The Pacific (The Official HBO/Sky TV Tie-in)

The Pacific (The Official HBO/Sky TV Tie-in)

by HughAmbrose (Author)

Synopsis

Sidney C. Philips, an easygoing Alabama teenager, enlisted along with a buddy. 'Manila John' Basilone was the son of immigrants who found happiness in the rough-and-ready life of a marine. Eugene B. Sledge watched his best friend and his brother go off to war-and finally rebelled against his parents to follow them. 'Shifty' Shofner was the scion of a prominentfamily with a long record of military service. Ensign Vernon 'Mike' Micheel left the family farm to complete flight school. Between America's retreat from China in late 1941 and the moment that MacArthur's plane landed in Japan in August 1945, these five men fought many of the key battles of the war in the Pacific. Here, Hugh Ambrose focuses on their real-life experiences and those of their fellow servicemen, enhancing and expanding upon the story told in the HBO miniseries. Covering nearly four years of combat with unprecedented access to military records, letters, journals, memoirs, photographs, and interviews, this volume offers a unique historical perspective on the war against Japan, from the debacle in Bataan to the miracle of Midway, the relentless vortex of Guadalcanal, the black terraces of Iwo Jima, and the killing fields of Okinawa-and ultimately the triumphant yet uneasy return home. These are the true stories of the men who put their lives on the line for their country, who were dispatched to the other side of the world to fight an enemy who preferred suicide to surrender; men who suffered hardship and humiliation in POW camps; men who witnessed casualties among soldiers and civilians alike; and men whose medals came at a shocking price-a price paid in full by all.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 508
Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
Published: 07 Oct 2010

ISBN 10: 1847678246
ISBN 13: 9781847678249
Book Overview: The Official Companion Book to the HBO miniseries from the producers of Band of Brothers

Media Reviews
A brutal account ... for those who want more of the nightmare of those foxholes after ten hours of The Pacific, this book is for you. * * The Times * *
Extremely good ... he lets his soldiers tell the story. Through those young men we are given an uncompromising picture of the war, which, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, most Americans believed to be their most important engagement. The TV series might offer us a glimpse of that distant conflict in the Pacific. Hugh Ambrose's book gives us the greatestgeneration in the round. * * Scotsman * *
A compelling book which affords Pacific veterans the testament they deserve. -- Julian Fleming * * Sunday Business Post * *
It's a fascinating, meticulous book full of facts that make you sit up. * * Sunday Herald * *
Author Bio
Hugh Ambrose is a noted historian and was a consultant on the documentary Price for Peace, for which Steven Spielberg and Stephen Ambrose were the Executive Producers. He was a consultant to his father on his books, and is also serving as the historical consultant on HBO's The Pacific miniseries. Ambrose is also the former vice president of the National WWII Museum and has led battlefield tours through Europe and along the Pacific Rim. He lives in Helena, Montana.