Morning Star, Midnight Sun

The Early Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign of World War II August–October 1942

Morning Star, Midnight Sun cover

Description

Following the disastrous Java Sea campaign, the Allies went on the offensive in the Pacific in a desperate attempt to halt the Japanese forces that were rampaging across the region. With the conquest of Australia a very real possibility, the stakes were high. Their target: the Japanese-held Solomon Islands, in particular the southern island of Guadalcanal.

Hamstrung by arcane pre-war thinking and a bureaucratic mind-set, the US Navy had to adapt on the fly in order to compete with the mighty Imperial Japanese Navy, whose ingenuity and creativity thus far had fostered the creation of its Pacific empire. Starting with the amphibious assault on Savo Island, the campaign turned into an attritional struggle where the evenly matched foes sought to grind out a victory.

Following on from his hugely successful book Rising Sun, Falling Skies, Jeffrey R. Cox tells the gripping story of the first Allied offensive of the Pacific War, as they sought to prevent Japan from cutting off Australia and regaining dominance in the Pacific.

Table of Contents

I. Now What? – Strategic situation in Summer 1942
II. Learning on the Landing – The Invasion of Guadalcanal
III. The Sleeping Watch – The Battle of Savo Island
IV. Expensive Bait – Battle of the Eastern Solomons
V. I am Aoba – The Battle of Cape Esperance
VI. Not Quite Midway – Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
VII. Barfight in the Dark – The First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
VIII. The Reckoning Begins – Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
IX. Just When You Think – Battles of Tassafaronga and Rennell Island
X. Cartwheeling – Bismarck Sea, Landings on New Georgia and Vella Lavella
XI. Guadalcanal – Minus All the Mistakes
XII. Anti-Climax – Isolation of Rabaul

Product details

Published Feb 22 2018
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 468
ISBN 9781472826404
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations Non-illustrated with 3 mono plate sections
Series General Military
Short code GNM
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Jeffrey Cox

Jeffrey R. Cox is a litigation attorney and an ind…

Resources

Book Vote

Tell us what titles you would like to see published by Osprey, then vote for your favourites in our monthly book vote!

Related Titles

Sign up for Osprey membership for access to thousands of plane profiles, maps, battle scenes and more. Plus up to 30% off website purchases