South West Pacific Campaigns, 1941–1945 (Military History)

Introduction

While the US Navy and US Marine Corps receive most of the attention for their push through the Central Pacific Area during the Second World War, another campaign unfolded—one that was just as savage and brutal—in the South West Pacific. The Japanese began the war in the region soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor and had gained the Philippine Archipelago, Borneo, Celebes, Java, Timor, New Ireland, New Britain, New Guinea, and Bougainville all by early March 1942. These actions threatened the vital lines of communication between the United States and Australia. To combat the Japanese, the United States divided the Pacific Ocean into two commands. General Douglas MacArthur’s area of responsibility—the South West Pacific Area—covered the Philippines, Papua, New Guinea, Australia, the Bismarck Archipelago, the western Solomon Islands (to 159th Parallel East Longitude) and the Netherlands East Indies (less Sumatra). The US Navy commanded the other areas of the Pacific under the leadership of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Once in place, MacArthur’s mission was to blunt the Japanese offensives and begin offensive operations to roll back the Japanese gains as soon as possible, which eventually led to the planned invasion of Japan. The historiography is noteworthy for two reasons. The first are the many indispensable official histories, which tend to follow the tactical and operational level events in a strict chronological order and provide the necessary and often detailed narrative of operations. Second, the literature is particularly rich in biographies. Because MacArthur has so long dominated the field, many of his key lieutenants spent years in relative obscurity. Fortunately, this trend is shifting with an impressive array of biographies of those who toiled in the South West Pacific. This article includes references to work on all four primary belligerents in the region: Australia, the Dutch East Indies, Japan, and the United States.

General Overviews

Despite the scope and complexity of the Pacific theater during World War II, there exist several general histories, all of which include general introductions to the campaigns of the South West Pacific. Furthermore, the literature includes different national perspectives: American, Australian, Dutch, British, and Japanese. Weinberg 1994 is a magisterial account of the Second World War and places the war in the Pacific generally and the struggle in the South West Pacific specifically into a global context. Gailey 1995 eschews the land war on the Asian continent in order to examine the war in the Pacific Ocean Areas. A classic in the literature of the Pacific War is Spector 1985. Toland 1971 analyzes the Pacific War from the Japanese perspective, while Long 1973 provides an often underappreciated look at the Australian contribution to the defeat of Japan. Meanwhile, Costello 1981 attempts to weave in its narrative newly (as of 1981) declassified documents about the war in the Pacific and Asia.

Costello, John. The Pacific War, 1941–1945. New York: Rawson, Wade, 1981.
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Drawing upon declassified documents, Costello’s book analyzes the part played by each major belligerent—American, British, and Japanese—and is comprehensive in scope.
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Gailey, Harry A. The War in the Pacific: From Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1995.
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Purposefully omitting the war on the Asian mainland, Gailey presents a popular account of the war in both the South West Pacific and the Central Pacific, focusing primarily on the American role in the war.
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Long, Gavin. The Six Years War: Australia in the 1939–45 War. Canberra: Australian War Memorial and Australian Government, 1973.
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An Australian official historian, Long puts his skills to good use by synthesizing much of the official histories into a one-volume account of the Australian contribution to defeating the Axis, including the war in the South West Pacific. It remains the starting point for the Australian role in World War II.
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Spector, Ronald H. The Eagle against the Sun: The American War with Japan. New York: Free Press, 1985.
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Although published in 1985, Spector’s account remains the best single treatment of the American fight against Japan.
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Toland, John. The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936–1945. New York: Bantam, 1971.
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Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Toland tells the story of the Pacific War from the point of view of the Japanese.
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Weinberg, Gerhard L. A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
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A masterful historian of World War II, Weinberg places the war in the Pacific in the context of the global struggle for hegemony.
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Biography

Biographical approaches to our understanding of the war in the South West Pacific have exploded since the 1980s or so. While MacArthur has traditionally received the majority of the attention, his chief lieutenants have recently been receiving more and more scholarly attention. These accounts serve to shed light on unknown commanders and their valuable contributions to victory in the South West Pacific. For the American side, one should begin with Leary 1988. It is a collection of MacArthur’s chief American subordinates. For a solid introduction to those who put MacArthur’s strategy into practice, this book is essential. No matter how much MacArthur has dominated the literature, he nevertheless merits serious scholarly treatment. James 1975 has provided the definitive biography of MacArthur and his times. In MacArthur 1964, the commander of the South West Pacific Area tells his own story. Barbey 1969 is an autobiography of the commander of MacArthur’s Seventh Amphibious Force. It is a unique account of the trials, tribulations, and ultimate victory of a significant portion of MacArthur’s navy. On the US Navy side, Leutze 1981 covers the tribulations of Admiral Thomas C. Hart as naval commander in the Philippines and Dutch East Indies. The Australian commanders have also enjoyed recent scholarly biographies. Horner 1998 reviews the life of Australia’s top military commander—General Sir Thomas Blamey—while Dean 2011 wrote the biography of Blamey’s right-hand man, Lieutenant-General Sir Frank H. Berryman. Buell 1980 has written the best biography of Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, who was instrumental in shaping strategy in the Pacific. Unfortunately, few biographies exist in English on important Japanese senior officers. A limited number of English-speaking historians possess the Japanese-language skills to give the proper attention to Japanese military commanders. Swinson 1968 provides a collection of four essays on key Japanese figures, including two who fought extensively in the South West Pacific: Masaharu Homma and Tomoyuki Yamashita. Finally, Barker 1973 provides a more complete treatment of Yamashita.

Barbey, Daniel. MacArthur’s Amphibious Navy: Seventh Amphibious Force Operations, 1943–1945. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1969.
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Barbey commanded the Seventh Amphibious Force, which was the lead unit in MacArthur’s leapfrogging strategy. He provides an important and fascinating insider’s perspective as one of MacArthur’s principal lieutenants.
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Barker, A. J. Yamashita. New York: Ballantine, 1973.
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One of the few biographies of a Japanese military commander, it provides an analysis of the man who unsuccessfully defended the Philippines from MacArthur’s return.
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Buell, Thomas B. Master of Seapower: A Biography of Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. Boston: Little, Brown, 1980.
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As Commander-in-Chief of the US Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations, King was one of the main driving forces behind American grand strategy generally and Pacific strategy specifically. Buell’s book is the best on this colorful and key figure.
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Dean, Peter J. The Architect of Victory: The Military Career of Lieutenant-General Sir Frank Horton Berryman. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511974991Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
Berryman is one of the least-known, but nevertheless important, Australian officers, making this work a key contribution to the Australian role in the South West Pacific.
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Horner, David. Blamey: The Commander in Chief. St. Leonards, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 1998.
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A controversial soldier, Blamey was the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces and also served as commander of Allied Land Forces in the South West Pacific Area under MacArthur.
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James, D. Clayton. The Years of MacArthur. Vol. 2, 1941–1945. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1975.
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As commander of the South West Pacific Area, MacArthur casts a long shadow. James’ work (in three volumes, 1970–1985) is the definitive biography of MacArthur and covers not only the man but the events surrounding him. Unlike many other biographies, James’ book is a critical examination of its subject and pierces the well-crafted image MacArthur cultivated.
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Leary, William M., ed. We Shall Return! MacArthur’s Commanders and the Defeat of Japan. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1988.
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This book contains a collection of essays on MacArthur’s principal lieutenants: Walter Krueger, Robert L. Eichelberger, Daniel E. Barbey, George C. Kenney, Thomas C. Kinkaid, and Ennis C. Whitehead. It is an essential introduction to the largely unknown commanders of the South West Pacific.
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Leutze, James. A Different Kind of Victory: A Biography of Admiral Thomas C. Hart. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1981.
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Utilizing Hart’s diary, Leutze recounts Hart’s life from his birth in Michigan, his naval career, and his time as a US senator from Connecticut.
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MacArthur, Douglas. Reminiscences. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964.
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While important, MacArthur’s account of the war in the Pacific must be approached with care as it is rife with both errors and omissions.
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Swinson, Arthur. Four Samurai: A Quartet of Japanese Army Commanders in the Second World War. London: Hutchinson, 1968.
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This book presents biographical sketches on four Japanese military commanders, including two who fought in the South West Pacific: Masaharu Homma and Tomoyuki Yamashita, both of whom played pivotal roles in the conquest and defense of the Philippines, respectively.
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Strategic Direction

As a result of decades of war planning, the United States had anticipated that any war against Japan would take place through the Central Pacific. However, due to MacArthur’s domineering presence in the South West Pacific and early success there (e.g., Buna), more and more top-level strategic attention was paid to that particular area. Willmott 1982 offers a comprehensive overview of the Pacific War up to the spring of 1942. Stoler 2000 places the Pacific War in the context of global strategy. Hayes 1982 provides a comprehensive and specific view of the making of military strategy in the Pacific through the eyes of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brower 2012 takes a more narrow approach as he examines the US Joint Chiefs of Staff from the years 1943–1945. Looking more specifically at the first two years of the war is Morton 1962, whose detailed examination of the beginning of Pacific strategy is unsurpassed and includes commentary on Japanese plans and operations. The strategic role played by the Australians has received first-rate treatment, largely through the works of D. M. Horner. Horner 1996 examines the higher direction of the war, while Horner 1982 assesses the development of national war policy in a global context. Van den Berg 2014 analyzes the failure of the early but ultimately doomed American-British-Dutch-Australian Command. Finally, Thorne 1978 views the making of strategy through the combined efforts of the United States and Great Britain.

Brower, Charles F. Defeating Japan: The Joint Chiefs of Staff and Strategy in the Pacific War, 1943–1945. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137025227Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
Based upon a PhD dissertation, Defeating Japan takes a fresh approach to the strategy-making process by arguing that political factors were the overriding consideration in the formation of US strategy.
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Hayes, Grace Person. The History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: The War against Japan. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1982.
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Starting out as an official and classified study, this history is a monumental and detailed account of the formation of strategy against Japan, focusing on the role of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Originally published in 1953.
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Horner, David M. High Command: Australia & Allied Strategy, 1939–1945. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 1982.
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Horner considers the degree to which military strategy fit within Australian grand strategy as well as the problems associated with strategic cooperation between allies.
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Horner, David. Inside the War Cabinet: Directing Australia’s War Effort, 1939–1945. St. Leonards, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 1996.
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Focusing on fifteen crucial events, the author traces the role of the War Cabinet, as it was the key decision-making body during World War II.
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Morton, Louis. Strategy and Command: The First Two Years. United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1962.
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Part of the US Army official history series, Strategy and Command traces the evolving strategy over the early part of the war and lays the foundation for the future shape of Allied strategy in the war against Japan.
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Stoler, Mark A. Allies and Adversaries: The Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Grand Alliance, and U.S. Strategy in World War II. Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, 2000.
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Stoler charts the rise of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as actors in American foreign policy and Allied grand strategy, while placing Pacific military operations in their global context.
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Thorne, Christopher. Allies of a Kind: The United States, Britain and the War against Japan, 1941–1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.
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A Bancroft Award–winning book, Allies of a Kind traces not only British and US involvement in the war against Japan but the roles of Australia, New Zealand, France, and the Netherlands as well.
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Van den Berg, Rene W. A. Unchained Interests: American-British-Dutch-Australian Command 1942.” Fort Leavenworth, KS: U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 2014.
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Van den Berg, an officer in the Royal Netherlands Army, analyzes the American, British, Dutch, Australian Command that was established in January 1942 and concludes that it failed due to divergent political agendas.
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Willmott, H. P. Empires in the Balance: Japanese and Allied Pacific Strategies to April 1942. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1982.
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Relying upon secondary sources, this work of synthesis critically examines the strategy and operations of both the Allies and Japan up until the Doolittle Raid.
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Japanese Offensive

Surprising Great Britain, Australia, and the United States, the Japanese struck hard and fast after the attack on Pearl Harbor, gaining much territory in the Western and the South West Pacific. Toland 1961 tells the story of the first six months of fighting in the Pacific after the attack on Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Midway. Yenne 2014 details these early Japanese offensives by examining the actions of the Imperial Japanese Army. Morison 1948 analyzes the rise of Japanese naval power and in the early months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Major General Lewis H. Brereton—Far East Air Force Commanding General—details his attempts to stem the Japanese offensives first in the Philippines and then in Java (Brereton 1946). While Brereton 1946 looks at the air war from a command perspective, Edmonds 1951 authoritatively accounts for the performance of the US Army Air Forces in the Philippines and Java in late 1941 and 1942. Hart 2013 is by the commander of the Asiatic Fleet, and it is his personal account of what took place in the months from mid-1941 to early 1942.

Brereton, Lewis H. The Brereton Diaries. New York: William Morrow, 1946.
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A day-to-day account of the experiences of the Far East Air Force Commanding General in the Philippines and Java.
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Edmonds, Walter D. They Fought with What They Had: The Story of the Army Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific, 1941–1942. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951.
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Relying on interviews and diaries, this volume remains the single best volume covering both the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies air campaign from the standpoint of the US airmen.
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Hart, Thomas C. War in the Pacific: The Classified Report of Admiral Thomas C. Hart. London: Clarion, 2013.
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Based upon his personal diary and official documents, Hart penned this classified narrative that detailed all the events while he commanded the Asiatic Fleet. It includes the months of preparation leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and ends in February 1942 after the Japanese—having taken Borneo and Celebes—had become prepared to move against Bali and Eastern Java.
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Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 3, The Rising Sun in the Pacific, 1931–April 1942. Boston: Little, Brown, 1948.
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Part of Morison’s semiofficial, multivolume study of US naval operations during the Second World War, Volume 3 chronicles the Japanese attack on the Malay Barrier. Republished by Naval Institute (Annapolis, MD), 2010.
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Toland, John. But Not in Shame: The Six Months after Pearl Harbor. New York: Random House, 1961.
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Early participant-oriented account of the first six months of the Pacific War, including the Philippines and Dutch East Indies campaigns. Toland relies on both Japanese and American sources.
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Yenne, Bill. The Imperial Japanese Army: The Invincible Years 1941–42. Oxford: Osprey, 2014.
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The author pens the activities of the Japanese army in the early phase of operations following the attack on Pearl Harbor through the start of 1943, a period during which the author suggests the army was “invincible.”
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Fall of the Philippines

Long a significant part of US defenses in Pacific, the Philippines were mostly overrun by the Japanese until January 1942, when the Americans and Filipinos retreated to the Bataan Peninsula for a last-ditch defense. Eventually, the defenders fell in April while the defenders of Corregidor surrendered in May of 1942. The Japanese official military series Senshi Sōsho contains 102 volumes published between 1965 and 1980. For the most part, they contain official records and primary source material not available elsewhere. Moreover, they tend to focus on the operational and strategic levels. They are an important source for the study of the Japanese side of operations in the Pacific. Senshi Shitsu 1966 (Volume 2 in the series) examines the overall Philippine campaign, Senshi Shitsu 1969a (Volume 12) details the specific operations against Luzon, and Senshi Shitsu 1969b (Volume 24) describes Japanese naval operations in the Philippines and the Malaya Area. Bartsch 2003 discusses the first hours of the Japanese attacks on the Philippine Islands, addressing who was at fault for allowing half of the American Far East Air Force to be wiped out. Morton 1952 is a superb and detailed account of the Japanese assault on the Philippines and the American defense, particularly on the island of Luzon. Connaughton 2001 analyzes the American defense of the Philippines and is especially critical of MacArthur’s handling of the situation. Gordon 2011 meanwhile focuses largely on the US Marine Corps’ and the US Navy’s contribution to the defense of Philippines. Sloan 2013 views the US soldier’s perspective while defending the Bataan Peninsula. Much has been written of the Bataan Death March over the years. Falk 1962 is an excellent entryway into the vast literature. Knox 1981 is a collective biography of over sixty American prisoners, while Dyess 2002 is a first-hand account that made a splash when it was originally published in 1944 after the author’s escape from the Japanese.

Bartsch, William H. December 8, 1941: MacArthur’s Pearl Harbor. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2003.
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On 8 December 1941, ten hours after Japanese planes had attacked Pearl Harbor, another force struck the Clark and Iba airfields in the Philippines. Using an impressive array of sources, Bartsch describes the events that led to this disaster in the Philippines and concludes that much of the responsibility lies with General Douglas MacArthur.
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Connaughton, Richard. MacArthur and Defeat in the Philippines. Woodstock, NY: Overlook, 2001.
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Analyzes MacArthur’s role in the defense of the Philippines and finds the famous general wanting. Connaughton’s MacArthur is arrogant, vain, and overconfident. Yet the Philippines were largely indefensible and nothing could have stopped the Japanese. Thus, the author attempts to take a middle-of-the-road position on MacArthur.
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Dyess, William E. Bataan Death March: A Survivor’s Account. Edited and with a biographical introduction by Charles Leavelle. Introduction by Stanley L. Falk. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
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Originally published in 1944, Dyess’s tale is a first-hand account of the Bataan Death March, subsequent imprisonment, and ultimate escape.
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Falk, Stanley L. Bataan: The March of Death. New York: Norton, 1962.
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This is one of the first and best studies of the Bataan Death March that covers not only the American and Filipino side but also the Japanese perspective.
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Gordon, John. Fighting for MacArthur: The Navy and Marine Corps’ Desperate Defense of the Philippines. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 2011.
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Drawing upon a wide-ranging collection of primary documents, Gordon traces both the Japanese and American sides of the fighting for the Philippines, specifically focusing on the US Navy sailors and Marines who fought alongside the US Army in defense of the archipelago.
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Knox, Donald. Death March: The Survivors of Bataan. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981.
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Knox interviewed over sixty participants of the Bataan Death March and the ensuing imprisonment. It provides a collective biography of extraordinary courage and strength.
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Morton, Louis. The Fall of the Philippines. United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1952.
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A part of the massive US Army official history project, Morton details the three-month defense of Bataan, the siege of Corregidor, and the surrender of 78,000 American and Allied troops.
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Senshi Shitsu (War History Office). Senshi Sōsho. Vol. 2, Hito Koryaku Sakusen. Tokyo: Asahumo Shimbunsha, 1966.
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Volume 2 of the official military history series from the War History Office (Sensi Shitsu), National Defense College (Bōei Kenshūjō), Defense Agency (Bōeichō) deals with the overall Philippine Island campaign. (Title translation: Philippine invasion operations.)
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Senshi Shitsu (War History Office). Senshi Sōsho. Vol. 12, Ruson Shima Shinko Sakusen. Tokyo: Asahumo Shimbunsha, 1969a.
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Based upon unit and official documents, Volume 12 of the official military history series focuses on the Japanese offensive operations against the Americans defending Luzon. (Title translation: Offensive operations on Luzon Island.)
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Senshi Shitsu (War History Office). Senshi Sōsho. Vol. 24, Hito Malay Homen Kaigun Shinko Sakusen. Tokyo: Asahumo Shimbunsha, 1969b.
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Volume 24 of the official military history series highlights the actions of the Imperial Japanese Navy as it launches offensive operations against the Philippines and Malaya Area. (Title translation: Philippines and Malaya Area Navy offensive operations.)
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Sloan, Bill. Undefeated: America’s Heroic Fight for Bataan and Corregidor. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013.
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Based on interviews with more than thirty survivors, Undefeated tells the story of the Americans who fought against invading Japanese forces in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II, and who then continued to resist through three years as POWs.
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Loss of the Dutch East Indies

Lacking many natural resources, Japan sought to expand its empire into the Dutch East Indies for the latter’s rubber and oil reserves. Beginning in January 1942, Japanese land, air, and naval power swept southward, overcoming the combined elements of the Americans, British, Dutch, and Australians. By late February and early March 1942, the forces of Imperial Japan had secured the Dutch East Indies and were regrouping for further expansion eastward toward New Britain, Papua, and New Guinea. Remelink 2014 provides an invaluable service by translating the three-volume official Japanese study of the invasion of the Dutch East Indies. A longtime student of the campaigns in the Dutch East Indies, Boer has produced three significant works: Boer 2011 outlines the Allied struggle to repel the Japanese invaders, Boer 2009 provides a detailed account of the Netherlands East Indies Air Force (NEIAF) operations from December 1941 to March 1942, and Boer 1987 covers the NEIAF defense of Borneo. Van Oosten 1976 recounts the Battle of Java Sea, the largest surface ship battle since Jutland (1916). Finally, Watson 1948 accounts for the US Army Air Corps participation in the defense of the Dutch East Indies by exploring whether Washington, DC should have sent aircraft in the piecemeal manner in which they did or should the political and military leadership have instead husbanded their air power assets in Australia for a counterattack once enough military strength had been established.

Boer, P. C. De Luchtstrijd Rond Borneo: Operaties van de Militaire Luchtvaart KNIL in de Periode December 1941 tot Februari 1942. Houten, The Netherlands: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 1987.
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Covers—in Dutch—the Netherlands East Indies Air Force defense of Borneo, most notably Tarakan.
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Boer, P. C. De Luchtstrijd om Indie: Operaties van de Militaire Luchtvaart KNIL in de Periode December 1941 tot Maart 1942. Houten, The Netherlands: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 2009.
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In Dutch. Most detailed account of the Netherlands East Indies Air Force in operations over the Celebes, Ambon, and Java.
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Boer, P. C. The Loss of Java: The Final Battles for the Possession of Java Fought by Allied Air, Naval and Land Forces in the Period of 18 February–7 March 1942. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press, 2011.
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Boer describes the air, sea, and land battles between the Allied and Japanese armed forces during the Battle of Java following the evacuation of Sumatra in February 1942. It is the most detailed account in English of the Allied defense of Java.
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Remelink, Willem, ed. and trans. The Invasion of the Dutch East Indies. Leiden, The Netherlands: Leiden University Press, 2014.
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A complete translation of the planning and operations against the Dutch East Indies from the War History Office of the National Defense College of Japan. This detailed study covers what was, at the time, the largest transoceanic landing operation in military history.
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Van Oosten, F. C. The Battle of the Java Sea. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1976.
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Having consulted both Dutch and Japanese documentation, Van Oosten has written a useful and standard account of the battle that swept aside Allied naval forces and allowed the Japanese to invade Java.
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Watson, Richard L. “Loss of the Netherlands East Indies.” In The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. 1, Plans and Early Operations, January 1939 to August 1942. Edited by Wesley Frank Craven and Lames Lea Cate, 366–402. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948.
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As part of the US Air Force’s official history of World War II, Watson’s essay tells the story of the American role in trying to save the Dutch East Indies. He rejects the notion that the Americans should have husbanded their air assets in Australia for a future counterattack.
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Seizure of New Britain, Papua, and New Guinea

The Japanese juggernaut reached into the South West Pacific in January 1942 with the weakly opposed capture of the key naval and air base of Rabaul in New Britain, followed by the invasion of New Guinea later in the month. Papua was the next target, occupied in early March, where the Imperial Japanese Navy set up air bases at Salamaua and Lae, which would later be used for attacks against Port Moresby. Bullard 2007 provides an excellent service by translating extracts from the official Japanese history of the war, specifically dealing with the Imperial Japanese Army’s move against New Britain and Papua. Gamble 2014 and Gamble 2010 provide an excellent work on the Japanese seizure of Rabaul, which was to become a major Japanese stronghold. Collie and Marutani 2009 specifically examines the Kokoda campaign from the Japanese perspective as they drove to capture Port Moresby. Horner 1978 examines the Australians’ early defensive measures.

