Interesting, in-depth study of US Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations from Pearl Harbor into 1943.

A book that takes you through the beginnings of the war in the Pacific. What the author focuses on is the Army's role and though most people think of the Pacific being fought by the Marines and the Navy the Army had a role in it as well. You are brought through the fall of the Philippines, Bataan, Corregidor, though the 4th Marines would be the first-ever to surrender they inflicted enough damage to the Japanese had to commit another division to the invasion and this would later delay their invasion of Guadalcanal, and New Guinea. Not in the book the 4th Marines commander burned the regimental flag before surrendering so the enemy would not have it.
The author brings up General MacArthur and all of his dealings with other generals and how he would get rid of them if they got better press than he did. He would even deny medals. In my own personal opinion, I felt he should have been court-martialed like other leaders because he disobeyed direct orders and had all planes lined up in a row instead of being apart the day of the attacks. Yet nothing happened to him. Then throughout the Pacific, he would continue to send men into battle without a thought of the men or the men leading them. When the battle was over, he would take credit without ever stepping foot out of Australia.
The author also does a good job of showing was the reader what it was like for the troops in the Pacific. For the people that had never read anything about it, they come to find out that they were fighting with World War one type weapons and ammo. That they made it work knowing that the people in Washington were more worried about Europe than they were about them, though they were sending them into battle as well. The men on Wake island fought with WWI weapons and lasted until the last man. The author leads you up to the Island of Tarawa and though I had only ever read the Marines story. The Army story is just as devastating as the Marines and that Island was a horrible loss of life that most people don’t know about. Overall a good book, like any history book a few parts, dragged but I got what the author was putting across. Some of the other though I read about them before it was good to see them from a different point. A very good book.

Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943 by John C. McManus (New York: Dutton Caliber, 2019), 640 pp.

Fire and Fortitude is a fantastic and engrossing history concerning the US Army's taking the fight to the Japanese in the Pacific Theater in the early years of America's entrance in WWII. Dr. McManus makes the most of primary source materials in piecing together the Army's role from the beginning of the conflict, at Pearl Harbor, through the defeats in the Philippines and into the early hard-fought victories in New Guinea and at Makin Island. The description of the fighting in New Guinea is considerably impressive, as McManus takes the reader through the horrific conditions experienced by the GIs in the jungles. Insects, disease, dehydration, poisonous snakes, and lack of basic supplies such as water are at times an almost greater enemy than the Japanese. While there is considerable bias shown towards Generals MacArthur and "Vinegar" Joe Stilwell, these leaders undoubtedly held a amateur fighting army together early on when victory was still in doubt. And while MacArthur comes across as vain and spiteful, the general knew how to win, bringing in the right people for the job at crucial moments. Men like Lt. General Robert Eichelberger, who was given a rather simple but horrible order: "Take Buna or don't come back alive." Despite this, Eichelberger replaced men that weren't getting the jobs done and unlike MacArthur, often paid visits to his troops on the frontline, eventually both taking Buna and coming back alive.

McManus shines in pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of not only the Army in the Southwest Pacific, but also those of the men and their leaders. He does not shy away from atrocities or crimes committed by soldiers against the enemy or their allies, namely Australian civilians preyed upon by psychotic GIs who never should have been able to enlist, let alone go overseas. He also describes the unfair and horrible racism that affected the lives of black American GIs serving so far from home, and how they often overcame and rose above such treatment. Inclusions of never-before-seen diary entries from Japanese soldiers fighting the GIs is also a nice addition to the history, showing the enemies point of view concerning the war efforts of their nation. The serious disagreements and infighting between the Marine Corps and Army is also detailed, pinning much of the blame upon Marine Major Gen. Holland "Howlin' Mad" Smith, and not his Army counterpart Maj. General Ralph C. Smith. Marines may disagree with McManus' findings, continuing to blame the Army for what "Howlin' Mad" saw as their being too slow and cautious in their operations against the Japanese. McManus seems to find the fault belonged mostly to the anger-prone "Howlin' Mad," despite lacking to acknowledge the poor planning and naval support of the amphibious assault on nearby Tarawa that resulted in high casualties for the Marines.

McManus abruptly stops his history in late 1943, after the Battle of Makin Island. Reading the advanced copy on my Kindle, I did not have access to any maps or photographs, and the lack of both affected the way I experienced the history. This was of course due to the advanced copy itself and is not the fault of the author. Undoubtedly, Dr. McManus is already researching and writing a welcome follow-up that will also provide fresh research and insight into this lesser-known area of the US Army's journey and fighting proficiency through the Pacific Theater in World War II.

