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Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942

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Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942

Written by: Ian W. Toll
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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About this listen

Audie Award Nominee, History, 2013

The planning, the strategy, the sacrifices and heroics - on both sides - illuminating the greatest naval war in history. On the first Sunday in December 1941, an armada of Japanese warplanes appeared suddenly over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Six months later, in a sea fight north of the tiny atoll of Midway, four Japanese aircraft carriers were sent into the abyss.

Pacific Crucible tells the epic tale of these first searing months of the Pacific war, when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history and seized the strategic initiative. Ian W. Toll's dramatic narrative encompasses both the high command and the "sailor's-eye" view from the lower deck. Relying predominantly on eyewitness accounts and primary sources, Pacific Crucible also spotlights recent scholarship that has revised our understanding of the conflict, including the Japanese decision to provoke a war that few in the country's highest circles thought they could win. The result is a pause-resistant history that does justice to the breadth and depth of a tremendous subject.

©2011 Ian W. Toll (P)2011 Audible, Inc. Armed Forces Military Wars & Conflicts War Air Force Naval Warfare Imperial Japan Submarine Franklin D Roosevelt US Air Force Imperialism China Russia

What the critics say

“An entertaining, impressively researched chronicle of the tense period between the bombing of Pearl Harbor and American victory at the battle of Midway....Toll gives everyone involved in the conflict a chance to speak, bringing readers into the command centers and cockpits to reveal the humanity of combatants on both sides of the Pacific.” ( Kirkus)
“Revealing and poignant, Toll’s latest deftly navigates the rough waters of the Pacific struggle with flying colors.” ( Publishers Weekly)
“Narrator Grover Gardner gives an applaudable narration of this detailed history of the Pacific Theater in WWII…Gardner presents the many historical details in this work with an easygoing pace and precise enunciation that quickly draw in the listener and never let go. Rather than affecting an accent for quotations, he adjusts his inflection slightly, which works well. Novices and history buffs will find this performance a treat and want to hear the continuation of the story.” ( AudioFile)
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Most relevant
The amazing detail on and in every situation. History background was a true telling area. Have never heard all the details of Japan described and explained with the odd bits included . Narrator was the ideal person to describe this book for us. ZzzThsnk you.

Pacific Crucible

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Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 is the first book in Ian Toll’s Pacific War Trilogy. While I have listened to several books on Pearl Harbour, none have given me any information on other destinations the Japanese attacked on the same day. Just knowing this added so much context to my understanding of the Pacific in WWII. This book includes insights about Japan’s involvement in Asian conflicts, the gross misunderstandings Westerners had about the Japanese, and just how unprepared the USA was for war, despite the fact that WWII was 3 years old. Very informative.

Context

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Engrossing from start to finish. It is humbling to think of all the young men that lost their lives so that we could enjoy the freedoms and luxury that is too often taken for granted.
I really enjoyed learning about the incredible complexities of carrier combat, fog of war, and how the outcome of a battle can often hinge on luck.

Fascinating account of war in the Pacific

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