Good books on the PTO

[Mathman]

I have a huge interest in the PTO, the CV battles in particular.  I have recently found 2 books on what I would consider to be the lesser-known of the 5 carrier battles.

Both books are excellent.  Both are written by Eric Hammel.  The first is Carrier Clash and it is about the Battle of the Eastern Solomons.  I am currently reading this one and it is great.

The second is Carrier Strike.  This one is about the Battle of Santa Cruz.  This one is excellent!

Both are very readable, and give a very vivid and excellent account of not only the battles themselves, but the events leading up to them.  Both books have a good deal of background info on the situation on Guadalcanal at the time (very important as both battles are related to what was going on at Guadalcanal).

Anyways, just thought I would give everyone a heads up on two very excellent books.

-math

[Vladd]

Good choices Math.

If you've not seen them already, take a look at:

'The First Team'
'The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign'; both by John Lundstrom.

The books are heavyweight, but in terms of detail unsurpassed. Lundstrom was a Japanese linguist and has as much info on the 1942 battles from the Japanese perspective as anyone.

'Fire in the Sky,' by Eric Bergerud takes a different, analytical rather than narrative approach, but is also something of a masterpiece.


Vladd

[Mathman]

I just ordered the two "First Team" books last week.  I have heard nothing but praise for them.

Fire in the Sky was pretty good, but your right, it is a bit more analytical.  It tends to get a little dry in some places, but overall, it is a wonderful book.

Samuel Eliot Morrison's book, "Two Ocean War" is also very good.  Though in some places it is inaccurate, it gives an excellent feel and understanding as to how potent the USN was in World War 2 and the excellent leadership (Nimitz, King, Halsey, Turner, etc.) that more or less guaranteed that the USN would not lose to either Germany or Japan.  Though this is a good book, I want all the books in his multiple volume series on the USN in WW2.