Fire and Fortitude

The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943

By: John C. McManus

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

An engrossing, epic history of the US Army in the Pacific War, from the acclaimed author of The Dead and Those About to Die

“This eloquent and powerful narrative is military history written the way it should be.”—James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian

"Out here, mention is seldom seen of the achievements of the Army ground troops," wrote one officer in the fall of 1943, "whereas the Marines are blown up to the skies." Even today, the Marines are celebrated as the victors of the Pacific, a reflection of a well-deserved reputation for valor. Yet the majority of fighting and dying in the war against Japan was done not by Marines but by unsung Army soldiers.

John C. McManus, one of our most highly acclaimed historians of World War II, takes readers from Pearl Harbor—a rude awakening for a military woefully unprepared for war—to Makin, a sliver of coral reef where the Army was tested against the increasingly desperate Japanese. In between were nearly two years of punishing combat as the Army transformed, at times unsteadily, from an undertrained garrison force into an unstoppable juggernaut, and America evolved from an inward-looking nation into a global superpower.

At the pinnacle of this richly told story are the generals: Douglas MacArthur, a military autocrat driven by his dysfunctional lust for fame and power; Robert Eichelberger, perhaps the greatest commander in the theater yet consigned to obscurity by MacArthur's jealousy; "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell, a prickly soldier miscast in a diplomat's role; and Walter Krueger, a German-born officer who came to lead the largest American ground force in the Pacific. Enriching the narrative are the voices of men otherwise lost to history: the uncelebrated Army grunts who endured stifling temperatures, apocalyptic tropical storms, rampant malaria and other diseases, as well as a fanatical enemy bent on total destruction.

This is an essential, ambitious book, the first of two volumes, a compellingly written and boldly revisionist account of a war that reshaped the American military and the globe and continues to resonate today.

A great telling of U.S. Army history in the Pacific

A solid first swing at telling a piece of Army history which has largely been given over to the Marines. The Army had over three times the forces that the Marine Corps had in the Pacific theater. A story that needs to be told

Great overview of the pacific with new information

This book can be tough at times due to the sheer brutality of the pacific, but this is well worth it. Walter Dixon’s delivery perfectly encapsulates the emotions of soldiers quoted in this book.

Even more refreshing is the inclusion of Japanese and Chinese perspective of the time. They have gone ignored/forgotten/untranslated for far too long, and it adds yet another level of depth to a far more complicated theatre of war than was commonly thought.

Brilliant book on the War in the Pacific

I thoroughly enjoyed this book on the war in the Pacific. Although I am quite knowledgeable about the war itself, this author really dove into it thoroughly and gave you the perspective of what happened during the war from soldiers and sailors and nurses on ratings. Having known a man who spent some time at Cabanatuan During the war, this book gave me an opportunity to understand more thoroughly what he went through. He does a very thorough examination of Douglas MacArthur, whom I always knew to be a vainglorious, self-righteous, narcissistic commander, the author goes into great detail about how spurious his command really was. That’s not to say that he wasn’t brilliant, he was just a diva in uniform just like another brilliant General George S Patton. I really like this book.

Phenomenal work

Walter Dixon, does a superior job here and the book is very good for indeed!

Sharpens Focus on Army’s Role in Pacific War

After three generations have passed, the Pacific War comes sharply in focus from the US Army’s point of view. Excellently written, Joh Mc Manus’s first volume concentrates on Generals Douglas MacArthur, Joseph Stilwell, and their staffs and subordinates. Yet much of the story is told from the diaries and memoirs of everyday soldiers, both American and Japanese. Truly global in literary scale, this book is an indispensable addition to any military Historian’s library.