Reviews
"A major new and provocative account of the Pacific War that draws from a wide and diverse number of sources. Myers turns a lot of received wisdom about this subject on its head and tackles many assumptions that scholars of the conflict have assumed are a given. His argument merits a close and careful read."- Nicolas E. Sarantakes , author of Allies against the Rising Sun: The United States, the British Nations and the Defeat of Imperial Japan "This is an outstanding, immensely useful, and much-needed study. Myers makes a significant contribution to widening our horizon by challenging the blinding assumption that Japan's defeat was inevitable. Of critical value is his analysis of Japanese army and naval strategy, underscoring the difficulty of infusing U.S. military might into the existing balance of forces in 194243, as American industry moved toward maximum capacity production and the war in Europe diverted valuable men and materials away from the Pacific."- Waldo. H. Heinrichs , author of Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II "A careful, judicious examination using Japanese and Western sources, Myers' analysis forces a reconsideration of the Pacific War's outcome as inevitable. Contingency, inter-service politics, and sometimes luck--this is historical analysis at its strongest."- Michael A. Barnhart, author of Japan Prepares for Total War: The Search for Economic Security, 19191941 "All in all, this is a provocative book that should be read by all interested in the Pacific War, and further debate on the issues he raises will surely contribute to a better understanding of the Pacific War. "𔳜 Tsuyoshi Hawegawa, author of Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan "Mr. Myers sagaciously challenges the conventional historiography of the Pacific War with Japan and provides a valuable cautionary tale against historical teleology and determinist triumphalism. In this timely volume, we see more of the other side's strategic thinking which makes the odds of winning the war not necessarily inevitable. A nuanced and well-researched must-read."- Miles Maochun Yu , Professor, United States Naval Academy and author of The Dragon's War: Allied Operations and the Fate of China, 19371945, "A must-read for anyone looking to broaden their own understanding of World War II in the Pacific, and just how fluid that theater fo conflict was as a whole."-- H-Net Reviews "Serious students of the Second World War will find The Pacific War and Contingent Victory well worth careful Study."-- Michigan War Studies Review "A short, readable, and valuable framework to analyze the decision-making process of both sides in the Asian-Pacific Theatre of World War II."-- New York Military Affairs Symposium "In sum, Myers's book--which has been used in the Naval War College's curricular case on the Pacific theater in the Second World War--by focusing on war's contingent nature, illustrates well the oft-noted maxim that in war the enemy truly does 'get a vote'"-- Naval War College Review, "Serious students of the Second World War will find The Pacific War and Contingent Victory well worth careful Study."Michigan War Studies Review "A short, readable, and valuable framework to analyze the decision-making process of both sides in the Asian-Pacific Theatre of World War II."New York Military Affairs Symposium "In sum, Myerss bookwhich has been used in the Naval War Colleges curricular case on the Pacific theater in the Second World Warby focusing on wars contingent nature, illustrates well the oft-noted maxim that in war the enemy truly does get a vote"Naval War College Review, "Serious students of the Second World War will find The Pacific War and Contingent Victory well worth careful Study."-- Michigan War Studies Review "A short, readable, and valuable framework to analyze the decision-making process of both sides in the Asian-Pacific Theatre of World War II."-- New York Military Affairs Symposium, "Serious students of the Second World War will find The Pacific War and Contingent Victory well worth careful Study."-- Michigan War Studies Review "A short, readable, and valuable framework to analyze the decision-making process of both sides in the Asian-Pacific Theatre of World War II."-- New York Military Affairs Symposium "In sum, Myers's book--which has been used in the Naval War College's curricular case on the Pacific theater in the Second World War--by focusing on war's contingent nature, illustrates well the oft-noted maxim that in war the enemy truly does 'get a vote'"-- Naval War College Review, "A major new and provocative account of the Pacific War that draws from a wide and diverse number of sources. Myers turns a lot of received wisdom about this subject on its head and tackles many assumptions that scholars of the conflict have assumed are a given. His argument merits a close and careful read."-- Nicolas E. Sarantakes , author of Allies against the Rising Sun: The United States, the British Nations and the Defeat of Imperial Japan "This is an outstanding, immensely useful, and much-needed study. Myers makes a significant contribution to widening our horizon by challenging the blinding assumption that Japan's defeat was inevitable. Of critical value is his analysis of Japanese army and naval strategy, underscoring the difficulty of infusing U.S. military might into the existing balance of forces in 1942-43, as American industry moved toward maximum capacity production and the war in Europe diverted valuable men and materials away from the Pacific."-- Waldo. H. Heinrichs , author of Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II "A careful, judicious examination using Japanese and Western sources, Myers' analysis forces a reconsideration of the Pacific War's outcome as inevitable. Contingency, inter-service politics, and sometimes luck--this is historical analysis at its strongest."-- Michael A. Barnhart, author of Japan Prepares for Total War: The Search for Economic Security, 1919-1941 "All in all, this is a provocative book that should be read by all interested in the Pacific War, and further debate on the issues he raises will surely contribute to a better understanding of the Pacific War. "𔳜 Tsuyoshi Hawegawa, author of Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan "Mr. Myers sagaciously challenges the conventional historiography of the Pacific War with Japan and provides a valuable cautionary tale against historical teleology and determinist triumphalism. In this timely volume, we see more of the other side's strategic thinking which makes the odds of winning the war not necessarily inevitable. A nuanced and well-researched must-read."