Michael O'Brien's Reviews > The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942–1944

An excellent work by Toll, covering the change in the Pacific War's momentum from Guadalcanal when the outcome was in the balance t0 1944 when it was swinging decisively against Japan.

Toll does a great job describing these events from the level of the trenches and the deckplates to the strategic level of the US President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I like that it gives much credit to an oft overlooked figure in World War 2 history, Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, who was crucial as the first JCS Chairman in coordinating with the service branches a coherent strategy for prosecuting the two theater war against the Axis Powers.

Unlike other accounts of the Pacific War, to his credit, he also includes the history of the US submarine fleet in crippling the Japanese war effort.

I also like that Toll does a great job in enaging manner in describing the process by which US commanders developed the strategy for defeating Japan --- as well as their various disagreements and rivalries.

Overall, an outstanding work --- I highly recommend it for anyone desiring to know more about the Pacific War during WW2.