Book Reviews – Fire and Fortitude and Island Infernos

I had meant to post a book review of John McManus’ Fire and Fortitude last year after I read it, but never got around to it. With the release of the second books in the series, Island Infernos, it seemed like a good time to review both books. McManus is writing a trilogy of books covering the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War 2. Fire and Fortitude and Island Infernos are the first two books in the series. When talking about land battles in the Pacific, popular history tends to focus on the efforts of the Marines. McManus points out that U.S. Army had more troops to the Pacific than the Marines and similarly fought tough actions against the Japanese across the Pacific.

 

Fire and Fortitude covers the U.S. Army in the Pacific from 1941 to 1943. The book has some pre-war discussion and then goes on to actions at Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, New Guinea, Guadalcanal, the rest of the Solomon Islands, China, the Aleutian Islands, and the Gilbert Islands. McManus does a good job of covering the combat in the Philippines, which is often skipped or given little mention in most histories. McManus also spends a lot of time covering American POWs, which is another topic that is usually only found in subject specific books. The New Guinea section does a good job of discussing the difficulties of jungle fighting on the island for both the Allies and Japanese. Army involvement on Guadalcanal and rest of the Solomon Islands is area that is a footnote in many histories but is well covered in the book. The book ends with the Gilbert Islands Campaign. Where McManus provides a good explanation of the differences between Marine and Army strategy for island invasions and how Marine General Holland “Howlin Mad” Smith felt the Army wasn’t aggressive enough during the campaign. After finishing the book, I thought it was a good start to the series and really captured the Army’s actions.

The series continues with Island Infernos, which came out in late 2021 and covers Army Pacific actions in 1944. The book starts out with the continuing action in New Guinea and other efforts to isolate the Japanese at Rabaul. It covers the amphibious actions to bypass and cutoff Japanese strongpoints and set the stage for the invasion of the Philippines. The book then goes on to cover the invasions in the Marshall Islands, Marianna Islands, and the return to the Philippines. McManus also revisits America POWs, which again is rarely covered by most histories. As in the previous book, Island Infernos gives detailed accounts of the Army's actions and internal in-fighting.
 

Both books are well researched and long. They are not for a casual reader or for a quick look at a single campaign. General Douglas MacArthur plays a key role in both books, and I felt like McManus provided a balanced view of this controversial leader. Praising and pointing out flaws where appropriate. 

 There is an obvious comparison to be made between this series and Rick Atkinson's work on the Army in the European Theater. The writers have different styles. I think Atkinson is a better writer, but it is close. That said, I think the McManus books are definitely worth the read, especially if you have in World War 2 Pacific land battles. For those of you who are unsure about this, I would recommend checking with your local library to see if they have copies of the books (I’m a big fan the Seattle Public Library and libraries in general), so you can have a look without having to buy.
 

From a gamer’s point of view there is a lot in these books. If you’re looking for new ideas for Pacific battles (and not just the usual Marines vs. Japanese), these books have what you want. The main problem is there are very few miniatures manufacturers that make 28mm U.S. Army in the Pacific figures. That said, I’ve been thinking about scenario ideas for Company B’s Alamo Scouts and SeeBees figures. Island Infernos has an interesting section on the formation of the Alamo Scouts and their first recon mission on Los Negros island. It got me wondering if I could make a scenario on that using Osprey’s Black Ops rules.