-- Miles Maochun Yu , Professor, United States Naval Academy and author of The Dragon's War: Allied Operations and the Fate of China, 1937-1945, "A major new and provocative account of the Pacific War that draws from a wide and diverse number of sources. Myers turns a lot of received wisdom about this subject on its head and tackles many assumptions that scholars of the conflict have assumed are a given. His argument merits a close and careful read."Nicolas E. Sarantakes , author of Allies against the Rising Sun: The United States, the British Nations and the Defeat of Imperial Japan "This is an outstanding, immensely useful, and much-needed study. Myers makes a significant contribution to widening our horizon by challenging the blinding assumption that Japan's defeat was inevitable. Of critical value is his analysis of Japanese army and naval strategy, underscoring the difficulty of infusing U.S. military might into the existing balance of forces in 194243, as American industry moved toward maximum capacity production and the war in Europe diverted valuable men and materials away from the Pacific."Waldo. H. Heinrichs , author of Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II "A careful, judicious examination using Japanese and Western sources, Myersanalysis forces a reconsideration of the Pacific Wars outcome as inevitable. Contingency, inter-service politics, and sometimes luckthis is historical analysis at its strongest."Michael A. Barnhart, author of Japan Prepares for Total War: The Search for Economic Security, 19191941 "All in all, this is a provocative book that should be read by all interested in the Pacific War, and further debate on the issues he raises will surely contribute to a better understanding of the Pacific War. "Tsuyoshi Hawegawa, author of Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan "Mr. Myers sagaciously challenges the conventional historiography of the Pacific War with Japan and provides a valuable cautionary tale against historical teleology and determinist triumphalism. In this timely volume, we see more of the other sides strategic thinking which makes the odds of winning the war not necessarily inevitable. A nuanced and well-researched must-read."Miles Maochun Yu , Professor, United States Naval Academy and author of The Dragons War: Allied Operations and the Fate of China, 19371945, "Serious students of the Second World War will find The Pacific War and Contingent Victory well worth careful Study."Michigan War Studies Review "A short, readable, and valuable framework to analyze the decision-making process of both sides in the Asian-Pacific Theatre of World War II."New York Military Affairs Symposium "In sum, Myers's book--which has been used in the Naval War College's curricular case on the Pacific theater in the Second World War--by focusing on war's contingent nature, illustrates well the oft-noted maxim that in war the enemy truly does 'get a vote'"-- Naval War College Review, "A major new and provocative account of the Pacific War that draws from a wide and diverse number of sources. Myers turns a lot of received wisdom about this subject on its head and tackles many assumptions that scholars of the conflict have assumed are a given. His argument merits a close and careful read."-- Nicolas E. Sarantakes , author of Allies against the Rising Sun: The United States, the British Nations and the Defeat of Imperial Japan "This is an outstanding, immensely useful, and much-needed study. Myers makes a significant contribution to widening our horizon by challenging the blinding assumption that Japan's defeat was inevitable. Of critical value is his analysis of Japanese army and naval strategy, underscoring the difficulty of infusing U.S. military might into the existing balance of forces in 1942-43, as American industry moved toward maximum capacity production and the war in Europe diverted valuable men and materials away from the Pacific."-- Waldo. H. Heinrichs , author of Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II "A careful, judicious examination using Japanese and Western sources, Myers' analysis forces a reconsideration of the Pacific War's outcome as inevitable. Contingency, inter-service politics, and sometimes luck--this is historical analysis at its strongest."-- Michael A. Barnhart, author of Japan Prepares for Total War: The Search for Economic Security, 1919-1941 "All in all, this is a provocative book that should be read by all interested in the Pacific War, and further debate on the issues he raises will surely contribute to a better understanding of the Pacific War. "-- Tsuyoshi Hawegawa, author of Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan "Mr. Myers sagaciously challenges the conventional historiography of the Pacific War with Japan and provides a valuable cautionary tale against historical teleology and determinist triumphalism. In this timely volume, we see more of the other side's strategic thinking which makes the odds of winning the war not necessarily inevitable. A nuanced and well-researched must-read."-- Miles Maochun Yu , Professor, United States Naval Academy and author of The Dragon's War: Allied Operations and the Fate of China, 1937-1945, "A major new and provocative account of the Pacific War that draws from a wide and diverse number of sources. Myers turns a lot of received wisdom about this subject on its head and tackles many assumptions that scholars of the conflict have assumed are a given. His argument merits a close and careful read."Nicolas E. Sarantakes , author of Allies against the Rising Sun: The United States, the British Nations and the Defeat of Imperial Japan "This is an outstanding, immensely useful, and much-needed study. Myers makes a significant contribution to widening our horizon by challenging the blinding assumption that Japan's defeat was inevitable. Of critical value is his analysis of Japanese army and naval strategy, underscoring the difficulty of infusing U.S. military might into the existing balance of forces in 194243, as American industry moved toward maximum capacity production and the war in Europe diverted valuable men and materials away from the Pacific."Waldo. H. Heinrichs , author of Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II "A careful, judicious examination using Japanese and Western sources, Myersanalysis forces a reconsideration of the Pacific Wars outcome as inevitable. Contingency, inter-service politics, and sometimes luckthis is historical analysis at its strongest."Michael A. Barnhart, author of Japan Prepares for Total War: The Search for Economic Security, 19191941 "All in all, this is a provocative book that should be read by all interested in the Pacific War, and further debate on the issues he raises will surely contribute to a better understanding of the Pacific War. "-- Tsuyoshi Hawegawa, author of Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan "Mr. Myers sagaciously challenges the conventional historiography of the Pacific War with Japan and provides a valuable cautionary tale against historical teleology and determinist triumphalism. In this timely volume, we see more of the other sides strategic thinking which makes the odds of winning the war not necessarily inevitable. A nuanced and well-researched must-read."Miles Maochun Yu , Professor, United States Naval Academy and author of The Dragons War: Allied Operations and the Fate of China, 19371945