The Pacific War Encyclopedia - Softcover

Nofi, Albert A.; Dunnigan, James F.

4.25

12 ratings by Goodreads

9780816043934: The Pacific War Encyclopedia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0816043930 ISBN 13: 9780816043934

Publisher: Checkmark Books, 1998

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Covers the battles and campaigns, leaders, major military units, and weaponry of World War II in the Pacific, and examines the political, social, and economic factors that affected the war's progress and outcome.

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From Booklist:

More than a chronology of battles and campaigns, this source provides background material that allows the reader to comprehend the factors, developments, and results of World War II's Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO). The authors are a military analyst for NBC and an author of numerous books on military history.

Entries are arranged alphabetically and include the expected people (military personnel and politicos from all sides, as well as persons such as Charles Lindbergh and Ernie Pyle), places (Manchukuo, Melbourne, Nagasaki, Timor, etc.), and events (Battle of Iwo Jima, Port Chicago mutiny). Entries such as black Americans in the Pacific War, prisoners of war, sunglasses, and torpedoes cover other aspects of the conflict. Throughout the text, tables are used to provide information on such topics as casualties, troop strength, and weapons, and to compare resources and losses in the PTO with those in the European arena and with those in other wars. Especially interesting are tables that address logistical matters, such as food rations, and those that compare personnel, such as Allied and Japanese aces. Less heroic aspects of the war are discussed in entries such as altitude sickness; friendly fire; Pearl Harbor, the doomed survivors; and Tokyo Rose. Entries generally range in length from a paragraph to around five pages for deception and American citizens, relocation of, with most being less than a page. Longer entries include citations to one or more references. Entries for individual battles and campaigns were kept short because the authors "wanted to focus . . . on matters not usually covered in standard histories."

A 75-page chronology follows the entries, and there is a nine-page bibliography (including Web sites). A nice feature for today's researchers is the table of Modern Equivalents of Notable Pacific War Place-Names. Another is the table of Code Words and Code Names. There are numerous illustrations from the National Archives.

Well written, albeit with an admitted American perspective, this is a useful source that many will enjoy reading and browsing for background material that enhances understanding. Recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries as a good starting point for more in-depth research.

From Library Journal:

Veteran writers of popular military history and strategy, the authors have done a credible job of compiling numerous entries on all aspects of the Pacific Theater in World War II. Besides the expected identifications of battles, campaigns, and people, they include weaponry, warship classes, and aircraft types as well as units and orders of battle. Statistical data appear in frequent tables and information boxes. In a reference work of this nature, much depends upon the resources and skills of the compilers, and though some of the facts and figures here can inevitably be nit-picked, overall the information is accurate and clearly presented. In addition, the authors share their opinions as freely as their basic knowledge, presenting an insider's viewpoint and frequently taking sides in controversies. The result is lively as well as informative, and the book will be attractive to military buffs while still useful to more serious researchers. A futuristic addition to the volume's back matter is a "Cyberlist," a handy collection of appropriate web sites and hyperlink resources for use by readers with Internet access. Recommended for larger public libraries.?Raymond L. Puffer, Edwards Air Force Base, Victorville, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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