Refighting The Pacific War: An Alternative History Of World War II

by James C. Bresnahan (Editor)

Refighting the Pacific War looks at how World War II in the Pacific might have unfolded differently, giving historians, authors and veterans the opportunity to discuss what happened and what might have happened. Contributors to this alternative history include noted military historians William Bartsch, John Burton, Donald Goldstein, John Lundstrom, Robert Mrazek, Jon Parshall, Douglas Smith, Peter Smith, Barrett Tillman, Anthony Tully, and H. P. Willmott. In all more than thirty Pacific War experts will provide commentary, employing a roundtable panel discussion format. The reader will hear from the experts on how history could and could not have been altered during the course of the war in the Pacific. With multiple opinions, the reader will be provided with an interesting collection of divergent views about the outcome of the war. Refighting the Pacific War focuses largely on naval battles and campaigns, including Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf. While the main concentration is on the major naval actions, the book also delves into key island battles, like Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, as well as pre-war and post-war political issues The panelists debate questions like whether the Japanese could have inflicted even greater damage on the U. S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and how Yamamoto might have won at Midway and how such a victory might have impacted the direction of the war. The book extensively studies the opening year of the war when the Japanese war machine seemed unstoppable. Also explored is whether the Pacific War was inevitable and whether the conflict could have ended without the use of the atomic bomb.Vice Admiral Yoji Koda, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (Ret.), provides the book's Introduction.

Genres: History, World War II, Military Fiction, Alternate History

275 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book title is a bit misleading. It is not really an alternative history of WWII in the Pacific, rather it is a group of WWII veterans and historians looking a key events in the Pacific campaign and expounding on what could have happened and how changing this event would or would not change the course of the campaign. In all a decent read.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of this book. This is probably the best way to deliver war history in a fun and digestable formate. Pacific Theater history is well known, so Bresnahan instead aims to flesh out the strategic routes not taken. A fun read written in seminar format. Experts get to ask and answers the “what-if” questions.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offered some interesting alternate courses that history could have taken but in the end there was too much American back-patting and chest pounding for my taste. And sentences like "One dead Marine is one too many." It is regrettable that it did not include any insights or thoughts from the Japanese side.
I find it interesting that whenever the Allied side was defending, they were valiant, when attacking, they were heroic and when Allied soldiers got killed, it was a tragedy. Somehow none of these sentiments are used for the Axis powers (who, as we all know, were inherently evil).
I don't want to sound like an apologist or something worse, but I feel that a true historian shouldn't express himself this way. I found the same thing with Anthony Beevor's "Second World War" and it bothered me to no end. I would for once like to read a history book where credit and criticisms are given where needed and the author's nationality is never felt. What's the point of reading a history book from Russia or North Korea? No point whatsoever.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book originally thinking it was written as an alternative scenario but instead it was a series of what if questions presented to experts. It became very interesting to read the differing opinions of how things would have played out had Japan does this instead of that. The responses are typically short and to the point without going into lots of details but do stay in the realm of realistic. There are no wild tangents that have Japan decimating the US and winning the war, at best the war lasts a year or two longer because one thing that constantly comes to bear is that no matter how perfect of a strategy Japan used in the end it would not be able to match the US in both manpower and industrial might.

Highly recommend this book for anyone who likes reading what might have been history.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

alot of common sense stuff....not very exciting...

[Artie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not ground breaking but interesting.