The Battle of Wake Island
The History of the Japanese Invasion Launched in Conjunction with the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
The Battle of Wake Island
Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Scott Clem
About this listen
All Americans are familiar with the "day that will live in infamy". At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, the advanced base of the United States Navy's Pacific Fleet, was ablaze. It had been smashed by aircraft launched by the carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. All eight battleships had been sunk or badly damaged, 350 aircraft had been knocked out, and over 2000 Americans lay dead. Indelible images of the USS Arizona exploding and the USS Oklahoma capsizing and floating upside down have been ingrained in the American conscience ever since. In less than an hour and a half the Japanese had almost wiped out America's entire naval presence in the Pacific, but one of the aspects of the war most forgotten is that the Japanese simultaneously launched concerted attacks against American targets elsewhere in the Pacific that the same day, including one against the strategically located Wake Island.
©2016 Charles River Editors (P)2016 Charles River EditorsListeners also enjoyed...
-
Given Up for Dead
- America's Heroic Stand at Wake Island
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: David Cochran Heath
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 37
On December 8, 1941, just five hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese planes attacked a remote US outpost in the westernmost reaches of the Pacific. It was the beginning of an incredible 16-day fight for Wake Island, a tiny but strategically valuable dot in the ocean. Unprepared for the stunning assault, the small battalion was dangerously outnumbered and outgunned. But they compensated with a surplus of bravery and perseverance, waging an extraordinary battle against all odds.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
For want of a nail...
- By Kindle Customer on 07-21-21
By: Bill Sloan
-
The Story of Wake Island
- By: James P.S. Devereux
- Narrated by: Joel Schrank
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 36 Japanese bombers attacked Wake Island and destroyed eight of its 12 aircraft. Two more raids shortly followed, further reducing the defensive possibilities for the men who were left to defend this small area of American soil in the center of the Pacific Ocean. The Story of Wake Island takes the listener to the heart of the action from the point of view of the commanding officer. It is a brilliant account of this tragic event that demonstrated the fighting spirit of the American soldier even in the face of unbeatable odds.
-
The Aleutian Islands Campaign
- The History of Japan's Invasion of Alaska During World War II
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: David Zarbock
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
Fought over bitterly cold flecks of rock and tundra scattered across the remote waters marking the boundary between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the Aleutian Islands campaign represented one of the strangest encounters of World War II. Curving southwestward from the southwest coast of Alaska like the tail of a stingray, the rugged, volcanic Aleutians belong to both the United States and Russia.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Read by a robot
- By shurtz on 03-06-19
-
Coral Sea and Midway
- The History of the World War II Battles That Turned the Tide in the Pacific Theater
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Ken Teutsch
- Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
The growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi Island at 8:20 AM on May 4th, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Consummate Treatise
- By Sam on 11-23-20
-
The Battle of the Coral Sea
- The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Ken Teutsch
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 28
The growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi Island at 8:20 AM on May 4, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships. Six Japanese Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplanes also rested on the gentle, deep blue swell, marking Tulagi's future as an IJN floatplane base.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good, concise, clear account of crucial battle
- By TexasFella on 03-05-18
-
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
- By: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,957
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,531
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,516
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Astonishingly good.
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-01-12
By: Ian W. Toll
-
Given Up for Dead
- America's Heroic Stand at Wake Island
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: David Cochran Heath
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 37
On December 8, 1941, just five hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese planes attacked a remote US outpost in the westernmost reaches of the Pacific. It was the beginning of an incredible 16-day fight for Wake Island, a tiny but strategically valuable dot in the ocean. Unprepared for the stunning assault, the small battalion was dangerously outnumbered and outgunned. But they compensated with a surplus of bravery and perseverance, waging an extraordinary battle against all odds.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
For want of a nail...
- By Kindle Customer on 07-21-21
By: Bill Sloan
-
The Story of Wake Island
- By: James P.S. Devereux
- Narrated by: Joel Schrank
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 36 Japanese bombers attacked Wake Island and destroyed eight of its 12 aircraft. Two more raids shortly followed, further reducing the defensive possibilities for the men who were left to defend this small area of American soil in the center of the Pacific Ocean. The Story of Wake Island takes the listener to the heart of the action from the point of view of the commanding officer. It is a brilliant account of this tragic event that demonstrated the fighting spirit of the American soldier even in the face of unbeatable odds.
