After having read (i.e. heard) part I of the trilogy, I have now finished part II. Unfortunately, this part is not read by the same narrator, whom I liked a lot. The new voice is quite monotone in comparison. For that alone I'm taking it down one star.
Another star had to go, because this middle part of the Pacific War was... less exciting than the earlier part with Pearl Harbor and Midway (sorry if this sounds irreverant).
It was a a sequence of battles that alternated between amphibious landings or surface-fought battles between ships. Still, I learned what I came for: I am a little more familiar with all the names of islands, generals, ships and battles now than I was before.
The theme of the second book was clear: While Japan managed to have a few minor victories here and there, the US slowly but steadily gained the upper hand in the entire pacific conflict.
The US industrial war machine was picking up its pace, the navy was learning quickly and the Japanese became more and more desparate.
Some things were shocking to me. I did not know how badly the Japanese treated their own soldiers. In the Guadalcanal campaign, at least a third of the Japanese casualties were caused by starvation -- because they couldn't get food to their soldiers.
All in all, an educating, but not entirely thrilling narration of the middle years of WW2 in the Pacific.
After having read (i.e. heard) part I of the trilogy, I have now finished part II. Unfortunately, this part is not read by the same narrator, whom I liked a lot. The new voice is quite monotone in comparison. For that alone I'm taking it down one star.
Another star had to go, because this middle part of the Pacific War was... less exciting than the earlier part with Pearl Harbor and Midway (sorry if this sounds irreverant).
It was a a sequence of battles that alternated between amphibious landings or surface-fought battles between ships. Still, I learned what I came for: I am a little more familiar with all the names of islands, generals, ships and battles now than I was before.
The theme of the second book was clear: While Japan managed to have a few minor victories here and there, the US slowly but steadily gained the upper hand in the entire pacific conflict.
The US industrial war machine was picking up its pace, the navy was learning quickly and the Japanese became more and more desparate.
Some things were shocking to me. I did not know how badly the Japanese treated their own soldiers. In the Guadalcanal campaign, at least a third of the Japanese casualties were caused by starvation -- because they couldn't get food to their soldiers.
All in all, an educating, but not entirely thrilling narration of the middle years of WW2 in the Pacific.