Blazing Star, Setting Sun: The Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign November 1942-March 1943
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- Create Date：2021-06-11 06:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jeffrey R. Cox
- ISBN：147284047X
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Summary
A masterful account of a vital four months in the bloody battle for the Pacific， giving fresh insights into the Guadalcanal and Solomons campaign， a key turning point in both the Pacific Theater and the wider Second World War。
From popular Pacific Theater expert Jeffrey R。 Cox comes this insightful new history of the critical Guadalcanal and Solomons campaign at the height of World War II。 His previous book， Morning Star， Rising Sun， found the US Navy at its absolute nadir with the fate of the Enterprise， the last operational US aircraft carrier at this point in the war， unknown。 This new volume completes the history of this crucial campaign， combining detailed research with a novelist's flair for the dramatic to reveal exactly how， despite missteps and misfortunes， the tide of war finally turned。 By the end of February 1944， thanks to hard-fought and costly American victories in the first and second naval battles of Guadalcanal， the battle of Empress Augusta Bay， and the battle of Cape St George， the Japanese would no longer hold the materiel or skilled manpower advantage。 From this point on， although the war was still a long way from being won， the American star was unquestionably on the ascendant， slowly， but surely， edging Japanese imperialism towards its sunset。
Jeffrey Cox's analysis and attention to detail of even the smallest events are second to none。 But what truly sets this book apart is how he combines this microscopic attention to detail， often unearthing new facts along the way， with an engaging style that transports the reader to the heart of the story， bringing the events on the deep blue of the Pacific vividly to life。
From popular Pacific Theater expert Jeffrey R。 Cox comes this insightful new history of the critical Guadalcanal and Solomons campaign at the height of World War II。 His previous book， Morning Star， Rising Sun， found the US Navy at its absolute nadir with the fate of the Enterprise， the last operational US aircraft carrier at this point in the war， unknown。 This new volume completes the history of this crucial campaign， combining detailed research with a novelist's flair for the dramatic to reveal exactly how， despite missteps and misfortunes， the tide of war finally turned。 By the end of February 1944， thanks to hard-fought and costly American victories in the first and second naval battles of Guadalcanal， the battle of Empress Augusta Bay， and the battle of Cape St George， the Japanese would no longer hold the materiel or skilled manpower advantage。 From this point on， although the war was still a long way from being won， the American star was unquestionably on the ascendant， slowly， but surely， edging Japanese imperialism towards its sunset。
Jeffrey Cox's analysis and attention to detail of even the smallest events are second to none。 But what truly sets this book apart is how he combines this microscopic attention to detail， often unearthing new facts along the way， with an engaging style that transports the reader to the heart of the story， bringing the events on the deep blue of the Pacific vividly to life。
Reviews
Rick Koloian
，
Warning as I was unable to finish the book due to the author's cynical & snarky commentary on events & individuals of the period。 As a retired National Security analyst & amateur historian， one practice I always followed was to respect the topic I was covering & to leave myself--and particularly my sentiments--out of the story。 IMHO the author's disrespect & sentiments are at center stage in Blazing Star， Setting Sun as much as what happened in the Solomon Islands from 1942-43。 Warning as I was unable to finish the book due to the author's cynical & snarky commentary on events & individuals of the period。 As a retired National Security analyst & amateur historian， one practice I always followed was to respect the topic I was covering & to leave myself--and particularly my sentiments--out of the story。 IMHO the author's disrespect & sentiments are at center stage in Blazing Star， Setting Sun as much as what happened in the Solomon Islands from 1942-43。 。。。more
DavidHeckman
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Good survey of events after the original battle for Henderson field。
Tom Blumer
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I really enjoyed this book。 Primarily it focuses on the battle for Guadalcanal， but from the naval and air combat perspective。 The author does a very good job of looking at from both sides。 The Japanese and the Allies。 A very difficult land campaign， but just a difficult in the air and on the sea。 I learned a lot reading this book。
Mark
，