-
The Aleutian Islands Campaign
- The History of Japan's Invasion of Alaska During World War II
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: David Zarbock
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
Fought over bitterly cold flecks of rock and tundra scattered across the remote waters marking the boundary between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the Aleutian Islands campaign represented one of the strangest encounters of World War II. Curving southwestward from the southwest coast of Alaska like the tail of a stingray, the rugged, volcanic Aleutians belong to both the United States and Russia.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Read by a robot
- By shurtz on 03-06-19
-
Coral Sea and Midway
- The History of the World War II Battles That Turned the Tide in the Pacific Theater
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Ken Teutsch
- Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
The growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi Island at 8:20 AM on May 4th, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Consummate Treatise
- By Sam on 11-23-20
-
The Battle of the Coral Sea
- The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Ken Teutsch
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 28
The growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi Island at 8:20 AM on May 4, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships. Six Japanese Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplanes also rested on the gentle, deep blue swell, marking Tulagi's future as an IJN floatplane base.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good, concise, clear account of crucial battle
- By TexasFella on 03-05-18
-
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
- By: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,957
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,531
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,516
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Astonishingly good.
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-01-12
By: Ian W. Toll
-
World War 2 in the Pacific Collection: Across Wake Island, Bataan, Guadalcanal, Corregidor, and Iwo Jima
- Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific, The Saga of Pappy Gunn, On Valor's Side, The Coastwatchers, They Call it Pacific, Joe Foss Flying Marine, South from Corregidor, The Story of Wake Island, & Mission Beyond Darkness
- By: Robert Lackie, General George C. Kenney, T. Grady Gallant, and others
- Narrated by: Museum Audiobooks Cast
- Length: 66 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 102
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
This is a nine-book bundle on the Pacific War, the theatre of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and Oceania. The Pacific War saw the Allies pitted against Japan, aided by Thailand and its Axis allies, Germany and Italy. Fighting included some of the largest naval battles in history, and the war culminated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good collection, great bargain well worth a credit
- By R. Denton on 08-13-21
By: Robert Lackie, and others
-
Helmet for My Pillow
- From Parris Island to the Pacific: A Young Marine's Stirring Account of Combat in World War II
- By: Robert Leckie
- Narrated by: James Badge Dale, Tom Hanks (introduction)
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,008
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,288
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,271
The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Should be required reading in high school
- By Randall on 04-03-19
By: Robert Leckie
-
The Cactus Air Force
- Air War Over Guadalcanal
- By: Eric Hammel, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: Adam Henderson
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 143
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 124
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 124
In The Cactus Air Force, Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver worked closely with Eric to build on his collection of diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts to create a vivid narrative of the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book!
- By Eric Peterson on 09-16-22
By: Eric Hammel, and others
-
The Rising Sun
- The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
- By: John Toland
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 41 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,967
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,625
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,620
This Pulitzer Prize-winning history of World War II chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Japanese empire, from the invasion of Manchuria and China to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Told from the Japanese perspective, The Rising Sun is, in the author’s words, "a factual saga of people caught up in the flood of the most overwhelming war of mankind, told as it happened - muddled, ennobling, disgraceful, frustrating, full of paradox."
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A political as well as military history
- By Mike From Mesa on 07-30-15
By: John Toland
-
D-Day
- June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of WW II
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Jesse Boggs
- Length: 25 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,425
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,066
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,053
Stephen E. Ambrose draws from hundreds of interviews with US Army veterans and the brave Allied soldiers who fought alongside them to create this exceptional account of the day that shaped the twentieth century. D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities and triumphs of life are laid bare and courage and heroism come to the fore.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
What an epic story what great men
- By Michael on 02-12-14
-
The Story of World War II
- By: Donald L. Miller, Henry Steele Commager
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 24 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,844
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,469
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,454
Drawing on previously unpublished eyewitness accounts, prizewinning historian Donald L. Miller has written what critics are calling one of the most powerful accounts of warfare ever published. Here are the horror and heroism of World War II in the words of the men who fought it, the journalists who covered it, and the civilians who were caught in its fury. Miller gives us an up-close, deeply personal view of a war that was more savagely fought - and whose outcome was in greater doubt - than one might imagine. This is the war that Americans on the home front would have read about had they had access to previously censored testimony.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
INCREDIBLE! WELL-RESEARCHED, COMPLETE & UNBIASED!
