Pacific Victory: Tarawa to Okinawa 1943-1945

By Derrick Wright

The American 'island-hopping' campaign in the Pacific during the Second World War was a crucial factor in the eventual defeat of Japan in 1945. The assault and capture of these islands meant US bombers and their fighter escorts could now reach mainland Japan, disrupting and eventually crippling its war economy. The battles on Tarawa, the Marshall Islands, the Marianas group, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa were all characterised by savage fighting and heavy casulaties on both sides. Japanese garrisons often fought to the death and kamikaze air attacks posed a grave threat to the opposing US forces. Employing archive colour and black and white photographs, maps and first-hand accounts, the author relates these pivotal battles to the wider struggle against the Japanese in the Pacific.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Aug 9, 2010
• ISBN: 9780752495408

Derrick Wright

Derrick Wright's interest in WWII was sparked by his childhood in the Teeside area of the UK which was subjected to many bombing raids. After national Service with the Army, he became an engineer specialising in Ultrasonics. Retired, he lives with his wife on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors.