Just finished Samuel Eliot Morisson's, The Two-Ocean War. A short 586 page, which vividly describes both by theater and chronologically, the Naval War in both the Pacific and European theaters of World War II.

Originally published in 1963, Morrison starts in inter-war years, and the beginning stages of the war and thematically alternating between the Pacific and Atlantic Wars.

Some of the highlights the problems caused by the German U Boats leading to the convoy system being implemented and the losses in merchant shipping early in the war, the early setbacks in the Pacific, folliwed by victories at Coral Sea and Midway, the Guadalcanal campaign, North Africa and Sicilian campaigns.

Morrison then spends several chapters in Pacific on the Solomons, Gilbert, and Marshall Islands, New Guinea and the Marianas, then jumps back to the Mediterranean and Italy and the Naval aspects of Overlord.

He finishes with the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the end of the war. While an ongoing topic, Morrison dedicates a section in the contributions of the submarine campaign in both theaters but concentrating on the Pacific where its contributions against both warships and Japanese merchant shipping were profound.

The best single volume on the Naval War I have read, and a solid 5 stars. ( )

Having completed the larger multi-volumne work on the US Navy of WWII, Morison boiled it down to a mass-market book for more popular consumption. It is adequate, but not to the depth anywhere necessary for the serious student. ( )

Large comprehensive book that covers just about every movement of the US Navy in the 2nd World War. ( )

This is a good read if you are brushing up on naval history of WW2, especially some of the lesser known actions in the Pacific. However, it is not as scholarly as more modern writings on the subject. The author relies on personal experience and interviews, rather than written accounts. I still found it fascinating and educational. ( )