- By The Louligan on 07-15-14
By: Donald L. Miller, and others
-
Neptune's Inferno
- The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 18 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,360
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,035
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,032
With The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors and Ship of Ghosts, James D. Hornfischer created essential and enduring narratives about America’s World War II Navy, works of unique immediacy distinguished by rich portraits of ordinary men in extremis and exclusive new information. Now he does the same for the deadliest, most pivotal naval campaign of the Pacific war: Guadalcanal. Neptune’s Inferno is at once the most epic and the most intimate account ever written of the contest for control of the seaways of the Solomon Islands.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The WWII Pacific Theater Explodes In My Lazy Chair
- By Rum Runner on 03-01-11
-
The Fleet at Flood Tide
- America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 23 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,341
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,193
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,188
With its thunderous assault on the Mariana Islands in June 1944, the United States crossed the threshold of total war. In this tour de force of dramatic storytelling, distilled from extensive research in newly discovered primary sources, James D. Hornfischer brings to life the campaign that was the fulcrum of the drive to compel Tokyo to surrender—and that forever changed the art of modern war.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Hornfischer's Philosophical Summary Up to VJ Day
- By Hollywood Dave on 01-08-17
-
World War II at Sea
- A Global History
- By: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,386
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,235
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,228
World War II at Sea offers a global perspective, focusing on the major engagements and personalities and revealing both their scale and their interconnection: the U-boat attack on Scapa Flow and the Battle of the Atlantic; the "miracle" evacuation from Dunkirk and the pitched battles for control of Norway fjords; Mussolini's Regia Marina - at the start of the war the fourth-largest navy in the world - and the dominance of the Kidö Butai and Japanese naval power in the Pacific; Pearl Harbor then Midway; and much more.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Outstanding
- By Patrick on 02-14-19
By: Craig L. Symonds
-
Midnight in the Pacific
- Guadalcanal -- The World War II Battle That Turned the Tide of War
- By: Joseph Wheelan
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 525
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 474
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 471
Published on the 75th anniversary of the battle and utilizing vivid accounts written by the combatants at Guadalcanal, along with marine corps and army archives and oral histories, Midnight in the Pacific is both a sweeping narrative and a compelling drama of individual marines, soldiers, and sailors caught in the crosshairs of history.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Don't start here or you'll be confused.
- By Doctor Bob on 08-13-17
By: Joseph Wheelan
-
The Twilight Warriors
- The Deadliest Naval Battle of World War II and the Men Who Fought It
- By: Robert Gandt
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 166
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 134
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 137
April 1945. The end of World War II finally appears to be nearing. The Nazis are collapsing in Europe, and the Americans are vastly overpowering the Japanese in the Pacific. For a group of pilots in their early 20s who were trained during the twilight of the war, the biggest concern is that they'll never actually see real action and will go home without having a chance to face the enemy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Selection: One of the Best in this Genre
- By David on 09-22-11
By: Robert Gandt
-
Tin Can Titans
- The Heroic Men and Ships of World War II's Most Decorated Navy Destroyer Squadron
- By: John Wukovits
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,429
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,289
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,285
When Admiral William Halsey selected Destroyer Squadron 21 to lead his victorious ships into Tokyo Bay to accept the Japanese surrender, it was the most battle-hardened US naval squadron of the war. But it was not the squadron of ships that had accumulated such an inspiring résumé; it was the people serving aboard them. Through diaries, personal interviews with survivors, and letters written to and by the crews during the war, preeminent historian of the Pacific theater John Wukovits brings to life the human story of the squadron and its men.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Captivating
- By Jean on 09-23-17
By: John Wukovits
Related to this topic
-
The Aleutian Islands Campaign
- The History of Japan's Invasion of Alaska During World War II
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: David Zarbock
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
Fought over bitterly cold flecks of rock and tundra scattered across the remote waters marking the boundary between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the Aleutian Islands campaign represented one of the strangest encounters of World War II. Curving southwestward from the southwest coast of Alaska like the tail of a stingray, the rugged, volcanic Aleutians belong to both the United States and Russia.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Read by a robot
- By shurtz on 03-06-19
-
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
- By: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,957
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,531
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,516
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Astonishingly good.
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-01-12
By: Ian W. Toll
-
Midnight in the Pacific
- Guadalcanal -- The World War II Battle That Turned the Tide of War
- By: Joseph Wheelan
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 525
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 474
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 471
Published on the 75th anniversary of the battle and utilizing vivid accounts written by the combatants at Guadalcanal, along with marine corps and army archives and oral histories, Midnight in the Pacific is both a sweeping narrative and a compelling drama of individual marines, soldiers, and sailors caught in the crosshairs of history.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Don't start here or you'll be confused.
- By Doctor Bob on 08-13-17
By: Joseph Wheelan
-
The Battle of the Coral Sea
- The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Ken Teutsch
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 28
The growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi Island at 8:20 AM on May 4, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships. Six Japanese Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplanes also rested on the gentle, deep blue swell, marking Tulagi's future as an IJN floatplane base.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good, concise, clear account of crucial battle
- By TexasFella on 03-05-18
-
The Fleet at Flood Tide
- America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 23 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,341
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,193
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,188
With its thunderous assault on the Mariana Islands in June 1944, the United States crossed the threshold of total war. In this tour de force of dramatic storytelling, distilled from extensive research in newly discovered primary sources, James D. Hornfischer brings to life the campaign that was the fulcrum of the drive to compel Tokyo to surrender—and that forever changed the art of modern war.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Hornfischer's Philosophical Summary Up to VJ Day
- By Hollywood Dave on 01-08-17
-
The Twilight Warriors
- The Deadliest Naval Battle of World War II and the Men Who Fought It
- By: Robert Gandt
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 166
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 134
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 137
April 1945. The end of World War II finally appears to be nearing. The Nazis are collapsing in Europe, and the Americans are vastly overpowering the Japanese in the Pacific. For a group of pilots in their early 20s who were trained during the twilight of the war, the biggest concern is that they'll never actually see real action and will go home without having a chance to face the enemy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Selection: One of the Best in this Genre
- By David on 09-22-11
By: Robert Gandt
-
The Aleutian Islands Campaign
- The History of Japan's Invasion of Alaska During World War II
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: David Zarbock
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
Fought over bitterly cold flecks of rock and tundra scattered across the remote waters marking the boundary between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the Aleutian Islands campaign represented one of the strangest encounters of World War II. Curving southwestward from the southwest coast of Alaska like the tail of a stingray, the rugged, volcanic Aleutians belong to both the United States and Russia.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Read by a robot
- By shurtz on 03-06-19
-
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
- By: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,957
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,531
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,516
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Astonishingly good.
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-01-12
By: Ian W. Toll
-
Midnight in the Pacific
- Guadalcanal -- The World War II Battle That Turned the Tide of War
- By: Joseph Wheelan
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 525
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 474
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 471
Published on the 75th anniversary of the battle and utilizing vivid accounts written by the combatants at Guadalcanal, along with marine corps and army archives and oral histories, Midnight in the Pacific is both a sweeping narrative and a compelling drama of individual marines, soldiers, and sailors caught in the crosshairs of history.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Don't start here or you'll be confused.