Bullard, Steven, trans. Japanese Army Operations in the South Pacific Area: New Britain and Papua Campaigns, 1942–43. Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 2007.
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Consists of translated extracts from two of the five volumes of Senshi Sōsho covering Japanese Army operations in the South West Pacific Area.
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Collie, Craig, and Hajime Marutani. The Path of Infinite Sorrow: The Japanese on the Kokoda Track. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2009.
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The story of Kokoda has been told often from the perspective of the Australians. Collie and Marutani tell the story of the attempt to capture Port Moresby from the Japanese perspective, told through the eyes of Japanese soldiers who were there.
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Gamble, Bruce. Fortress Rabaul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific, January 1942–April 1943. Minneapolis: Zenith, 2010.
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The author documents the fall of Rabaul to the Japanese and the subsequent air operations in the area. Gamble also includes the relevant ground and naval actions.
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Gamble, Bruce. Invasion Rabaul: The Epic Story of Lark Force, the Forgotten Garrison, January–July 1942. Minneapolis: Zenith, 2014.
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In this first volume of Gamble’s Rabaul trilogy, examines the 1,500 members of Lark Force, who were tasked to defend Rabaul against the Japanese amphibious unit and their efforts to take and then occupy the capital of Australia’s mandated territories.
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Horner, D. M. Crisis of Command: Australian Generalship and the Japanese Threat, 1941–1943. Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1978.
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Faced with a number of challenges, Australian generals had to rapidly adjust to the threat posed by Japan beginning in 1941. Horner assesses the achievements and failures of these generals as they commanded troops in the Papua New Guinea campaign.
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Early Allied Offensives

By early 1943, the Japanese advance across the Kokoda Trail toward Port Moresby had been halted and turned back. Moreover, the Allies secured at a bloody cost Gona, Buna, and Sanananda. For all practical purposes, the Japanese threat to the Australian-American line of communication was eliminated. Now was the time for the Allies to reverse the Japanese gains and to go on the offensive. The official histories of United States and Australia are an excellent starting point for a detailed narrative of the various operations in the South West Pacific. The authors often had unprecedented access to key participants and important primary source documents. Milner 1957 is a volume from the US Army’s Office of the Chief of Military History that looks at the first American offensive in the South West Pacific. While published in the late 1950s, the work still stands the test of time for its research and analysis. Likewise, McCarthy 1959 is the official Australian history of the fighting that took place in Papua during the first year up until April 1943. Craven and Cate 1950—part of the US Air Forces official history of World War II—is the building block for an understanding of the US Army Air Forces operating in the early Allied offensives. Finally, there is the semiofficial history of the US Navy Morison 1950. Turning away from the first historiographical wave is Lundstrom 1976, which provides the grand naval strategy surrounding the events of the Battle of Coral Sea, which helped blunt the Japanese assault on Port Moresby. A revisionist account at the time of publication, Lundstrom’s work suggests that Nimitz wanted a fleet engagement with the Japanese much earlier than previously thought. Luvaas 1986 takes a “theory versus practice” approach by analyzing the Battle of Buna in light of the prewar doctrine of the US Army. Williams 2012 takes a revisionist view against the mythical status that the Kokoda campaign has reached by examining not only the Australian side but also that of the Japanese. In so doing, it brings a fresh account of the military actions of both sides in Papua.

Craven, Wesley Frank, and James Lea Cate, eds. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. 4, The Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1950.
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In Volume 4 (of seven), Craven and Cate bring together a range of authors to investigate the US Army Air Force’s role in turning the tide against the Japanese in New Guinea, the isolation of Rabaul, and the Allied offensive up the northern coast of New Guinea in 1944.
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Lundstrom, John B. The First South Pacific Campaign: Pacific Fleet Strategy, December 1941–June 1942. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1976.
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Lundstrom analyzes the months before and after the Battle of Coral Sea, during which the Americans gained a strategic victory that blunted the Japanese offensive, laying the groundwork that would allow the Allies to begin their offensive toward the Philippines.
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Luvaas, Jay. “Buna, 19 November 1942–2 January 1943: A ‘Leavenworth Nightmare.’” In America’s First Battles: 1776–1965. Edited by Charles E. Heller and William A. Stofft, 186–225. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1986.
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Best analysis of the Battle of Buna; Luvaas shows how US Army doctrine that was written from a study of lessons observed on the Western Front in 1918 was applied to jungle warfare. Nevertheless, the resultant doctrine proved to be sound, while the failures that did take place lay in execution.
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McCarthy, Dudley. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1. Vol. 5, South-West Pacific Area—First Year: Kokoda to Wau. Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1959.
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This contribution to the Australian official history series details how Australian and American troops stemmed the advance of the hitherto victorious Japanese and destroyed two–thirds of their force and drove the remainder out of Papua. The Japanese story is given adequate coverage in this work as well.
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Milner, Samuel. Victory in Papua. United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1957.
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Victory in Papua chronicles the men of the 32nd Infantry Division as they halted the Japanese advance against the strategic line of communication between the United States and Australia. This action—along with a strong Australian offensive—then allowed the Allies to begin the climb across New Guinea on the way to liberating the Philippines.
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Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 6, Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, 22 July 1942–1 May 1944. Boston: Little, Brown, 1950.
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Morison explores the beginning of the major advance in the South West Pacific in the aftermath of the battle for Guadalcanal and Port Moresby. Here Morison describes the beginning of the advance along the New Guinea–Mindanao axis. Republished by Naval Institute (Annapolis, MD), 2010.
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Williams, Peter. The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and Reality. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9781139196277Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
Williams examines the Kokoda campaign of 1942 in light of seven Australian myths that have clouded the true nature of this particular fight. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the real story of the campaign.
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New Guinea

