7 December 1941: The Air Force Story by Leatrice R. Arakaki and John R.Kuborn. 1991

Why were the Japanese able to devastate the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor despite an aerial defense force of more than 200 aircraft? Using first-hand accounts and documentary sources, the authors describe the many factors that impaired the Hawaiian Air Force during the attack.

223 pgs., many maps, charts & photos, index

Guam: Operations of the 77th Division 21 July - 10 August 1944 - 144pgs.

First printed in 1946, this is one of the series of fourteen studies of World War II operations originally published by the War Department's Historical Division and now returned to print as part of the Army's commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of that momentous clash of arms. Full of maps, photos and charts of the battle for that island.

In 1944 the U.S. Army published this manual for its officers in the Pacific Theater an expanded version of the original 1942 manual of the same name-and ever since, it has been the best single reference source on the wartime Japanese military available in the English language. By 1944, the army had had time to assess its enemy closely and was coming to understand him, and its vast knowledge was distilled into the handbook.

The handbook details the Japanese military system, field organization, tactics, and weapons and equipment, and the strengths and weaknesses that resulted from them. Extensively illustrated, it contains sections on the Japanese special forces, the military police, uniforms and insignia, and conventional signs and abbreviations. It covers, besides the army, the Japanese Air Service, with emphasis on its tactics and organization.

Issued to officers for briefings and periodically updated, the handbook's purpose was to assist in the winning of the war, and thus it strove to be absolutely reliable for its users in combat. It was compiled by a team of officers who integrated the research of others, and it contains information provided by the U.S. Marines and also by British and Australian intelligence. Packed with information, it is a major primary source that military historians and World War II buffs will find fascinating.

The story of the strategic bombardment of Japan's home islands, from the modest but dramatic Doolittle raid on Tokyo in April 1942,through the effort to bomb from bases in China, to the raids from the Marianas in the Pacific, and finally, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The strategic bombardment of Japan during World War II remains one of the most controversial subjects of military history because it involved the first and only use of atomic weapons in war. It also raised the question of whether strategic bombing alone can win wars, a question that dominated U.S. Air Force thinking for a generation.

Without question, the strategic bombing of Japan contributed very heavily to the Japanese decision to surrender. The United States and her allies did not have to invade the home islands, an invasion that would have cost many thousands of lives on both sides.

The first full-scale effort to recover from the Japanese some of their strongholds in the Central Pacific was the expedition to the Gilbert Islands in November, 1943. Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard furnished components of the expeditionary forces. The Army elements were commanded by Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith. They comprised the 27th Infantry Division Task Force, derived principally from that division but with many provisional units attached. The Capture of Makin narrates the Army's part of the campaign, which was the prelude to later advance among the Marshall Islands.

Merrill's Marauders: February - May 1944 - 109pgs.

Merrill's Marauders is an account of the operations of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) in north Burma from February to May, 1944. The Marauders' effort was part of a coordinated offensive, the Allied reconquest of north Burma. Details of the offensive are summarized briefly to set the operations of the 5307th within the larger framework. On 10 August 1944 the 5307th was reorganized as the 475th Infantry Regiment.

Papuan Campaign: The Buna-Sanananda Operation 16 November 1942- 23 January 1943 - 122pgs

Papuan Campaign: the Buna-Sanananda Operation is the second of a series called AMERICAN FORCES IN ACTION. The series was prepared at the suggestion of General of the Army George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff. His foreword, as used in the original edition, appears on the previous page. The series was originally designed for military personnel only and primarily for wounded soldiers in hospitals to tell them the military story of the campaigns and battles in which they served. With the cessation of hostilities, Papuan Campaign is released as a public document.

The Admiralties: Operations of the 1st Cavalry Division 29 February - 18 May 1944 - 161pgs.

The Admiralties: Operations of the 1st Cavalry Division (29 February -18 May 1944) is one of a series of fourteen studies of World War II operations originally published by the War Department's Historical Division and now returned to print as part of the Army's commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of that momentous clash of arms. These volumes, prepared by professional historians shortly after the events described, provide a concise summary of some of the major campaigns and battles fought by American soldiers. The skillful combination of combat interviews with primary sources, many of which are now lost, gives these unassuming narratives a special importance to military historians. The careful analysis of key operations provides numerous lessons for today's military students.