- By Doctor Bob on 08-13-17
By: Joseph Wheelan
-
The Battle of the Coral Sea
- The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Ken Teutsch
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 28
The growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi Island at 8:20 AM on May 4, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships. Six Japanese Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplanes also rested on the gentle, deep blue swell, marking Tulagi's future as an IJN floatplane base.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good, concise, clear account of crucial battle
- By TexasFella on 03-05-18
-
The Fleet at Flood Tide
- America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 23 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,341
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,193
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,188
With its thunderous assault on the Mariana Islands in June 1944, the United States crossed the threshold of total war. In this tour de force of dramatic storytelling, distilled from extensive research in newly discovered primary sources, James D. Hornfischer brings to life the campaign that was the fulcrum of the drive to compel Tokyo to surrender—and that forever changed the art of modern war.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Hornfischer's Philosophical Summary Up to VJ Day
- By Hollywood Dave on 01-08-17
-
The Twilight Warriors
- The Deadliest Naval Battle of World War II and the Men Who Fought It
- By: Robert Gandt
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 166
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 134
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 137
April 1945. The end of World War II finally appears to be nearing. The Nazis are collapsing in Europe, and the Americans are vastly overpowering the Japanese in the Pacific. For a group of pilots in their early 20s who were trained during the twilight of the war, the biggest concern is that they'll never actually see real action and will go home without having a chance to face the enemy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Selection: One of the Best in this Genre
- By David on 09-22-11
By: Robert Gandt
-
Tin Can Titans
- The Heroic Men and Ships of World War II's Most Decorated Navy Destroyer Squadron
- By: John Wukovits
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,429
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,289
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,285
When Admiral William Halsey selected Destroyer Squadron 21 to lead his victorious ships into Tokyo Bay to accept the Japanese surrender, it was the most battle-hardened US naval squadron of the war. But it was not the squadron of ships that had accumulated such an inspiring résumé; it was the people serving aboard them. Through diaries, personal interviews with survivors, and letters written to and by the crews during the war, preeminent historian of the Pacific theater John Wukovits brings to life the human story of the squadron and its men.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Captivating
- By Jean on 09-23-17
By: John Wukovits
-
War Stories II
- Heroism in the Pacific
- By: Oliver North, Joe Musser
- Narrated by: Joel Leffert
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 69
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
New York Times best-selling author Oliver North, popular host of FOX News Channel's top-rated War Stories program, provided an insightful look at Operation Iraqi Freedom in the first hard-hitting book based on his show. Now in this second book, North shares the accomplishments of the heroic men who fought in the Pacific theater of World War II.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Another winner
- By Kindle Customer on 04-20-05
By: Oliver North, and others
-
Hell from the Heavens
- The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II's Greatest Kamikaze Attack
- By: John Wukovits
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 109
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 97
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 98
On the morning of April 16, 1945, the crewmen of the USS Laffey saw what seemed to be the entire Japanese air force assembled directly above. They were about to become the targets of the largest single-ship kamikaze attack of World War II.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compelling story worth the effort
- By David Traill on 08-10-16
By: John Wukovits
-
Morning Star, Midnight Sun
- The Early Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign of World War II August–October 1942
- By: Jeffrey R. Cox
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 20 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 612
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 545
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 534
Following the disastrous Java Sea campaign, the Allies went on the offensive in the Pacific in a desperate attempt to halt the Japanese forces that were rampaging across the region. With the conquest of Australia a very real possibility, the stakes were high. Their target: the Japanese-held Soloman Islands, in particular the southern island of Guadalcanal. Hamstrung by arcane pre-war thinking and a bureaucratic mind-set, the US Navy had to adapt on the fly in order to compete with the mighty Imperial Japanese Navy, whose ingenuity had fostered the creation of its Pacific empire.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very enjoyable popular history
- By Sheldon Campbell on 08-17-19
By: Jeffrey R. Cox
-
Utmost Savagery
- The Three Days of Tarawa
- By: Colonel Joseph H. Alexander United States Marine Corps (Ret.)
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 784
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 691
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 685
On November 20, 1943, in the first trial by fire of America’s fledgling amphibious assault doctrine, 5,000 men stormed the beaches of Tarawa, a seemingly invincible Japanese island fortress barely the size of the 300-acre Pentagon parking lots. Before the first day ended, one-third of the marines who had crossed Tarawa’s deadly reef under murderous fire were killed, wounded, or missing. In three days of fighting, four Americans would win the Medal of Honor and six thousand combatants would die.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Definitive Battle History of Tarawa
- By Iain on 02-23-11
By: Colonel Joseph H. Alexander United States Marine Corps (Ret.)
