The War in the South Pacific ─ Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives

The Japanese invaded the Solomon Islands in May 1942 with the aim of building an airfield at Guadalcanal. After an epic six month struggle they were repulsed and the island became a staging base for US Admiral Halsey and his South Pacific Force. Comprising powerful naval, marine and army assets as well as land and carrier-based aircraft, Halsey's Force's mission was to neutralize the Japanese presence in the South Pacific before moving on to Japan itself. As explained and depicted in this fascinating book, the campaign was eventually successful but only after some of the bitterest fighting of the Second World War. The fanatical opposition called for extreme measures from US, British and Australian land, seas and air forces. With detailed narrative and captions, the many archival photographs in The War in the South Pacific make for a superb record of this legendary conflict.