Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943

Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943

An engrossing, epic history of the US Army in the Pacific War, from the acclaimed author ofÂ The Dead and Those About to Die

â€œThis eloquent and powerful narrative is military history written the way it should be.â€â€”James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
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"Out here, mention is seldom seen of the achievements of the Army ground troops," wrote one officer in the fall of 1943, "whereas the Marines are blown up to the skies." Even today, the Marines are celebrated as the victors of the Pacific, a reflection of a well-deserved reputation for valor. Yet the majority of fighting and dying in the war against Japan was done not by Marines but by unsung Army soldiers.
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John C. McManus, one of our most highly acclaimed historians of World War II, takes readers from Pearl Harborâ€”a rude awakening for a military woefully unprepared for warâ€”to Makin, a sliver of coral reef where the Army was tested against the increasingly desperate Japanese. In between were nearly two years of punishing combat as the Army transformed, at times unsteadily, from an undertrained garrison force into an unstoppable juggernaut, and America evolved from an inward-looking nation into a global superpower.
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At the pinnacle of this richly told story are the generals: Douglas MacArthur, a military autocrat driven by his dysfunctional lust for fame and power; Robert Eichelberger, perhaps the greatest commander in the theater yet consigned to obscurity by MacArthur's jealousy; "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell, a prickly soldier miscast in a diplomat's role; and Walter Krueger, a German-born officer who came to lead the largest American ground force in the Pacific. Enriching the narrative are the voices of men otherwise lost to history: the uncelebrated Army grunts who endured stifling temperatures, apocalyptic tropical storms, rampant malaria and other diseases, as well as a fanatical enemy bent on total destruction.
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This is an essential, ambitious book, the first of two volumes, a compellingly written and boldly revisionist account of a war that reshaped the American military and the globe and continues to resonate today.

INCLUDES MAPS AND PHOTOS
Country USA
Brand Dutton
Manufacturer Dutton Caliber
Binding Hardcover
Color Multicolor
ReleaseDate 2019-07-30
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780451475046

Country	USA
Brand	Dutton
Manufacturer	Dutton Caliber
Binding	Hardcover
Color	Multicolor
ReleaseDate	2019-07-30
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780451475046

Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943

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