After the Allies pushed the Japanese out of Papua, they next turned to securing the northern coast of New Guinea. The official and semiofficial histories provide a solid starting point for those who want to understand the tactical, operational, and strategic contexts of Operation Cartwheel and the climb up the northern coast of New Guinea toward the Philippine Islands. Craven and Cate 1950 takes up the story of the US Army Air Force’s role in these operations in the first comprehensive portrait of US airpower in the South West Pacific. The US Army’s Office of the Chief of Military History produced two volumes devoted to the New Guinea campaign. The first is Miller 1959, which focuses on the Americans who neutralized the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul by closely coordinated land, sea, and air operations. It was during this phase of operations that the Americans employed their overwhelming power to bypass Japanese fortified zones and capture weakly defended but strategically significant points. Smith 1953 takes over the narrative after the neutralization of Rabaul and chronicles the American advance along the northern coast of New Guinea, again bypassing Japanese strong points. Dexter 1961 explains the war in New Guinea from the Australian perspective. Morison 1953 dissects the US Navy’s role in the New Guinea campaign. Moving away from the official and semiofficial histories are several monographs that illuminate certain aspects of the New Guinea campaign. First, Bradley 2008 covers the initial actions to hold on to Wau, and then Bradley 2010 investigates the operations against the Japanese defenders of Salamaua. Both of these operations were key in the Allied assault on Lae. Taaffe 1998 offers a short analysis on the New Guinea campaign, mainly from an American vantage point. McAulay 2005 meanwhile looks at the air campaign above the jungle canopy of New Guinea, including the Japanese side.

Bradley, Phillip. The Battle for Wau: New Guinea’s Frontline, 1942–1943. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9781107253131Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
Making use of over seventy veteran interviews, Bradley chronicles the Japanese who wanted to secure their positions at Lae and Salamaua by taking the Australian-held city of Wau.
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Bradley, Phillip. To Salamaua. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511779114Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
A follow-up to Bradley 2008, Bradley 2010 analyzes the Australian push to capture Salamaua, the first Australian offensive in New Guinea during the Second World War II. It recounts the brutal land campaign fought for individual ridges, hills, and pillboxes that guarded the Japanese base at Salamaua.
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Craven, Wesley Frank, and James Lea Cate, eds. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. 4, The Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1950.
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Chronicles the US Army Air Forces’ participation in liberating New Guinea from the Papuan campaign through the final victory in the New Guinea in this first comprehensive account, presenting the war through the eyes of the major commanders.
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Dexter, David. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1. Vol. 6, The New Guinea Offensives. Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1961.
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This work explains how the Australian Army—supported by Allied forces—drove the Japanese out of most of the mainland of Australian New Guinea in 1943 and early 1944. By the time the campaign was over in mid-1944, Australia’s military strength was almost spent.
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McAulay, Lex. MacArthur’s Eagles: The US Air War over New Guinea, 1943–1944. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 2005.
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McAulay examines how General George C. Kenney and his 5th Air Force destroyed its Japanese opponent in three major operations during 1943 and 1944. It is also an analysis of the Japanese air force and seeks to understand why it failed in its mission to guard the skies.
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Miller, John, Jr. Cartwheel: The Reduction of Rabaul. United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1959.
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Rabaul was one of the main Japanese bastions guarding the South West Pacific. Over time, the Americans decided not to assault it but rather reduce it. This is the story of the gigantic double envelopment which required closely coordinated land, sea, and air operations by US and Allied armed forces.
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Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 8, New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944–August 1944. Boston: Little, Brown, 1953.
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Morison covers the amphibious operations in New Guinea under General Douglas MacArthur’s command and carries forward his South West Pacific forces in a series of bold leaps to Hollandia, Wakde, Biak, and the Vogelkop Peninsula. Republished by Naval Institute (Annapolis, MD), 2010.
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Smith, Robert Ross. The Approach to the Philippines. United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1953.
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This work provides an in-depth examination of the operation of Allied forces during the approach to the Philippines from April to October 1944. While all services are covered, the main focus is regimental combat teams, as the majority of actions described herein involved only regiments and their supporting units.
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Taaffe, Stephen R. MacArthur’s Jungle War: The 1944 New Guinea Campaign. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998.
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Taaffe’s book analyzes the New Guinea campaign’s strategic background as well as individual operations. It also provides a balanced assessment of General Douglas MacArthur’s generalship while showing the important role that his subordinates played in the campaign. Well written, this is the starting point for an understanding the New Guinea campaign.
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Philippines

