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Summary: America's First Offensive
Review: In August of 1942, The Americans discovered that the Japanese were building an airstrip on the island of Guadalcanal. If completed, the Japanese would have access to vital American supply lines, as well as Australia and New Guinea. In response to this threat, the United States launched thier first major offensive of the Pacific war. Samuel Eliot Morison was commissioned by President Roosevelt to write the official naval history of World War II, and he does an excellent job of telling the story of Guadalcanal, where, according to the author, "the navy saw more fighting than in any three previous wars". From the opening shots of the debacle of Savo Island, where the Allies lost four heavy cruisers, to the Japanese withdrawl in February of 1943, Morison covers every major battle of the Guadalcanal campaign. Notable engagements covered include The Battle of the Eastern Solomons, The Battle of Cape Esperance, The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. He also includes a breakdown of forces involved in each battle, as well as numerous maps and photographs which I found very helpful as a reader. This battle was deemed the turning point of the Pacific war, and Morison does a good job of covering the major aspects of the battle. For further reading, I would also recommend "Guadalcanal" by Richard B. Frank.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best of the Set
Review: Morison's entire "History" is an amazingly complete account of the US Navy's operations in WW II, but this volume, the story of the six month Guadalcanal campaign, is simply outstanding.Like Midway before it, Guadalcanal provided ample material for an engrossing story: the ease of the initial landings, the shock of Savo Island, the desperate land battles, the brutal naval engagements. Maybe because it is one of the earlier volumes in the set, maybe because the story is so compelling: whatever the reason, the writing in Volume 5 is the best of the entire series. It is engaging and informative and written with noticeably more "color" than some of the later volumes. As with any work of history, there are a few conclusions here that haven't aged well: e.g., Morison's assessment of Frank "Jack" Fletcher's withdrawal of the carriers after the initial landings. But anyone reading this book will come away with a very servicable understanding of the campaign, and will be well-prepared to evaluate other accounts fairly. If you want to pick and choose from the set, "The Struggle For Guadalcanal" should be your first choice.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Set
Review: Morison's entire "History" is an amazingly complete account of the US Navy's operations in WW II, but this volume, the story of the six month Guadalcanal campaign, is simply outstanding. Like Midway before it, Guadalcanal provided ample material for an engrossing story: the ease of the initial landings, the shock of Savo Island, the desperate land battles, the brutal naval engagements. Maybe because it is one of the earlier volumes in the set, maybe because the story is so compelling: whatever the reason, the writing in Volume 5 is the best of the entire series. It is engaging and informative and written with noticeably more "color" than some of the later volumes. As with any work of history, there are a few conclusions here that haven't aged well: e.g., Morison's assessment of Frank "Jack" Fletcher's withdrawal of the carriers after the initial landings. But anyone reading this book will come away with a very servicable understanding of the campaign, and will be well-prepared to evaluate other accounts fairly. If you want to pick and choose from the set, "The Struggle For Guadalcanal" should be your first choice.
Rating:
Summary: Morison at his finest
Review: The Guadalcanal campaign was the most dramatic and at times the most desparate naval campaign of the war. In addition, Morison spent considerable time on board ships in the area, participating in some of the actions he describes. The result, in this volume, is the most personal, the most vivid, and the best of Morison's 15 volume history. The naval battles in the waters surrounding Guadalcanal were some of the bloodiest and hardest fought actions in World War II. Both sides entered the campaign with strengths and deficits, which were ultimately exploited by the other. The Japanese entered the campaign with superiority in surface craft, torpedoes, and night fighting technique. The Americans had more carriers, better submarines, and air superiority derived from control of Henderson field. During the campaign, American and Japanese naval forces suffered nearly equivalent and horrific losses, which by virtue of its superior resources, the United States was better able overcome and proceed to victory. The waters around Guadalcanal saw many of the most significant -- and decisive -- surface actions of the war, which resulted in many ships of both combatants giving meaning to the name of "Iron Bottom Sound" which attended the approaching waters to Guadalcanal. The volume begins with the battle of Savo Island, and the resulting disintegration of Allied plans, and proceeds through each of the hard-fought battles which followed. With such epic material, as gifted a historian and writer as Morison absolutely cannot fail, nor does he disappoint. Among Morison's history, this volume contains the most vivid descriptions of the island terrain, the tropical seascape, and the violent actions to which they were witness. Charts and pictures compliment Morison's descriptions of salvo chasing, and shells slamming into wildly manuevering warships. No other history of the battles surrounding these waters has both the perspective and immediacy which render Morison's history so compelling. Each of the volumes of Morison's history is well worth reading; this particular volume is worth reading over and over.
Rating:
Summary: what we can not afford to forget
Review: The volumes in this entire series are all highly readable and present a picture of our nation starting from a dismal reality in the Pacific to ultimate victory by virtue of the courage and sacrifice of men of the US Navy, as well as of the British and Dutch. The Naval battles of Coral Sea and Midway and the subsequent invasion of Guadalcanal and establishment of the "Cactus Air Force" made up of whatever American planes that were available to fly on any given day turned the tide in the Pacific, though with 3 more years of fighting to come. The loss of the Astoria, Quincy, and Vincennes on the night following the invasion hastened departure of much of the supply train and of the carrier covering group which left 2 days earlier than planned due to the loss of Cruiser protection, those 3 of the Northern Group as well as the Australian Navy Canberra of the Southern group. Our 2 radar pickett destroyers, Talbot and Blue, were positioned in their cross channel watch so as to miss seeing the Japanese Cruiser fleet enter the harbor and surprise was complete. The IJN suffered no losses during the action, but I believe they subsequently lost the Furutaka on their return to Rabaul. This bears historical checking for accuracy. The remaining 6 month struggle for Guadalcanal is inspiring and very tragic for the conditions and imminent threat of death endured by those brave men. I was deeply moved by the courage and sacrifices of the US Navy and US Marines. 59 years after the fact I also feel (grudging) admiration for the men and weapons of the IJN. The "Arsenal of Democracy" had agreed with the European allies that European victory was the priority issue, and that men and materiels for the Pacific war were scant for the first year or so and in many instances outmoded. The entire series is excellent reading for those interested in history and their American heritage. I have had the entire series for about 50 years. The current pricing scheme at Amazon is a true bargain, and I recommend the series without reservation. The sadness is that such an event ever occured to generate this excellent historical writing.
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