-
Challenge for the Pacific
- Guadalcanal: The Turning Point of the War
- By: Robert Leckie
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 194
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 174
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 171
From the Japanese soldiers' carefully calculated - and ultimately foiled - attempt to build a series of impregnable island forts on the ground to the tireless efforts of the Americans who struggled against a tenacious adversary and the temperature and terrain of the island itself, Robert Leckie captures the loneliness, the agony, and the heat of 24-hour-a-day fighting on Guadalcanal.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Too much like a text book
- By Randall on 01-03-18
By: Robert Leckie
-
The Last Fighter Pilot
- The True Story of the Final Combat Mission of World War II
- By: Don Brown, Captain Jerry Yellin - foreword, Captain Jerry Yellin - contributor, and others
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 536
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 483
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 481
On the morning of August 15, 1945, Captain Jerry Yellin flew the last combat mission of World War II out of Iwo Jima. Today, Captain Yellin is a sharp, engaging, 93-year-old veteran whose story is brought to life by best-selling author Don Brown.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A history Air War in the South Pacific & Iwo Gima
- By Amazon Customer on 06-30-20
By: Don Brown, and others
-
Islands of Destiny
- By: John Prados
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 62
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 63
Acclaimed WWII historian and military intelligence expert John Prados offers a provocative reassessment of the Allies’ battle for the Solomon Islands - a turbulent, dramatic campaign that, he argues, was the true turning point of the Pacific conflict.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Way too much detail
- By Eric on 01-15-17
By: John Prados
-
The Cactus Air Force
- Air War Over Guadalcanal
- By: Eric Hammel, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: Adam Henderson
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 143
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 124
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 124
In The Cactus Air Force, Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver worked closely with Eric to build on his collection of diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts to create a vivid narrative of the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book!
- By Eric Peterson on 09-16-22
By: Eric Hammel, and others
-
Neptune's Inferno
- The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 18 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,360
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,035
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,032
With The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors and Ship of Ghosts, James D. Hornfischer created essential and enduring narratives about America’s World War II Navy, works of unique immediacy distinguished by rich portraits of ordinary men in extremis and exclusive new information. Now he does the same for the deadliest, most pivotal naval campaign of the Pacific war: Guadalcanal. Neptune’s Inferno is at once the most epic and the most intimate account ever written of the contest for control of the seaways of the Solomon Islands.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The WWII Pacific Theater Explodes In My Lazy Chair
- By Rum Runner on 03-01-11
-
World War II at Sea
- A Global History
- By: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,386
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,235
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,228
World War II at Sea offers a global perspective, focusing on the major engagements and personalities and revealing both their scale and their interconnection: the U-boat attack on Scapa Flow and the Battle of the Atlantic; the "miracle" evacuation from Dunkirk and the pitched battles for control of Norway fjords; Mussolini's Regia Marina - at the start of the war the fourth-largest navy in the world - and the dominance of the Kidö Butai and Japanese naval power in the Pacific; Pearl Harbor then Midway; and much more.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Outstanding
- By Patrick on 02-14-19
By: Craig L. Symonds
-
D-Days in the Pacific
- By: Donald L. Miller
- Narrated by: Gary Dikeos
- Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 87
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 83
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.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Terrific one volume history of the Pacific war.
- By Bill on 12-01-12
By: Donald L. Miller
What listeners say about The Battle of Wake Island
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- ashley
- 08-29-23
Great short history
This was a great short book detailing the fight at Wake Island. Highly recommended for anyone.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- UkuleleGuy54
- 09-19-17
I was very interested in this story
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Many years ago I had the honor of knowing a gentleman who was a young worker for Morrison Knudsen on Wake Island when the Japanese invaded. He spent the entire war as a POW. I heard some of the stories, not many because they were stories of cruelty and horror and he had moved on and did not wish to dwell on them. For that reason I had a personal and strong interest in this book. I think it was fairly well written although I wish it were longer and more detailed. I really dislike criticizing the narrator but I felt like it was read without passion or investment. Sort of like listening to someone read a newspaper story out loud. The frequent sibilant on pronouncing everything with an "S" was distracting. I am glad, however, that I listened to the book. There were many hero's in this story. I wish I could have met more of them.
Would you be willing to try another one of Scott Clem’s performances?
Probably not, sorry!
Was The Battle of Wake Island worth the listening time?
Yes, wish it were longer.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!