I am just beginning to read Fire And Fortitude, written by Dr. John C. McManus. Dr, McManus is a historian, researcher, and a professional writer of long standing masterful works. As I prefer to read the book twice before commenting, the review will be available in the near future.

I wanted to acknowledge both Dr, McManus and Jamie Knap of Penguin Group Dutton.

Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941 - 1943 by John C. McManus ( Dutton Caliber/Penguin Group; 2019) tells the often-forgotten history of the role of the Army in the Pacific Theater of World War II, because so much has been written (and filmed) about the exploits of the Marines in this part of the war. Noted historian and author John C. McManus, author of other best-sellers such as Deadly Sky and The Dead and Those About to Die, now turns his sights toward the under-reported exploits and contributions of the Army throughout the Pacific. In what McManus hopes to eventually be a two-volume work, this first installment covers the years 1941 through to the invasion of the atoll of Makin toward the end of 1943.
This volume leaves virtually no stone unturned in describing the history of Japan and the USA in their relationships with each other and with the nations in China, Southeast Asia and the thousands of Pacific island states/nations, as well as mini-biographies of the leading characters such as Douglas MacArthur, "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell, and Arthur Krueger.
McManus takes readers chronologically through the events such as the fight over the Philippines eventually taken by the Japanese, along with strategic engagements in Palau and Guadalcanal. McManus even describes the situation in Australia, as both the Australian citizenship and American soldiers learned to grow and appreciate each other --- even as they were working under difficult conditions to make this large continent defensible from the Japanese. A chapter is even given to the unsuccessful efforts of the Japanese to invade the Aleutian Islands.
The author has done a huge amount of research into all aspects of the combatants and the logistical and tactical aspects of the various campaigns in the Pacific, told from both the viewpoints of the Allies and the Japanese --- and in the words of full generals and admirals, all the way down to the lowliest privates. For the casual historian like myself, the book was quite an education, although the huge amount of details made it a little difficult to keep straight exactly where one was in the telling of the various battles and defensive maneuvers. I reviewed an ebook edition, so I hope the printed book will contain maps to give more context. Nevertheless, the frank and honest descriptions of the brutality and ungodly deadly conditions that both sides had to contend with in the Pacific were simply riveting. And for true history buffs, this book should satisfy anyone's desire for lots of behind-the-scenes expositions of what noncombatants, combatants and their officers all had to endure in a war like no other ever fought in all of world history. Highly recommended!

John C. McManus provides a glimpse into the actions of the Army in the Pacific during World War 2. I say glimpse because he only goes through 1943. I can see that he has researched and it shows in the detail. The book itself is fairly conversational, however I did pick up on a lot of personal opinions, so it isnt all history. The sections on the Battaan Death March and imprisonments were especially difficult reading for me, but nonetheless riveting. All in all, I found Fire and Fortitude a compelling read.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

This is not just a war history, it contains the opinion of the author of each of the generals (from all sides) who fought the battles in the Pacific Area of Operations. He starts by describing the military situation in the Pacific just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, including how it was decided how to staff the Phillipine Islands, and the placement of the US Pacific Naval forces.

He does his best (but biasly) to tell the actual history of General MacArthur as he described him as a megalomanical personality who was more interested in how he was perceived by the public as opposed to taking the best care of his soldiers. Having been given a Medal of Honor early in the war, he personally convinced authorities not to give the award to others under him so as to not devalue the MoH he had.

MacArthur was never happy to have to share the accolades with anyone, and found the idea of the Navy and Marines island hopping so as to bring the Army Air Corp closer to the Home Islands of Japan. Mac wanted to be the only main thrust through New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies, then the Phillipines and finally through Taiwan and then the Ryukyu Islands and onto the Home Islands. Admiral Halsy proved him wrong by finding a faster way to get up to the Home Islands by moving up through the outer rim of Pacific Islands.

McManus does a great job of first describing the area that will become the battlefield, then the number of Japanese, then the climate and other natural obstacles; then he goes on the describe the Allied forces, and how the Army planned to attack the area and the strategy and where it worked and why it didn't. It's interesting to see how many members of the military wasted the lives of the men under them to satisfy their own egos, using strategies that didn't work but made them look as if they were 'aggressive' leaders. Many times the leadership ordered offensives that had no chance of succeeding, because they made determination based on maps and not directly viewing the battlefield.

I'm looking forward to the second volume of this history which will be more of the fighting by the US Marines and Naval Forces.

When most readers think of World War II in the Pacific Theater, they think of Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Guadalcanal which star the US Navy and Marines. But the war would not have been won with out the US Army. Fire and Fortitude tells the story of the US Army in the Pacific from the time of Pearl Harbor to the beginning of the march on Japan.