The Aleutians Campaign: June 1942 - August 1943 - 145pgs.

The Aleutians Campaign is one of a series of twenty-one published and thirteen unpublished Combat Narratives of specific naval campaigns that was produced by the Publications Branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence during World War II. Selected volumes of this series are being republished by the Naval Historical Center as part of the Navy's program of commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War II.

The Aleutians Campaign, originally published as a Combat Narrative in May 1945, reefers to an area that Samuel Eliot Morison once described in his 15-volume history as a "theater of frustration." The Japanese invasion of Attu and Kiska during the Midway campaign of 1942 seemed to indicate that the enemy sought to use the Aleutians island chain as a line of advance for operations against the North American mainland. But the severe climate of the Aleutians and the increasing attention given to other areas of the Pacific greatly diminished the strategic value of these islands.

After the American reoccupation of Attu and Kiska in May 1943, the Aleutians Campaign became relatively inactive. "Both sides," in Morison's opinion, "would have done well to have left the Aleutians to the Aleuts for the course of the war."

The War Against Japan: The Pictorial Record - 476 pgs.

The U.S. Army's Official Pictorial Record from the Center of Military History, U.S. Army. This compelling collection of excellent photographs accurately depicts the combat life of the soldier, sailor, airman, and marine as they fought the Japanese across the vast Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to the Occupation of Japan. Over 500 superbly telling photographs -- many taken during combat -- from OFFICIAL US ARMY ARCHIVES.

The Weapon of Denial: Air Power and the Battle for New Guinea - 35pgs.

Discusses the Battle for New Guinea in which United States and Australian air forces proved to be
decisive in preventing the resupply of Japanese ground forces.

The Reports of General MacArthur: The Campaigns of MacArthur In The Pacific - Volume 1 - 503 pgs.

MacArthur In Japan: The Occupation-Military Phase - Volume 1 Supplement - 321 pgs.

Japanese Operations In The Southwest Pacific Area - Volume II-Part 1 - 380 pgs. - Part 2 - 452 pgs.

This is the first of a two-volume set chronicling the operations and planned actions of American and Japanese forces during World War II. These volumes focus primarily on the Southwest Pacific region of the conflict, under the American command of General Douglas MacArthur. Volume I "narrates the operations of forces under General MacArthur's command from the Japanese attack on Luzon in 1941 through the surrender in 1945". The Volume I Supplement deals with the period of military occupation of Japan following the end of the war. Volume II, based on information obtained from Japanese officers, investigates the actions in the Southwest Pacific from the perspective of the Japanese.

The two-volume set contains more than 400 illustrations, including approximately 260 maps.

From the Introduction:

World War II was the largest and most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind. However, the half century that now separates us from that conflict has exacted its toll on our collective knowledge. While World War II continues to absorb the interest of military scholars and historians, as well as its veterans, a generation of Americans has grown to maturity largely unaware of the political, social, and military implications of a war that, more than any other, united us as a people with a common purpose. Highly relevant today, World War II has much to teach us, not only about the profession of arms, but also about military preparedness, global strategy, and combined operations in the coalition war against fascism.

During the next several years, the U.S. Army will participate in the nation's 50th anniversary commemoration of World War II. The commemoration will include the publication of various materials to help educate Americans about that war. The works produced will provide great opportunities to learn about and renew pride in an Army that fought so magnificently in what has been called "the mighty endeavor." World War II was waged on land, on sea, and in the air over several diverse theaters of operation for approximately six years.

The following essay is one of a series of campaign studies highlighting those struggles that, with their accompanying suggestions for further reading, are designed to introduce you to one of the Army's significant military feats from that war. This brochure was prepared in the U.S. Army Center of Military History by George L. MacGarrigle. I hope this absorbing account of that period will enhance your appreciation of American achievements during World War II.