In many respects the Solomons campaign embodies the inflection point in the Second World War in the Pacific。 With Japan’s offensive momentum disrupted by the battle of Midway， the two sides slugged it out in the southwest Pacific in late 1942 and early 1943 on nearly equal terms。 Over time， though， the reversal of the experience gap and the growing impact of American industrial power combined to check Japanese plans in the region and begin the slow push towards their home islands。Given the numbe In many respects the Solomons campaign embodies the inflection point in the Second World War in the Pacific。 With Japan’s offensive momentum disrupted by the battle of Midway， the two sides slugged it out in the southwest Pacific in late 1942 and early 1943 on nearly equal terms。 Over time， though， the reversal of the experience gap and the growing impact of American industrial power combined to check Japanese plans in the region and begin the slow push towards their home islands。Given the number of books that have already been written about this campaign， the question must be asked why another is needed。 Jeffery Cox’s contribution possesses a number of merits。 Foremost among them is the detailed reconstruction it provides of the oftentimes confused naval battles that took place around the islands。 These descriptions inform Cox’s often pointed critiques of the people involved on both sides of the battle。 In this respect Cox doesn’t leave the reader in any doubt as to what he thinks of his subjects and their responsibility for events。Yet these assets don’t suffice to explain why Cox felt that another book was needed。 His accounts of the battles draw heavily upon the many other works that have already been written about them。 There is no original research and little effort to incorporate anything in the way of primary source records。 It’s a classic case of an author who went into a room full of books and exited with one more。 If Cox brought to that task an exceptional storytelling gift this might have offset this matter， but instead he often gets in the way of his own narrative with efforts at witty asides which typically fall flat。 These detract from rather than add to his narrative efforts。The result is a book that doesn’t really distinguish itself from the ones that preceded it。 For anyone new to the subject it provides a useful survey of the naval clashes in the waters surrounding the Solomon Islands。 But for those who have already read some of the other excellent works already available about the campaign （such as Richard Frank's Guadalcanal） Cox’s book contains nothing fresh or revelatory。 In this respect it is less an addition to our knowledge than Cox’s explanation and commentary on it， one that does little more than provide a careful summary of the battles that defined the shift in Allied and Japanese fortunes in the war in the Pacific。 。。。more
Rolf Kirby
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The third of Jeffrey R Cox's histories of the Pacific War。 This is a thick and detailed account of the Solomons Campaign from Nov 1942 to Mar 1943。 I stayed up late on multiple nights reading this book。 It was engrossing。 The third of Jeffrey R Cox's histories of the Pacific War。 This is a thick and detailed account of the Solomons Campaign from Nov 1942 to Mar 1943。 I stayed up late on multiple nights reading this book。 It was engrossing。 。。。more
Daniel
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If you have read his previous two books， you can skip the first two chapters。 The author has a style all his own， using caustic humor to entertain you while displaying very good narrative powers in describing the battles around Guadalcanal in the the air， on the island and at sea。 Highly recommended。
R Locke
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Don't waste your money。。。I feel ripped off。 I should have， at least， received a discount on this Jeffrey Cox book。 I read "Morning Star， Midnight Sun" where the story ended with the damaged Enterprise at Santa Cruz。 I figured this book would be a sequel or " Volume 2" but no - the first three chapters are basically a cut and paste rehash of Morning Star Midnight Sun starting over from the initial Guadalcanal landings in August 1942。This author doesn't seem to be able to hold a timeline， jumping Don't waste your money。。。I feel ripped off。 I should have， at least， received a discount on this Jeffrey Cox book。 I read "Morning Star， Midnight Sun" where the story ended with the damaged Enterprise at Santa Cruz。 I figured this book would be a sequel or " Volume 2" but no - the first three chapters are basically a cut and paste rehash of Morning Star Midnight Sun starting over from the initial Guadalcanal landings in August 1942。This author doesn't seem to be able to hold a timeline， jumping back in the chronology as he staggers between the Japanese side of the story and the USN side of the story。 。。。more
patrick Lorelli
，
