Synopses & Reviews
The Battle of Midway is traditionally held as the point when Allied forces gained advantage over the Japanese. In
Islands of Destiny, acclaimed historian and military intelligence expert John Prados points out that the Japanese forces quickly regained strength after Midway and continued their assault undaunted.
Taking this surprising fact as the start of his inquiry, he began to investigate how and when the Pacific tide turned in the Allies favor. Using archives of WWII intelligence reports from both sides, Prados offers up a compelling reassessment of the true turning in the Pacific: not Midway, but the fight for the Solomon Islands.
Combat in the Solomons saw a series of surface naval battles, including one of the key battleship-versus-battleship actions of the war; two major carrier actions; daily air duels, including the aerial ambush in which perished the famous Japanese naval commander Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku; and many other hair-raising exploits. Commencing with the Allied invasion of Guadalcanal, Prados shows how and why the Allies beat Japan on the sea, in the air, and in the jungles.
Review
"Prados reframes the Normandy Campaign and, in so doing, tells us the story we do not know."
Review
“A fresh point of view…Prados has done his homework, writes fine battle descriptions and makes a convincing case that events during the summer of 1944 predicted the subsequent course of the war.”
Review
“A fresh and compelling account of the true turning point of the Pacific War.”—Evan Thomas,
New York Times Bestselling Author of
Ikes Bluff and
Sea of Thunder
“Authoritative…Islands of Destiny serves as a powerful reminder of the geography, the strategy, and the ferocity of the Solomons campaign.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Islands of Destiny is essential reading for anyone interested in the Pacific War.”—World War II
“Even casual readers of World War II history will find [Islands of Destiny] engaging, and they will likely agree that the author makes a strong case for his revisionist assessment. A well-crafted addition to the canon of World War II military histories.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[Prados] argues that Guadalcanal and the Solomons campaign, not Midway, were the Pacific Wars true turning point. His use of Japanese primary sources is especially impressive. Imperial Navy figures, often treated as ciphers, regain their humanity in this authors sympathetic hands.”—San Diego Union-Tribune
Synopsis
The Battle of Normandy was the greatest offensive campaign the world had ever seen. It was also the crucible of combat tactics and logistic techniques that would decide the outcome of World War II... The Battle of Normandy began on D-Day. June 6, 1944—the day that the Allied forces launched the great crusade to free Europe from the iron grip of Nazi Germany. Tightly constricted hedgerow country and bitter German resistance held the Allied advance to a crawl—until they broke through and trapped the Nazi armies. Yet within weeks of this stunning disaster, the Germans smashed the most dangerous Allied offensive yet. How was this possible? Noted author John Prados answers this vexing question with an account that reframes the Normandy breakout. Shifting between battle action and command decisions on both sides, Normandy Crucible lucidly illustrates how this campaign molded the climactic battle for Europe.
Synopsis
Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George S. Patton, and General Omar N. Bradley engineered the Allied conquest that shattered Hitler's hold over Europe. But they also shared intricate connections going back decades, and in the Second World War, they found their prewar friendships complicated by shifting allegiances, jealousy, insecurity, patriotism, and ambition.
Drawn from the candid accounts of its main characters, this book reveals the real men beneath the legends.
Synopsis
A military intelligence expert examines the most formative battle of World War II. The Battle of Normandy was the greatest offensive campaign the world had ever seen. Millions of soldiers battling for control of Europe were thrust onto the front lines of a massive war unlike any experienced in history. But the greatest of clashes would prove to be the crucible in which the outcome of World War II would be decided.
Author John Prados tells the story of how and why the tactics and battle plans of Normandy proved so formative, and reconstructs the climactic Allied Normandy breakout from both sides of the battle lines.
About the Author
Dr. John Prados is a Senior Research Fellow on national security, including foreign affairs, intelligence, and military subjects, at the National Security Archive. He directs the Archive's Iraq Documentation Project, as well as its Vietnam Project. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from Columbia University. His books Unwinnable War, Keepers of the Keys (on the National Security Council) and Combined Fleet Decoded (on intelligence in the Pacific in World War II) were each nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He has published articles with Vanity Fair, The Journal of American History, Scientific American, MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe.