D-Days in the Pacific

By: Donald L. Miller

Narrated by: Gary Dikeos

Although most people associate the term D-day with the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, it is military code for the beginning of any offensive operation. In the Pacific theater during World War II there were more than one hundred D-days. The largest - and last - was the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, which brought together the biggest invasion fleet ever assembled, far larger than that engaged in the Normandy invasion.

D-Days in the Pacific tells the epic story of the campaign waged by American forces to win back the Pacific islands from Japan. Based on eyewitness accounts by the combatants, it covers the entire Pacific struggle from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Pacific war was largely a seaborne offensive fought over immense distances. Many of the amphibious assaults on Japanese-held islands were among the most savagely fought battles in American history: Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, New Guinea, Peleliu, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. D-Days in the Pacific is the finest one-volume account of this titanic struggle.

Donald L. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of History at Lafayette College. He is author of City of the Century and has been involved with HBO and PBS productions.

©2012 Donald L. Miller (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc

Critic reviews

"This…is a major publishing event.… The total effect is one few readers will ever forget." (David McCullough, nbumber-one New York Times best-selling author)

"This…account of World War II is likely to remain a classic for generations to come.” (Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times best-selling author)

"Every book written about the Pacific campaign must struggle with the shadow of the mushroom clouds that loom at its end. Unlike many others, D-Days in the Pacific succeeds in making that ending a part of the entire narrative, so that when it finally arrives, its entrance is not just understandable but inevitable and obvious - as inevitable and obvious as the decision to employ the atomic bombs seemed to President Truman." ( Washington Post)

Satisfactory Pacific War Overview

Thought this was going to be focused specifically on the amphibious assaults/landings of the Pacific War, but turned out to be more of an overall overview. That said, did a decent job of the latter - if that’s what you’re looking for.

Terrific one volume history of the Pacific war.

What made the experience of listening to D-Days in the Pacific the most enjoyable?

Puts you in the middle of the action, as though you are in the boots of the soldiers. Personal anecdotes are relevant and uncensored.

What was one of the most memorable moments of D-Days in the Pacific?

Tarawa.

Did Gary Dikeos do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Narration was not great.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Some battle scenes were horrific.

Any additional comments?

Excellent listen. Well written and riveting. Recommended as are the author's other titles available on Audio.

Great Content. Distracting Pronunciation

What did you like best about D-Days in the Pacific? What did you like least?

The content and flow of the story is excellent.

How could the performance have been better?

The reader not only mis-pronounced the names of several of the key battles (Tarawa, Peleliu, etc.) he also mis-pronounced the word "adjutant." More than likely, people listening to this book will be familiar with the correct pronunciations and will therefore find the mispronunciations extremely distracting.

Also, though the reader has an excellent cadence and clear voice, his Australian accent is terrible.

Great book. Author reads to slow

Love Donald killers writing. For some reason, this author feels like he’s reading at .5 speed.

pacific ww II

loved it. Found many details I had not previously known . terrific and needed descriptions i I; b;
Very good 👍

Like Ambrose and McCullough

Military history fans will love this telling of that Pacific campaign with plenty of anecdotal personal stories. Miller's work isn't some dry textbook but reads much like Ambrose and McCullough.

excellent history lesson

thorough telling of the Pacific side of WWII and all of the challenges and brutal battles

Misleading title

This is a not chronicle of the amphibious landings in the Pacific during WW II. It is, instead, the story of the war in the Pacific. Several rabbits are also chased. The author does a decent job, it just isn't what I expected.

Well written book handicapped by poor narration

What did you like best about D-Days in the Pacific? What did you like least?

Provided a reasonable mix of smaller details and overarching strategic situation. It did feel like it took awhile to get to the "D-Days". The author provided a substantial amount of material devoted to setting the stage for Pearl Harbor and the beginning of the United States' entry into World War Two.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favorites. Interesting to hear a broad spectrum of opinions and perspectives, from a multitude of services and branches.

Would you be willing to try another one of Gary Dikeos’s performances?

No.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Most likely.

Bad Title; Good Intro to Pacific Theater

If you could sum up D-Days in the Pacific in three words, what would they be?

Easy to read.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect of the book was the overarching strategy: unconditional surrender, leapfrogging; the arguments between MacArthur, Nimitz and King over how to prosecute the war; the separate campaigns in the South Pacific and Central Pacific and the vast tactical differences between them.

Any additional comments?

The Kindle version does not have page numbers or a table of contents which is irritating.