The section on the liberation of the Philippine Archipelago—like the previous several sections—relies on the US official histories of the war in the South West Pacific. They are detailed and rely heavily on primary source documents, and since many were written soon after the war, they also rely on many participants. Cannon 1954 is one of two official US Army histories on the Philippine campaign, focusing on the invasion of Leyte. Smith 1963 covers the assault on Luzon and the subsequent actions that led to the liberation of the southern Philippine islands. Both Morison 1958 and Morison 1959 are similarly organized, with the first book designated for an examination on the Leyte campaign at sea, while the second volume is devoted to the liberation of the rest of the Philippines. Craven and Cate 1953 includes an entire section on the air operations surrounding the “return to the Philippines.” In addition to the official record, there are several outstanding works that offer unique perspectives. One such work is Falk 1966, which is the best single volume that covers all aspects of the Leyte campaign. Similarly, Falk 1971 is an extremely useful and short introduction to the entire Philippine campaign. Connaughton, et al. 1995 is important for its examination of the destruction of Manila, one of the most devastated cities in all of World War II. Willmott 2005 is a recent work that is both detailed and comprehensive on the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Cannon, M. Hamlin. Leyte: The Return to the Philippines. United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1954.
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This comprehensive treatment is unmatched as the author—while focusing on the US Army ground soldier—nevertheless incorporates the endeavors of the sailor, the marine, the aviator, and the Filipino guerrilla. The Japanese side is also evaluated.
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Connaughton, Richard, John Pimlott, and Duncan Anderson. The Battle for Manila: The Most Devastating Untold Story of World War II. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1995.
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A largely unknown story, the liberation of Manila—undertaken between February and March 1945—turned the “Pearl of the Orient” into ruins and killed over 200,000 citizens. This short book provides a concise analysis of the events surrounding the battle and the causes of the city’s destruction.
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Craven, Wesley Frank, and James Lea Cate, eds. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. 5, The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki, June 1944 to August 1945. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1953.
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Of the 750 pages of text, approximately 225 pages are devoted to the Philippine campaign. Of note is the section devoted to the strategic role the 5th Air Force played against Formosa. It is the best survey of air power in the retaking of the Philippine Archipelago.
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Falk, Stanley L. Decision at Leyte. New York: Norton, 1966.
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This unique book is noteworthy for its analysis and prose. Although published in 1966, it remains the single best introductory volume of the events surrounding the amphibious invasion of Leyte.
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Falk, Stanley L. Liberation of the Philippines. New York: Ballantine, 1971.
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Falk puts his formidable talents to good use here. Not only is it an introduction to the entire campaign to liberate the Philippines; it is also noteworthy for its analysis.
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Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 12, Leyte, June 1944–January 1945. Boston: Little, Brown, 1958.
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This volume covers the Battle of Leyte Gulf—the “greatest naval battle of all time”—amphibious operations up to and including the invasion of Leyte, the seven weeks of fighting on land, sea, and air, and submarine operations in the Western Pacific. Republished by the Naval Institute (Annapolis, MD), 2010.
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Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 8, The Liberation of the Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayas, 1944–1945. Boston: Little, Brown, 1959.
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Not only does Morison tell the naval background of the retaking of Luzon, Mindanao, and the Visayas, he also includes the story of US Navy operations while covering the Australian invasion of Borneo and US submarine operations during 1945. Republished by the Naval Institute (Annapolis, MD), 2010.
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Smith, Robert Ross. Triumph in the Philippines. United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army, 1963.
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Encyclopedic in breadth, Smith recounts the reconquest of the Philippine archipelago (exclusive of Leyte), with detailed accounts of Sixth Army and Eighth Army operations on Luzon, as well as of the Eighth Army’s reoccupation of the southern Philippines.
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Willmott, H. P. The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005.
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While not eschewing the role of personalities, Willmott stresses national factors as pivotal in modern naval warfare. It is a first-rate study on one of the biggest naval actions in the 20th century.
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Intelligence

Intelligence is vital in warfare, and fortunately there is wealth in quality if not in quantity for the campaigns in the South West Pacific. Drea 1992 is vital to understanding not only codebreaking but how MacArthur and his staff used intelligence in general. Meanwhile, Zedric 1995 looks at another type of intelligence gathering: human intelligence. Ballard 1991 is an excellent source for the Australian use of ULTRA.

Ballard, Geoffrey. On ULTRA Active Service: The Story of Australia’s Signals Intelligence Operations in World War II. Richmond, Australia: Spectrum, 1991.
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This is a work by someone who has first-hand knowledge of the use of ULTRA and provides details into the inner workings of Central Bureau, as he was a foundational member.
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Drea, Edward J. MacArthur’s ULTRA: Codebreaking and the War against Japan, 1942–1945. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1992.
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Impressive in research and in analysis, this book is the definitive work on codebreaking and the use of intelligence in the South West Pacific.
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Zedric, Lance Q. Silent Warriors of World War II: The Alamo Scouts behind Japanese Lines. Ventura, CA: Pathfinder, 1995.
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Because of the way intelligence was utilized under MacArthur, General Walter Krueger—commander of the Sixth US Army under MacArthur—created his own intelligence gathering unit. It conducted long-range reconnaissance and intelligence patrols. This offers a useful introduction.
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The Air War

There are a number of works that define what it was like to fight in the air, from operational studies to the “nuts and bolts” of flying in the South West Pacific. In addition to Craven and Cate 1950 (see New Guinea) and Craven and Cate 1953 (see The Philippines), the Australians published official histories of their contributions to the skies of the South West Pacific: Gillison 1962 and Odgers 1975. Johnston 2011 is written as a collective biography of the Australian airman: of both his trials and triumphs. In a similar vein, Bergerud 2000 takes the reader through the process of generating air power in the South West Pacific. Inoguchi, et al. 1994 examines the desperate use of the kamikaze.