Here in the third book the author， Mr。 Cox goes through with the continuing battle that is taking place on Guadalcanal between the Marines and Japanese forces。 The struggles that each side has with terrain， weather， plants， animals， and mostly disease。 The disease part took a toll on both sides and was something that neither side was prepared for。 Even after all of the deaths and they would still be trouble with this fact。 The author goes into the battle at sea and the loss of our Destroyers and Here in the third book the author， Mr。 Cox goes through with the continuing battle that is taking place on Guadalcanal between the Marines and Japanese forces。 The struggles that each side has with terrain， weather， plants， animals， and mostly disease。 The disease part took a toll on both sides and was something that neither side was prepared for。 Even after all of the deaths and they would still be trouble with this fact。 The author goes into the battle at sea and the loss of our Destroyers and the men who served on them， the lack of communication between them， and also how the Japanese tactics were actually better。 You do see that the fight during the day had begun to even out as had the battle in the skies。 By the end of this battle which ran from August 42 to February 43， the Japanese were losing more and more experienced flyers and not being able to replace them。 You also find out about a meeting between the powers that took place in Casablanca that when reading about the European conflict it was decided how they were to attack Germany， first Sicily， Italy then a cross channel landing onto France。 When I have read about it before it never spoke about the Pacific battle。 Here the author gives you what was said and what was fought for by the Navy and the fight and struggle to save Australia， and the other Islands as well as returning to the Philippines。 You are also given an honest look into the command of MacArthur who I have always thought should have been held accountable for his disobeying of direct orders and allowing 35 B-17s， 53 107 P-140s， and three P35s all because he did not follow orders and have the planes spread out。 He also left just left men and women in the Philippines and Corregidor。 Anyway， he gets far too much credit for doing nothing except criticize weather the Navy， or the men serving under him but will take credit in front of the press。 Sorry back to the book as you get towards the end of the battle and past all of the infighting between everyone you get a story of the B-17s and skip bombing。 General Kenney’s finally being able to use it and setting up the Japanese at what would be known as the Battle of the Bismarck Sea。 Where the success was the loss of 8 transports， 4 destroy sank and 20 fighters along with over 2890 dead for the Japanese。 The Allies lost 2 bombers， 4 fighters， and thirteen men。 The code breakers were able to set up this attack and the Japanese gave up New Guinea。 This turned out to be a huge success for the Allies for even the bombs that did not hit a ship but landed close blew apart beneath it therefore each ship was a total loss。 Later a Japanese Officer said that this was a far greater loss than even Guadalcanal for it change a lot of their plans。 What is always great about reading this author’s book is that I feel like I am learning history that was not taught to me。 Yes， I knew about the war in the Pacific but I had never heard of skip bombing and the effect it had。 Once again a very good book and very much worth the read。 I received this book from Netgalley。com I gave it 5 stars。 Follow us at www。1rad-readerreviews。com 。。。more
Patrick Pillow
，
A brilliant conclusion to Cox’s in-depth study of the vicious air， land and sea struggle that was Guadalcanal。 I have thoroughly enjoyed Cox’s first two books and his writing style is comparable to Hornfischer and Holland。
Don Price
，
Excellent and Well-documentedIf there were ten stars。 I would use that rating， This is an excellently written， extensively researched and detailed book on a critical turning point in the Pacific in WWII。 The author covers all aspects of the battle; air， land， and sea。 He weaves all three into one mosiac that provides tremendous detail in an informative manner。 I have purchased other books from the author as a result of this book， and look forward to reading them。
Peter L
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Blazing Star Setting Sun reveals Fascinating Account Of another page burner by Jeremy Cox as he writes about the big naval battles in the opening days of WE2 lots of fascinating new to my eyes information。
Nathan Trachta
