This book, my fourth on the subject of World War II in the Pacific, is as much about the U.S. as it is about New Zealand, due to the fact that the Pacific Theater of war was American led. This volume is broken into four parts.
More than 16 million Americans served in the military during World War II, and nearly 3 million of them spent time in the Pacific theater. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States looked to graduates of the naval academy to fill its need for qualified officers.
The battle for Saipan is remembered as one of the bloodiest battles fought in the Pacific during World War II. Visible reminders of the devastation still exist. One can find human remains scattered on the jungle floor or in caves throughout the island.
Although volumes have been written about World War II in the Pacific, very little has been published from the perspective of individual sailors. The Navy enlisted men interviewed for this book fought in some of the fiercest battles of the war, such as Coral Sea, Midway, and the Solomon Islands campaign.