War in the Pacific

Richard Overy

Allen and Unwin (2010)

In 2001 the TV mini-series Band Of Brothers aired and was well received. It followed the history of A Company in the 101st Airborne Division through the war in Europe from D-Day. It was widely praised for its attention to detail and its accurate portrayal of the war from the point of view of the men who fought it. Now HBO is doing it again for the war in the Pacific. Like Band of Brothers the new series will be produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman. It will be based on a book by Professor of History Richard Overy of the University of Exeter in Britain. Professor Overy is an expert on World War II .

This book was issued to coincide with the release of the 10-part miniseries. To call it a book does not really do it justice. Although it does contain a brief history of the war, it also contains a vast number of photos and a group of facsimile documents that makes it more of a museum display than a book. It is not a dry history since the documents cover the personalities, the information handed out to soldiers, copies of handwritten battle reports and all the other little pieces of information that contribute to the overall picture. These documents are produced separately and stored in envelopes inside the book. Holding one of the copies in your hand makes the event being described a lot more personal. There is even a guide to Australia for U.S. servicemen, including Australian slang.

The history does not gloss over the inept handling of the forces at Pearl Harbor that led to the highly successful Japanese attack. Nor does it give the impression that the Pacific war was won solely by the U.S.

It does, however, include a facsimile of Roosevelt’s draft “Day Of Infamy” speech in which he broke the news to the American people that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. This speech was notable for being one of the best bits of “spin doctoring” ever, since he knew that the attack was coming and that the Japanese ambassador had tried to officially notify the U.S. government before the bombing started.

There is also a copy of “Yank”, the magazine issued to the troops. This one covers the battle for Iwo Jima. It also includes, surprisingly, a pinup girl. An article on How To Act At Home gives returning servicemen useful information such as “Don’t ever try to open doors with hand grenades”.

The book is hardbound and presented in a solid slipcase. The quality of the presentation matches the quality of the contents. It’s a wonderful package that promises to “bring those dramatic events to life as never before”. I think it works well, and I will definitely be waiting for the TV series to come out.

Reviews appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and print edition, reviews appear with multiple images and with expanded content. We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.

This review will appear in Volume 3 No. 3 of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

If you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here to go to the front page of Synergy Magazine Website or use the following link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com