The best books on World War II in the Pacific

William L. McGee Author Of The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville, Pacific War Turning Point
By William L. McGee

Who am I?

William L. McGee is an award-winning World War II Pacific war historian. His writing career has spanned six decades — three of them in marketing and sales in the broadcasting industry. He is a WWII veteran of the Pacific theater and an atomic veteran of Operation Crossroads, the postwar atomic bomb tests at the Bikini Atoll in 1946.

I wrote...

The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville, Pacific War Turning Point

By William L. McGee

Book cover of The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville, Pacific War Turning Point

What is my book about?

Under one cover, William L. McGee provides a definitive account of all the Solomons campaigns — Southern, Central, and Northern. Winner of the Military Writers Society of America Silver Medal Award for History. The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943 is the second of three volumes in McGee’s acclaimed series, Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII. “The series will form a definitive account of naval, sea, and land operations in the South Pacific.” – Library Journal

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The Books I Picked & Why

History of United States Naval Operations in World War II

By Samuel Eliot Morison

Book cover of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II

Why this book?

When I began researching and writing for my books this fifteen-volume set by distinguished historian Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, was one of my first purchases for my World War II library. I consider his series a must-have for any WWII researcher or history buff. I did much of my research and writing on freighters and always took selected volumes with me.

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The Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War

By Samuel Eliot Morison

Book cover of The Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War

Why this book?

This book was published in 1963 on the heels of the fifteen-volume set by Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison. I served in the U.S. Navy, Pacific theater of war, and found this supplemental work by Morison to complement particular portions of his fifteen-volume series.

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The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II

By Robert J. Cressman

Book cover of The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II

Why this book?

Published in 2000, this reference book makes previous chronologies of the Navy at war out-of-date. My co-author and wife, Sandra McGee, uses this chronology to create social media posts, such as “On this day…” or “75 Years Ago Today…”.

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Ships for Victory: A History of Shipbuilding under the U.S. Maritime Commission in World War II

By Frederic Chapin Lane

Book cover of Ships for Victory: A History of Shipbuilding under the U.S. Maritime Commission in World War II

Why this book?

This hefty 881-page book covers in detail the story of the greatest shipbuilding program in America’s history. When America entered WWII in December 1941, I was chomping at the bit to get in the action, but I had to wait a year until I turned seventeen. I applied for a job at the Kaiser Shipyard in Vancouver, Washington, and trained to be a welder on the big ships.

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Naval Institute Guide to Naval Writing

By Robert Shenk

Book cover of Naval Institute Guide to Naval Writing

Why this book?

Every military historian and-or editor needs this manual on their bookshelf. My editor’s preference for my books is to use both the Naval style as well as writing out military acronyms or abbreviations for the convenience of the reader.

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Closely Related Book Lists

The best books on the first postwar atomic bomb tests at the Bikini Atoll in 1946 (Operations Crossroads)

William L. McGee Author Of Operation Crossroads - Lest We Forget!: An Eyewitness Account, Bikini Atomic Bomb Tests 1946 William L. McGee