John McManus divides the book in two sections - Onslaught and Turnabout. In Onslaught, the reader finds chapters on the Pearl Harbor attack, the invasion and fall of the Philippians, the war in China and Australia, and a chapter on the prisoner of war (POW) camps. In Turnabout, the reader sees the US Army and its Allies striking back in New Guinea, Guadalcanal (the US Army played a crucial role there), Burma, China, and the invasion of Makin where the Army fared better than the Marines at Tarawa. There is also another chapter on the changing conditions at the POW camps in Philippians and Japan.

John McManus has done a credible job of presenting the role of the US Army in the Pacific Theater of WWII. He works to provide details from both combat and other aspects of Army life. It is interesting that he provides details on the US Army POWs in the Pacific. The book breaks off abruptly after the Makin invasion, but that is due to the scope of the book. In tone Fire and Fortitude reminds the reader of the Official Histories put out by the US Army that are available in US Government Repositories. But if you are looking for a one volume introduction to the role played by the US Army in the early part of WWII, Fire and Fortitude will work.

Reading about World War II generally begins with the European theater: Normandy, the Battle of Britain, Dunkirk, etc. For Americans, Pearl Harbor may be as far into the Pacific theater as they go. Further reading generally focuses on the Navy and sea battles. So I was very interested to read John C. McManus' Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943 and learn more about the early Pacific war and the army.

Spoiler alert: for readers like me who know very little going in, Fire and Fortitude is not the book for you. After reading the "Prologue" I almost decided not to continue reading the book. Written as if a college professor is giving a lecture, it put me off the author and made me worry the book was going to be written in the same style: McManus seems to want to show the reader that he knows his military history and compares World War II Pacific army work with both historic and modern day situations. He 'talks' down to the reader, trying to impress them (one assumes) with his knowledge and the introduction to the book and its topics felt almost secondary to me.

If you can make it past the prologue and still want to read the book, the writing style at least gets better. There are fewer comparisons to situations past and future to distract from the present of the 1940s. Beginning at Pearl Harbor and going to Makin in 1943, McManus provides carefully researched minute details to make the reader feel as if they are experiencing every hardship alongside the soldiers. For anyone wanting to find out about the intense miseries of jungle warfare, this is your book. From marches along ridges to the psychological terror of being in foxholes at night, Fire and Fortitude had you covered. It makes you wonder how anyone experiencing it (on both the American and Japanese side) came out even halfway sane.

What Fire and Fortitude didn't do was give you the bigger picture of the Pacific theater. When you do get some of the overall plans and decision making from the generals, it quickly gets buried again in the tiny details. I know I read about McArthur's experiences in the Philippines and why he was obsessed with returning there after evacuating, but after a few chapters I was so bogged down in minutiae that I couldn't remember his reasons for the rest of the book. As much as I appreciated the miseries that the soldiers went through, I could have handled fewer of the repetitious details of those miseries on every island fight and more of the big picture on why they were fighting on the islands to come away with a better understanding of the war in the Pacific.

Overall, Fire and Fortitude is not a book for a reader new to the Pacific theater. From ship tonnage to what each soldier carried to the specific divisions and regiments who went to different places, this is a book for historians who already know an enormous amount about this theater and are looking for even more details. For the beginner, like me, McManus spends so much time focusing on the details that the bigger picture is completely lost on you. Because of this, I found the book an ordeal to get through, and not an author I would go back to for future reading.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The author has written  books detailing World War II  with this one addressing  the role the Army played in during the first half of the war. It is well researched and written and is an interesting read. He points out, as many authors have, the self-centered ineptitude of Douglas McArthur which caused a much higher loss of life than necessary in the demise of the Phillipines. I found the section about americans in Austraila an interesting chapter in dealing with understanding the english language as used by the Aussies. He also describes the problems the Austrailians had in understanding those soldiers from the deep south.

I recomend this book for those looking for a better understanding of the role the Army played in the war with Japan during the first half of the conflict.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

This is a detailed history of Pacific theater of World War II. If you are looking for a nonfiction companion to the classic works of fiction by James Jones about WWII, this is the perfect candidate.

Fire and Fortitude is the type of book that displays a lot of oral history and is sort of "folksy." It was not to my taste. It is clear that the author, who is a military historian and professor, has done his research. The history is far too anecdotal and too "proud level" for me (I prefer Ian Toll's Pacific War Trilogy). This book will please many people who like their history written this way.

McManus is an excellent writer and through extensive research has crafted a detailed and enjoyable read about the history of the Army in the Pacific conflict. This book does not tell the full story of the Army in the Pacific, jusdt through 1943. With some tightening of biographies and some reduction of personality conflicts I think this coulod have told the story of the whole war. I do not understand why no maps were included. Fire and Fortitude gets a 4.5 for not being perfect.