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I’d enjoyed reading Mr。 Cox’s previous books and was excited for Blazing Star， Setting Sun; after all， it was opening with my favorite battle off Guadalcanal， the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal。 There’s so much that happens in this battle and I was anticipating how Mr。 Cox would present this one。 Have to say I wasn’t disappointed。I’ll open by saying I enjoy Mr。 Cox’s writing style and presentation。 I know others have complained his research not being original but what love is he brings a more compl I’d enjoyed reading Mr。 Cox’s previous books and was excited for Blazing Star， Setting Sun; after all， it was opening with my favorite battle off Guadalcanal， the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal。 There’s so much that happens in this battle and I was anticipating how Mr。 Cox would present this one。 Have to say I wasn’t disappointed。I’ll open by saying I enjoy Mr。 Cox’s writing style and presentation。 I know others have complained his research not being original but what love is he brings a more complete presentation of the campaign and battles than most writers I’ve read the different battles of the Pacific。 Something that adds to this is his references include some obscure piece that many have missed。 Two I loved that he used were Lex MacAulay’s The Battle of the Bismarck Sea （a very good job pulling the details from Mr。 MacAulay’s book） and Lt。 Col。 Murphy’s Skip Bombing （more a little later）。 These are examples of pulling little pieces out of other people’s work， polishing them， and using to complete a story。 While I loved the book as a whole， there are some nits。。。 the most basic is that Osprey honestly failed to provide sufficient maps for the battles。 This is a huge nit at times。 There are some maps， they’re a little finer than I like （sorry， Gold Standard has been my copy of The Two Ocean War）。 My other nit was Mr。 Cox failed to properly present the introduction of skip bombing in the Pacific。 Lt。 Col。 Murphy’s book Skip Bombing presented how B-17 we’re initially doing this prior the Battle of the Bismarck Sea though the attacks were done at night and by solo bombers。 This is key because it removes much of the “guess work” that the B-25s had to do。 I’ll also nit a little that Mr。 Cox undersold the 5th Air Forces contribution in attrition of the Japanese air power at Rabaul though he did mention it in a passing way prior to the Battle of the Bismarck Sea。While these nits could have lowered it to 4。5 stars I’m rounding up because of the completeness。 This is a land， sea， an air piece that finishes the tale for Guadalcanal and sets the stage for the Battle for Rabaul。 。。。more
Barry O'Dell
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Well researched accounts of the battles ， the naval ones being the most interesting 。 Also the book continued on where most end （ the departure of the Marines ） going as far as the start of the campaign to take Munda Point 。 Hopefully another book is on the way 。 The author gives a good backstory on the personalities involved ， especially the Japanese 。 Also a lot of technical background on the naval units and aircraft 。 The one thing I found wanting was the constant complaint on the failures of Well researched accounts of the battles ， the naval ones being the most interesting 。 Also the book continued on where most end （ the departure of the Marines ） going as far as the start of the campaign to take Munda Point 。 Hopefully another book is on the way 。 The author gives a good backstory on the personalities involved ， especially the Japanese 。 Also a lot of technical background on the naval units and aircraft 。 The one thing I found wanting was the constant complaint on the failures of American torpedoes 。It would have been helpful to give some details on why they failed so often and how they fixed the problem 。 Mr Cox seems to be more than capable enough to have provided that information 。 。。。more
David Brown
，
I always enjoy Mr。 Cox’s nonfiction regarding World War II in the Pacific。 He is an entertaining and， if this can be considered appropriate in a combat setting， humorous writer。 My only criticism of his earlier works is that they almost read like they were a compilation of articles and not a stand alone work。 In his earlier works he would often repeat descriptors which were interesting and amusing the first time but tiresome the third and fourth times; i。e。 USA torpedoes。 In this book the only s I always enjoy Mr。 Cox’s nonfiction regarding World War II in the Pacific。 He is an entertaining and， if this can be considered appropriate in a combat setting， humorous writer。 My only criticism of his earlier works is that they almost read like they were a compilation of articles and not a stand alone work。 In his earlier works he would often repeat descriptors which were interesting and amusing the first time but tiresome the third and fourth times; i。e。 USA torpedoes。 In this book the only substantive criticism I would make is the forward is out of sequence and confusing。 It would be more effective if the story of Guadalcanal was presented in a chronological fashion。 The author is interesting to me because he is a full time lawyer and yet has the energy to write well sourced military history on the side。 I wish I had that energy。 I look forward to his next work。 。。。more
Brian
，