Tuesday 28 August 2012

Where to find Battles of the Pacific War 1941-1945

"Battles of the Pacific War 1941-1945" can be found at both LuLu (now with 40% discount) and Amazon. I have included links to the book's pages on these sites. These hyperlinks are included on the link list on the right side of this blog. Or you can just check out the hyperlinks within this post.

Don't forget that this book comes in both paperback and Kindle format. The Kindle format is the e-book alternative for the book. If you have an Amazon Kindle then this can be great alternative as it includes an audio option for any of its books.They can store lots of books and are a greener alternative. Save the rainforests!

Now the Kindle book is also a part of the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. This is like an Amazon Kindle library for e-books. You can take out and return the e-book in much the same way you would at a library. Check out this page for further details on how.


Tuesday 14 August 2012

About Matthew

Matthew is a freelance writer who has produced a variety of articles for various magazines and websites. Among them the Washington Post, 4k.com, Sea Breezes, Naval History Magazine, Ships Monthly, Artilleryman, TripAdvisor, Bright Hub, dotTech, Swing Golf Magazine, Coed Magazine and Vagabundo Travel. "Battles of the Pacific War 1941-1945" is his début book. Check out the links to a few of his articles below.

Remembering the Titanic in Southampton

"Southampton is famous for its ships such as the great ocean liners that dominated its port during the early 20th century. Briefly among them was White Star’s Titanic, which in 1912 was the largest ship to have been constructed. The Titanic set sail from Southampton in April 1912 for its maiden voyage. However, this was cut short as the Titanic famously sank like a rock in the Atlantic with more than 2,000 aboard. Only a minority were picked up and arrived in New York. In 2012, Southampton has been commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Titanic in the month of April...."

Free Tank Rides!

"It’s time to reload and refuel your tanks, for Command and Conquer is back this March! The next installment for the Command and Conquer game series is Command and Conquer 4: Tiberium Twighlight, set to conclude the story of this epic game saga...."

The History of the Half-Life Game Series

"Half-Life is one of the most influential PC game series. Since the first Half-Life game was unveiled the Half-Life game series has been expanded with several great additions. This Half-Life history article covers the history of the Half-Life series from the rise of Valve up to the present day...."

Nintendo Game Consoles 

"This Nintendo console timeline traces the history of Nintendo’s video game consoles from the ‘80s to the present day. As such, all of Nintendo’s non-handheld game consoles are covered here with dates provided...."

Pansonic Adds World's Largest 4K Video Board to Churchill Downs

"The Kentucky Derby is one of the greatest horse races in the United States. The legendary race course at Churchill Downs hosts the event. For the May 2014 Kentucky Derby Panasonic added a colossal new 4K video board, the largest ever built, to showcase the event..."

A Holiday in Torbay

"During one summer, I took a holiday in the seaside town of Paington. Paignton is one of three towns in Torbay alongside Brixham and Torquay. It is part of a supposed English Riviera that has miles of sandy beaches along its coastline, and some great coastal landscapes..."

IMAX Announce 4k 3D Digital Camera

"As of yet 3D films haven’t really taken off. Sure, the 3D showcase Avatar was a blockbuster. However, 3D effects in movies still remain a little limited. Some might even tell you that for much of the time a 3D film seems almost the same as their 2D alternatives. IMAX’s announcement of the first 4K 3D digital camera could, therefore, give 3D films a considerable boost..."

Ocean Liners at War

"World War One began in 1914, and it involved the largest navies in the world. The British, German and French navies had lots of dreadnoughts at their disposal, but needed extra ships for transporting troops and commerce raiding..."

Air War in the Pacific

The air war in the Pacific was essential to both sides. Air superiority could win any naval battle, and in addition to this leave military and industrial targets open for bombing raids. The short video below includes colour footage from the air war. 


Pearl Harbour is one of the battles included in the video, and I would guess Midway, Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Philippine Sea could be some of the other battles. All of these battles are covered in greater detail within "Battles of the Pacific War 1941-1945."

