MacArthur's Jungle War. The 1944 New Guinea Campaign

Cover Type: Hardcover
Book Condition: Very Good
Jacket Condition: Very Good
Publisher: University Press Of Kansas
Publisher Place: Lawrence, KS
Publisher Year: 1998
Edition: First Edition

Description: 312 pages. Book and Jacket are both in Very good condition throughout. The only exception is a small inscription to the inside page.

Publishers Description: When General Douglas MacArthur led Allied troops into the jungles of New Guinea in World War II, he was already looking ahead. By successfully leapfrogging Japanese forces on that island, he placed his armies in a position to fulfill his personal promise to liberate the Philippines.The New Guinea campaign has gone down in history as one of MacArthurs shining successes. Now Stephen Taaffe has written the definitive history of that assault, showing why it succeeded and what it contributed to the overall strategy against Japan. His book tells not only how victory was gained through a combination of technology, tactics, and Army-Navy cooperation, but also how the New Guinea campaign exemplified the strategic differences that plagued the Pacific War, since many high-ranking officers considered it a diversionary tactic rather than a key offensive.MacArthurs Jungle War examines the campaigns strategic background and individual operations, describing the enormous challenges posed by jungle and amphibious warfare. Perhaps more important, it offers a balanced assessment of MacArthurs leadership and limitations, revealing his reliance on familiar battle plans and showing the vital role that subordinates played in his victory. Taaffe tells how MacArthur played the difficulties of the New Guinea campaign by maintaining his undivided attention on reaching the Philippines. He also discloses how MacArthur frequently deceived both his superiors and the public in order to promote his own agenda, and examines errors the general would later repeat on a larger scale up through the Korean War.MacArthurs Jungle War offers historians a more analytical treatment of the New Guinea campaign than is found in previous works, and is written with a dramatic flair that will appeal to military buffs. By revealing the interaction among American military planning, interservice politics, MacArthurs generalship, and the American way of war, Taaffes account provides a clearer understanding of Americas Pacific war strategy and shows that the New Guinea offensive was not a mere backwater affair, but a critical part of the war against Japan. Industry Reviews The definitive study of the New Guinea campaign. Taaffe presents a balanced view of the men and events, sparing neither criticism nor praise. . . . Taaffes book represents the beginning of a new era of McArthur scholarship.--War in HistoryBased on thorough research in private manuscript collections, government documents, memoirs, unit military histories, and numerous secondary sources, this superb study is well written and cogently argued.--Journal of Military HistoryTaaffes coverage is comprehensive: strategy, logistics, tactics, weapons, health, morale, personalities, weather and terrain, the enemy, and variety of other small but interesting aspects of his subject. . . . Taaffe is specially skillful in portraying the complexities of MarArthurs personality and leadership style.--Army HistoryThe author draws on an array of official documents, unit histories, personal papers, and oral history interviews to give character and dimension to the soldiers war and to evaluate the roles MacArthurs often-ignored subordinates played in bringing about the American victory.--Journal of American HistoryTaaffe writes of the long, costly campaign in the Southwest Pacific with detail and clarity. His comprehensive coverage of this period is impressive.--World War IIWell researched and an easy read, this book is a must for anyone with an interest in the Pacific War.--New York Military Affairs Symposium Newsletter

ISBN: 9780700608706