War in the Pacific

Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 

by Ian W. Toll

Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942, by Ian W. Toll, is the first entry in his acclaimed Pacific War Trilogy. Covering the initial six months of the conflict—from the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 through the Battle of Midway in June 1942—the book examines how a staggering American defeat transformed into a strategic turning point. 

Toll depicts the initial stage of the Pacific Campaign as more than a series of battles, but a total trial by fire for the two nations involved. The first part of the story is some background on US-Japanese diplomacy and naval doctrine, followed by the shock of Pearl Harbor, then the early battles (Doolittle Raid, Java Sea, and Coral Sea), and finally Midway.

The story is equally divided between the American and Japanese high command, doctrine and decision making, and not just the Allied high command. Toll describes the change in operational philosophy from the traditional battleship-based doctrine (based on the writings of Alfred Thayer Mahan) to carrier aviation and submarine warfare.

This is history at its best. Compulsively readable. The author writes in a disarming style, and lays out the details. You find it hard to put the book down. Even with the detail of the story (this volume only brings you to the battle of Midway) the pages fly by as you get engrossed in the details of everything from the lead admirals to the minutia of all the significant battles.

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