Rising Sun, Falling Skies

By Jeffrey Cox,

Book cover of Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II

Book description

Few events have ever shaken a country in the way that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor affected the United States. The Japanese forces then continued to overwhelm the Allies, attacking Malaya with its fortress of Singapore, and taking resource-rich islands in the Pacific in their own blitzkrieg offensive. Allied…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Rising Sun, Falling Skies as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Perceptions of the first several months of World War II in the Pacific war usually focus on Douglas MacArthur’s actions in the Philippines. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy and its British, Dutch, and Australian allies waged a largely unsung and losing battle against the Japanese onslaught to control the natural resources of the Netherlands East Indies.

Rising Sun, Falling Skies scrutinizes the learning curve of allied command, the hopelessness of facing numerical superiority, and the grim awakening that airpower plays a decisive role no matter how powerful the fleet. Cox’s portraits of admirals Thomas Hart and Karl Doorman beg a host…

From Walter's list on naval battles in WW2.

If you love Rising Sun, Falling Skies...

Ad

Book cover of Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence

Need to Know by Nicholas Reynolds,

The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.

Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…

Want books like Rising Sun, Falling Skies?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Rising Sun, Falling Skies.

Browse books like Rising Sun, Falling Skies

Book cover of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway
Book cover of Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
Book cover of Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,851

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Rising Sun, Falling Skies, you might also like...

Book cover of Doctors at War: The Clandestine Battle against the Nazi Occupation of France

Doctors at War by Ellen Hampton,

Doctors at War: The Clandestine Battle against the Nazi Occupation of France takes readers into the moral labyrinth of the Occupation years, 1940-45, to examine how the medical community dealt with the evil authority imposed on them. Anti-Jewish laws prevented many doctors from practicing, inspiring many to form secret medical…

Book cover of American Flygirl

American Flygirl by Susan Tate Ankeny,

The first and only full-length biography of Hazel Ying Lee, an unrecognized pioneer and unsung World War II hero who fought for a country that actively discriminated against her gender, race, and ambition.

This unique hidden figure defied countless stereotypes to become the first Asian American woman in United States…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Pearl Harbor attack, Douglas MacArthur, and presidential biography?