A Sneak Peek

Here's a sample of the first three pages of "Battles of the Pacific War 1941-1945":

The Japanese Empire had gradually expanded in the 20th century. Victories in its wars with the empires of Russia and Germany in the early years of the century had further consolidated its territory in Asia. However, as the 1920s gave way to the 1930s, the Wall Street Crash ensured a decline in free trade and a period of economic stagnation.

For Japan, extending the empire had potential economic advantages. Senior generals called for military campaigns aimed at gaining more colonies which could provide additional raw materials. With a larger empire established Japan would not have to import as much. Manchuria, a province in northern China, was rich in minerals and land suitable for agriculture. In 1931, claiming that a portion of Japan's South Manchuria Railway had been sabotaged by China, the Japanese army invaded and occupied the town of Shenyang.

The situation could not escape the attention of the League of Nations. Soon after the invasion the League requested that Japan withdraw as soon as possible. The Japanese military was not about to back down, and advanced further so that by the end of 1931 the Japanese army occupied the whole of Manchuria.

While this occupation did not ensure a war with China in the early 1930s, it was the beginning of an emerging war with China. The United States gave its support to China. The USA even proposed a Japanese arms embargo, but this was never established. The United States also remained in accord with the findings of the League of Nations regarding the situation in Manchuria. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933.

A few years later in 1937 a wider war in China did indeed begin. Japan claimed that its troops had been fired at by Chinese soldiers at Marco Polo Bridge, and soon after its army invaded China from Manchuria. The Japanese army dominated the early period of this war as they advanced further into China. One by one China's cities such as Nanking and Shanghai were occupied.

Despite these early victories, the Sino-Japanese War was far from over. Though the Japanese army had won most of the key cities they only occupied the northeast of the country. The millions of Japanese soldiers in China could not fully defeat the Chinese army, or indeed the communist guerrillas who provided further military support during the conflict.

The escalation of the war merely increased Western suspicions. However, by 1939 Britain and France were at war with Germany; and military defeats in Europe meant they were not about to open new fronts elsewhere. The United States remained isolationist and would not provide China with firm military support.

Notwithstanding its isolationist foreign policy, the United States did establish a Japanese embargo in 1940 as the war in China continued. These economic sanctions froze American oil exports to Japan, as well as exports of steel and iron ore. Even though the embargo was incomplete, since Japan still obtained a small quantity of oil from the United States, it began to have a noticeable impact by 1941. As Japan's oil supplies became increasingly depleted, it was clear that it could not continue the war in China much further as aircraft and tanks required fuel.

Negotiations with the United States regarding withdrawal from China continued in the early 1940s. However, the Japanese military had prepared an alternative plan that would ensure it could remain in China, in the short term at least. This scheme outlined how Japan could quickly expand its empire in the Pacific with a series of advances targeting European colonies in the region. With the possible exception of Singapore, most of the....

That's as far as this preview goes, but there may be a few more included on this blog. So watch this space!  

Photos and Maps Included in Battles of the Pacific War 1941-1945

During the Pacific War, some great photos were taken. Among them was the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima photo that includes a group of Marines raising the flag atop Mount Suribachi at the Battle of Iwo Jima.

"Battles of the Pacific War 1941-1945" includes a compilation of Pacific War photos taken during the period. A variety of photos taken from battles at Okinawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Pearl Harbor are included among its pages. The updated book now has additional battle maps that show the geographical terrain of the battlefields. Below are a few more Pacific War photographs that are not within the book's pages.

A Corsair aircraft at Battle of Okinawa.
The Yamato battleship. 
 The USS Arizona goes down at Pearl Harbour. 

Battle of Iwo Jima Video


This Iwo Jima video includes unique colour footage from the battle in 1945. This is one of the most famous battles of the period. The Battle of Iwo Jima is one of four land battles included in Battles of the Pacific War 1941 - 1945 along with the Battle of Okinawa, Battle of Singapore and the Battle of Saipan.