Pacific Crucible: War At Sea In The Pacific, 1941-1942 (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
When I taught World War II, whether in college or in high school, it was always a very difficult proposition. In the survey courses, it was generally pretty late in the year, which meant that there wasn’t a great deal of time left on the semester clock. Because it was such a huge topic, even in the military history course I taught at UTSA did not seem to offer enough time to do justice to all its facets and complexities.Thus, despite a massive primary and secondary literature, I never had much opportunity to cover the material in class.'Pacific Crucible' treats one of those areas of the war that is deserving of detailed discussion in so many classes, but too often gets shunted into a secondary treatment. The first seven months of the Pacific War—from Pearl Harbor to Midway—is critical to understanding so many other aspects of the war (not just in the Pacific, but in Europe, as well).I like much of what Toll does here, always showing both sides’ (the Americans’ and the Japanese’) motives and responses to events and actions. Also, he is diligent to makes clear who knew what when. When one side misreads or misinterprets a situation, he is very clear as to why that has taken place, and what the consequences will be. He critical when appropriate and even accusatory when needed (particularly in connection with John and Joseph Redman and Joseph Wenger).In his coverage of the major battles (Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, and Midway), Toll provides the most comprehensive and comprehensible coverage I have read of circumstances that can easily become confusing. His examinations are fair-minded and complete. He offers some treatment of major interpretations and discusses his differences with those when appropriate.But once away from the Pacific, he gets bogged down and distracted. I don’t understand why he felt he needed to spend so much time on Churchill’s visit to Washington after Pearl Harbor (particularly since the British, even in the form of Australians and New Zealanders, are so peripheral to everything else he does). President Roosevelt, in fact, seems to get less treatment than Churchill.Overall, it is very good military and naval history. It is outstanding in its coverage of military intelligence and its role in this conflict. But is often frustrating, by wandering too far afield from its professed topic. I loved it. I've told everyone I know about it. Read it, I said. Read it, read it. They're tired of me telling them. So here I am to tell the internet. The focus was fantastic: From Pearl Harbor to Midway. This tells the tale of America's greatest setback and how she recovered and how she developed resolve. This is the story of many commanders and the bravery of sailors. It's the tale of genius on both sides of the war and of mistakes and of arrogance. There's nothing new in this book, but it's told here better than any I've read before.Read it.
What do You think about Pacific Crucible: War At Sea In The Pacific, 1941-1942 (2011)?
I really like the way Toll writes, wish there were more works to read.
—LaughingHa
