRP: $30 (USD) $32.95 (Canadian) ISBN: 0760334358 Website: www.zenithpress.com/ The book stays on point with the title. It covers the events leading up to WWII and the final surrender. The main political and military people are looked at through theirs and others' diaries. The two main players were MacArthur and Nimitz with their differing views on how the war should be won. MacArthur felt the best way to win was to go up through the Southwest Pacific and reclaim the Philippine Islands. Nimitz wanted to island hop up the Central Pacific to gain bases for the bombing of Japan. Coupled with this were Roosevelt and Churchill agreeing that the European War should get most of the material and resources, with the Pacific War being fought after the fall of Germany. Adding to this mix was the Army and Navy, vying for control in the Pacific. The reader is left wondering with all these private agendas how we managed to win the war as soon as we did. The center of the book has several pages of photographs that aren't new to a reader of Pacific War history. The pictures are clear and well produced with the split of action shots and personalities of command. This isn't a book of what it was like for the individual soldier or sailor. It's strictly about the political, military intrigues of the war. The planning of operations is covered through the development of the Atom Bomb. The most interesting personality is General MacArthur and what the different military men had to say about him. The book shows him to be dramatic, having charisma to make others like him and the fact he was out of touch with the situation in the field. The book is a good, easy read for anyone interested in the "Big Picture" of the Pacific War. The author has done a lot of research and it shows.