Based on the letters of Earl Philip Reinhalter (1922-1953). Edited by his son, Earl Philip Reinhalter (1950-).
History of World War II in the Pacific: | ||
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Pacific Onslaught: 7th Dec. 1941/7th Feb. 1943 by Paul Kennedy A comprehensive history of the early years of World War II, when the Japanese conquered much of Asia and the Pacific. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Pacific Victory by Paul Kennedy A continuation of the above volume, in which the tide turned and the Allies defeated Japan. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964 by William Manchester The definitive biography of the commander of Allied forces in the Pacific. * Wikipedia * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Air War in the Pacific (Annotated): The Journal of General George Kenney The Commander of the Fifth U.S. Air Force describes how American air power made it impossible for Japan to supply troops in the field and bring raw materials (such as oil and rubber) back from lands they occupied. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Dick Bong: Ace of Aces by George C. Kenney The life of America’s top flying ace of the war is recounted by his commanding officer. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Race of Aces: WWII's Elite Airmen and the Epic Battle to Become the Master of the Sky by John R. Bruning An overall history of Dick Bong and the other flying aces of the war. * Amazon.com * eBay.com |
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The Saga of Pappy Gunn by George C. Kenney The story of the aviator whose innovative mechanical modifications turned U.S. bombers into attack planes. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Indestructible: One Man's Rescue Mission That Changed the Course of WWII by John R. Bruning Pappy Gunn’s mission behind enemy lines to rescue his family. * Amazon.com * eBay.com |
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Our Jungle Road to Tokyo by Robert L. Eichelberger A memoir of the general who commanded the troops that drove the Japanese from the Philippines. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945 by John Toland This is the Pacific counterpart to William Shirer’s landmark The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, describing how the war progressed from the enemy’s perspective, based on captured Japanese documents and interviews with many of the principals. A Pulitzer Prize winner. * Wikipedia * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg A Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of the aviator who famously few solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. During World War II, he trained flyers to conserve fuel, thereby increasing their range, and even flew some combat missions himself. * Wikipedia * Amazon.com * eBay |
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War at the End of the World: Douglas MacArthur and the Forgotten Fight for New Guinea, 1942-1945 by James P. Duffy An overall view of the fight for New Guinea, the first stepping stone in the drive to take back the Philippines and move on to Japan itself. * Amazon.com * eBay |
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The Coastwatchers: Operation Ferdinand and the Fight for the South Pacific by Eric Feldt Originally published just after the war and written by the original commander of Operation Ferdinand, this is the story of the brave individuals who watched for enemy boats and planes and relayed what they saw to the Allies. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard This is a superficial history of the war in the Pacific, focusing on just a few key moments, but it is an enjoyable read and it covers some ground not mentioned in the other books. * Wikipedia * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Books Mentioned in the Letters: | ||
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c/o Postmaster by Corporal Thomas R. St. George This 1943 bestseller provides an entertaining fictionized account of American soldiers shipping across the ocean to Australia and spending some time in training there before heading into the combat zone. Many soldiers in the 3rd Airdrome Squadron read this book and could relate to the incidents that the author recounted. Currently out of print, but used copies can easily be found online, often for a very low price. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Proceed Without Delay by Sergeant Thomas R. St. George This one was not mentioned in the letters, but deserves a spot here because it is a sequel to the above book c/o Postmaster, chronicling the author's further adventures in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a writer for Yank magazine (listed below). * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Pocket Guide to Australia This booklet was distributed by the U.S. government to troops heading overseas to Australia early in the war. Soldiers in the 3rd Airdrome Squadron read it during their trip across the Pacific. (There is also an inferior reprint, published under the title Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia.) As a government document, it is not covered by copyright; therefore the entire text is reproduced here: * Pocket Guide to Australia |
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The Raft by Robert Trumbull The true-life story of three U.S. Navy fliers who survived 34 days at sea on a small raft. The basis of the movie Against the Sun. * Wikipedia * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Seven Came Through by Eddie V. Rickenbacker The famous aviator's book about surviving at sea for several weeks on a raft after his plane was forced to ditch. Also the subject of another book, We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing by Lt. James Whittaker. * Wikipedia * Amazon.com * eBay |
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American Guerrilla in the Philippines by Ira Wolfert A 1945 book about the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. The basis of the 1950 war film of the same title (but called I Shall Return in the U.K.) starring Tyrone Power, directed by Fritz Lang. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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A Soldier’s Reader by George Macy (editor) A massive anthology of "four hundred thousand words of literary entertainment" for members of the American armed services. * Wikipedia (author page) * Amazon.com * eBay |
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The Mountain Boys A collection of cartoons by P. Webb, reproduced courtesy of Esquire magazine. * Amazon.com * eBay |
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Yank, the Army Weekly This magazine was distributed to U.S. military personnel from June 1942 to December 1945. Original copies can be found for sale online, and collections have been scanned for CD/DVD. * Wikipedia * Amazon.com * eBay |
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NOW AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK! The Kindle book includes Earl Reinhalter’s World War II letters; all 23 issues of the unit’s wartime newsletter “The Squadron Pulse,” which was originally edited by Leonard Stringfield; all 12 issues of the “Pennant Parade” newsletter that Stringfield published while sailing home after the war; complete text of the U.S. government booklet “Pocket Guide to Australia,” which soldiers heading Down Under were given to read; more than 200 photos; pre-war and postwar family history; and over 700 explanatory endnotes. |
This page established: August 31, 2019 Last updated: February 22, 2023
© 2019-2023 Earl P. Reinhalter. All Rights Reserved.