Bergerud, Eric. Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific. Boulder, CO: Westview, 2000.
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Bergerud explores the third dimension of warfare by examining the technology and tactics, the leadership, living conditions, medical challenges, and morale of the combatants. The reader will have a thorough understanding of how air power functioned from the level of command to the individual in a cockpit.
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Gillison, Douglas. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3. Vol. 1, Royal Australian Air Force, 1939–1942. Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1962.
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Although this takes the narrative of the Royal Australian Air Force to the Battles of Wau and the Bismarck Sea (when air superiority was wrestled from the Japanese), it also explores the beginnings of Australian air power. As part of the official Australian history, it is comprehensive and thorough.
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Inoguchi, Rikihei, Tadashi Nakajima, and Roger Pineau. The Divine Wind: Japan’s Kamikaze Force in World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1994.
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Written by senior officials in the kamikaze effort, the book offers key insights into the minds of those who created such a weapon and important observations on Japan’s last stand. First published by Ballantine (New York), 1958.
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Johnston, Mark. Whispering Death: Australian Airmen in the Pacific War. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2011.
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In Whispering Death, Johnston explains vividly how more than 130,000 Australian airmen fought Japan from the Pacific War’s first hours to its last. This is an important contribution to begin one’s study of the Royal Australian Air Force.
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Odgers, George. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3. Vol. 2, Air War against Japan, 1943–45. Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1975.
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Thorough in scope and detail, this volume of the official history describes the time when the Allies possessed air superiority. At the beginning of this phase, the Royal Australian Air Force was providing a significant portion of the air power, but later it began to play a much less important role.
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The Land War

The land war in the South West Pacific has undergone some controversy since the publication of Dower 1986. He posits that racist loathing fueled the war between Japan and the United States. Schrijvers 2002—in a similar vein—pushes Dower’s analysis further and in a broader context by examining the American soldiers’ struggle through the lenses of frontier, frustration, and fury. Linderman 1997 takes issue with Dower’s thesis, suggesting that initially the Americans were convinced that they would be fighting a war with rules and restraint. Bergerud 1996 meanwhile deals with the experiences of the common soldier, both American and of her allies, in the long and brutal ground war in the South Pacific. Finally, Johnston 1996 traces the experiences of the Australian soldier during World War II.

Bergerud, Eric. Touched with Fire: The Land War in the South Pacific. New York: Viking, 1996.
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Having conducted dozens of interviews with American and Australian veterans of World War II, Bergerud does a remarkable job of examining and explaining the lives of the average soldier, in and out of combat.
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Dower, John W. War without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War. New York: Pantheon, 1986.
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A controversial but important book, War without Mercy concludes that racial hatred between the Japanese and Americans escalated the violence of war.
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Johnston, Mark. At the Front Line: Experiences of Australian Soldiers in World War II. Cambridge, UK, and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
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Drawing on letters, diaries, and documents written by more than 300 Australian soldiers, At the Front Line presents a vivid picture of the everyday life of the soldier.
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Linderman, Gerald F. The World within War: America’s Combat Experience in World War II. Cambridge, MA, and London: Harvard University Press, 1997.
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Taking issue with Dower 1986, Linderman argues that racism was not a significant factor in the Pacific. Instead, the brutal, unrestrained war materialized as a result of incremental steps.
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Schrijvers, Peter. The GI War against Japan: American Soldiers in Asia and the Pacific during World War II. New York: New York University Press, 2002.
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According to Schrijvers, Americans thought of the Pacific as a continuation of the American western frontier. In so arguing, he pushes the argument of Dower 1986 and reconstructs a more complex social context of the war.
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The Naval War

In addition to the Japanese and Australian works cited, one should consult the semiofficial American US naval histories already noted: Morison 1948 (see Japanese Offensive); Morison 1950 (see Early Allied Offensives); Morison 1953 (see New Guinea); Morison 1958 and Morison 1959 (see Philippines). Dull 1978 is the standard history of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Gill 1957 and Gill 1968 are the Royal Australian Navy’s official histories of the campaigns in World War II. Because of their comprehensiveness, the semiofficial and official histories should be the first works consulted.

Dull, Paul S. A Battle History of the Japanese Navy, 1941–1945. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1978.
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Dull was the first to explore a large cache of Japanese naval documents microfilmed by the US Naval History Division in the late 1950s. The author shows the Pacific naval war from the Japanese perspective in this classic battle study of Japan’s surface fleet.
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Gill, G. Hermon. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series Two. Vol. 1, Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942. Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1957.
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While most of this volume is of the Royal Australian Navy in the European theater of operations, the last four chapters are of the war in the South West Pacific. Gill continues the excellence of previous Australian official histories, making this and the second volume (Gill 1968) indispensable.
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Gill, G. Hermon. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series Two. Vol. 2, Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1968.
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In the period under consideration in this volume, the Royal Australian Navy grew both in the number of ships and men and also in terms of the maturity of its higher command. How the Australian navy exercised its role alongside its allies is the subject of this authoritative book.
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The Japanese Military

The obvious obstacle to secondary sources on the Japanese military is the language barrier. Fortunately, there are several works that rely heavily on Japanese documents. First is Willoughby 1966; MacArthur’s headquarters put together Japanese documentation and information that shed light on the Japanese prosecution of the war. Hayashi and Coox 1959 presents the Japanese high command from original Japanese sources, some of which have never appeared in English. Drea 1996 and Drea 2009 are remarkable for their use and command of Japanese-language documents and source material.

Drea, Edward J. In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1996.
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Drea is a careful historian with fluency in the Japanese language. The essays contained herein are first-rate and his bibliographic essay is an excellent introduction to the literature of the Japanese military, in both Japanese- and English-language sources.
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Drea, Edward J. Japan’s Imperial Army: Its Rise and Fall, 1853–1945. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2009.
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Drea puts his fluency of the Japanese language to good use by synthesizing secondary sources, mainly in the Japanese language. This book will remain an important contribution to the rise and eventual demise of the Japanese Imperial Army.
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Hayashi, Saburo, in collaboration with Alvin D. Coox. Kōgun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War. Quantico, VA: Marine Corps, 1959.
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From his experience as a member of the Imperial General Staff and from independent research, Hayashi takes the reader inside the Army High Command to explore what it was thinking while creating plans of operations and how they conducted those operations.
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Willoughby, Charles A., ed. Reports of General MacArthur. Vol. 2, Parts 1 and 2, Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1966.
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Volume 2 in two parts—Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area—brings together a mass of information on the enemy otherwise only partially available in many separate works. It is essential for understanding Japanese operations in the South West Pacific.