The Pacific: Hell Was an Ocean Away

Well written and to the point.

I read many of the reviews before purchasing this book and found most want to relate it to the movie. As the author plainly states, this book is the work of research not used by the movie. This book should in no way be connected to the movie and stand on it's own merit. Also, I do believe the author also stated he was not a writer and this is his first book which he wrote in honor of his deceased Father.The book is very informative and I did not realize until reading this that I have never read much about Iwo Jima or Okanowa battles. Anyone who is interested in history or WWII should read this book as it should be a must read. Most WWII books you read only go the late 1943 and jump over the Pacific Theater until mid 1945, glossing over the horrors. After reading this, I am now is search of more books. Highly enjoyed reading and savoring the information provided. I agree at times, the reading seemed to jump around (as many other do) and at times you may have to review something that was previously wrote to keep the story line in mind. Even with any flaws the reader may find, this book should go on your reading list.One of the best informative books I have read in a long time. Full of new perspective and many new views not previously written.To Hugh Ambrose, I say thank you.

There are many things to like about The Pacific. The writing, unfortunately, is not one of them. But do we always pick up a book about the Greatest Generation and their exploits during World War II and expect a literary masterpiece? Not this reader. Sure, Stephen Ambrose moved us to tears as he wrote about the mighty 'Screaming Eagles' of the 101st Airborne Division going toe to toe with Hitler's elite SS Armored units in Arnhem. Ambrose gave life to the men of Easy Company, 506th Infantry Regiment, with passion and great clarity recounting their matchless courage in a way that few World War II historians have done before or since.His son, Hugh, deserves credit for attempting to do for the Pacific Theater what his father did for the European Theater - making it real for those of us who were not there while trying to fill his father's considerable shoes. Ambrose Jr. is certainly not without colorful characters in 'Manila' John Basilone, Sidney 'Sid' Phillips, Eugene B. 'Sledgehammer' Sledge, Austin 'Shifty' Shofner, and Vernon 'Mike' Micheel to work with and help him tell the story. These men are straight out of central casting and worth every bit of the legend attendant to their storied names. Without perhaps the finesse of his father, Ambrose knits together a gripping tale of their service and how their trajectories intersect in a war that would know no parallels in its ferocity. And he does so in a highly readable way. Yes, his writing style is a bit choppy, and he does not always handle the transition from one character's experience to another's as seamlessly or as artfully as he might. Yet there is believability in his writing.More important, we can accept this book for what it is - a companion 'reader' to the HBO miniseries with reasonable entertainment value.An avid reader of military history and war stories alike, I found The Pacific enjoyable for not only the realism but also the humorous anecdotes. I received a glimpse into the experiences of this uncommon breed of men as if they were relating them to me themselves. Many of their recollections ring true and are recounted as I believe these men would actually talk - not through a lot of frilly prose, but through honest, frank, and forthright accounts of a hellish existence on Bataan, Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and in the middle of the Pacific (Midway) with plenty of torpedoes, bombs, and antiaircraft fire keeping their juices flowing! Not just another day at the office, to be sure. From reading The Pacific, I was able to totally get it, and IT was sheer mayhem! Fear was the only constant in their helter skelter lives.This is war as it really happens - organized chaos! For the Marines and naval aviators who went through the meat grinder that characterized MacArthur's and Nimitz's Pacific island-hopping campaign, this is life as they knew it. Mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds and raindrops the size of silver dollars, suicidal Japanese banzai charges and 'bombs' shaped like planes falling determinedly from the sky on the helpless sailors below...From Micheel's white-knuckled, 60 degree dive in his Dauntless on an enemy aircraft carrier to Basilone's machine gun virtuoso in the face of hundreds of crazed, marauding Imperial Japanese soldiers, the reader sees it all, unvarnished and as it really happened. Ambrose's men, plain spoken and salt-of-the-earth Americans, were heroes of the highest order.For me, reading The Pacific was yet another reminder of the extraordinary sacrifice our grandparents made on our behalf. The bouts with malaria, dengue fever, and dysentery in the Cabantuan POW camp, the boxcar-size artillery rounds launched from 16-inch guns installed on Imperial Japanese battleships raining down on Marine fighting positions dug on Guadalcanal amidst the densest jungles conceived by God... How did these men do it? They did it simply because their buddies on either side were expecting them to do it. Not because they were superhuman, but because they were all-too-human and were young enough and foolish enough to believe they could.Island by island these great Americans fought their way to just miles from the Japanese mainland and within range of U.S. bombers. Sometimes ingloriously, but always with love of country in their hearts, they avenged the cold-blooded murder of their comrades at Pearl Harbor while reminding the world and any other would-be hegemon that America remained the mightiest nation on earth... that her spirit might be bowed but would never be broken.The Pacific is above all else instructive. We learn that in the final analysis, men learn to overcome unrelenting hardship because of those they hold most dear - their brothers-in-arms. They are the closest kind of relative, enduring whatever the elements or the enemy can throw at them, and they derive immense strength from the bonds that are forged by fire. It is not for the the unitiated to understand. It is for those who have lived it to merely nod to one another in quiet acknowledgement.Accept this one for what it is and enjoy!

Very well written book. Would recommend to anyone who has an interest in the Pacific war against Japan. God bless those who served to fight for our country

I've seen The Pacific mini series several times and although I like it, I never felt it had the depth it needed. The Pacific book focuses on five main men but their diverse experiences create a better representation of the battles and struggles in the Pacific islands. The segmented way it's written takes some getting used to but it is overall much better than the mini series.

I have been watching this series on HBO. Only one episode left. I wanted to see this in the first place because my dad fought in the Pacific. Like most Marines he didn't talk a lot about what happened. He was wounded on Guadalcanal. He almost died and was reported MIA for three weeks. He was found in a hospital in Hawaii. I wanted to see what he must have gone through. Guadalcanal was all he ever talked about and he said very little. This movie explains the mentality of the Marines and why they hated the Japanese so much. I am glad he didn't see this series. I think it would have been to hard for him to watch. He died in 1978. I feel this series puts into perspective the mentality of the Marines. It was horrible. They went through a lot and this movie is brutal in parts. Not for kids. I read some of the other reviews and one person had issues with the personal lives of some of the Marines. Tom Hanks wanted to keep it as realistic as possible and show the Marines outside of battle. I recommend this series to anyone except kids. I also think I understand why my dad and my uncles always hated the Japanese. Anyone that had to go through what they did have the right. Ground troops are up close and personal with the enemy. Anxious to see episode 10 which focuses on their return home. People don't understand why we fought this enemy but this series tells us. We had to keep the Japanese from taking over the entire Pacific just like Hitler tried to take over all of Europe. Unfortunately the US has to get involved in order to save the world. Can you imagine only two nations controlling the world? The Japanese in the Pacific and Hitler in Europe. Their control would have spread to every country on the globe. Great series.

top book top seller

This book includes a good deal more than the miniseries of the same name. Some of the stories viewers did not see were truly remarkable (and as good as the ones that did). I highly recommend the book for those interested in the history of WWII from the perspective of the who actually fought.

entretenido tanto por la forma como por el fondo, asi como bastante ligero de estilo, muy comprensible,yyes, para todas las edades

SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST MINISERIES I HAVE SEEN. GREAT COMBAT ACTION, REALISTIC. THE ONLY THING THAT DRAGS IT DOWN A LITTLE IS THE ROMANCE.

A great read, even though it is fact and a long time ago, you could still be part of it. I would recommend it to todays youth who seem to see fighting as a great thing to do. I would also teach how things really are.