Military Review English Edition January-February 2015 | Page 141

BOOK REVIEWS

written extensively on specific campaigns or battles in
the South Pacific area of operations, Rems tackles its
entirety in one fell swoop—encompassing the Solomon
Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago,
Eastern New Guinea, and numerous
smaller islands critical to the Allied
cause.
In straightforward, concise prose,
the author does justice to his expansive
topic, beginning with Guadalcanal in
the Eastern Solomon Islands in August
1942, and culminating with Australian
combat operations in the Solomon
Islands, New Britain, and New Guinea
just prior to Japan’s capitulation in
September 1945. How does Rems pull
this off ? By seamlessly interweaving the
strategic, operational, and tactical levels
of war, and deftly covering the key decisions and their
subsequent actions and consequences, the author intricately narrates a compelling narrative.
Similar in scope to Eric Bergerud’s excellent treatment of ground combat in Touched With Fire: The
Land War in the South Pacific, Rems makes his finest
contribution by making sense of the South Pacific
campaigns given their intimidating geographic context—the complex islands, cultures, bewildering place
names, and time-distance factors—that framed Allied
strategy. Thus, one readily obtains a sense of what key
leaders were trying to do, from the perspective of the
Allies (Nimitz, MacArthur, Halsey, Blamey), as well as
the Japanese (Yamamoto, Koga, Imamura, Hyakutake).
The author effectively describes critical decisions facing
each side: how and when to employ spare forces and
resources; whether to attack or bypass enemy strong
points; and whether to press or withdraw. Rems relates
how such decisions were rendered hopelessly complex
by faulty intelligence, inter-service rivalries, and national political considerations.
Like any good book on the Pacific War, the author
never lets one forget the human element. Each of his
chapters is titled with an excerpt or quotation from a
key leader (e.g., “The Closest Thing to a Living Hell”)
to help frame the individual events or battles being
covered. The entire South Pacific panorama is thus
uniformly covered, from events such as the death of
Japanese Adm. Yamamoto, to key battles ranging from
MILITARY REVIEW  January-February 2015

Guadalcanal and Bougainville, and the encirclement
of the great Japanese hub at Rabaul. Rems also pays
tribute to the more obscure, but no less important,
contributions made by the Australian
and New Zealand forces, which went
far beyond just “mopping up” isolated
Japanese forces upon withdrawal of U.S.
forces to continue the drive towards
mainland Japan.
With extensive notes, excellent
photographs, and a very useful chronology, Allan Rems’ new book serves as an
excellent and concise introduction to
Allied operations in the South Pacific.
Effectively interweaving the levels of
war and linking the ground, sea, and air
campaigns, rather than treating them in
isolation, he makes an effective case for
the enduring importance of the region to the Pacific
theater, and for continuing to honor those who fought
there.
Col. Mark Montesclaros, U.S. Army, Retired,
Fort Gordon, Ga.

THE PHYSICS OF WAR: From Arrows to Atoms
Barry Parker, Prometheus Books, Amherst, New
York, 2014, 320 pages

F

or many, reading a text on physics may not
sound like the best way to spend free time.
Without a background in the subject, one
conjures obscure formulae, levers, ramps, and Galileo
dropping weights from atop the Tower of Pisa.
Nonetheless, one must appreciate that physical science
underpins how the world works regarding motion,
force, and energy, and serves as the starting point for
nearly all technological advancements. It is a subject so
expansive that many of its laws and implications may
be taken for granted.
Dr. Barry Parker’s The Physics of War attempts to
focus our appreciation of the science by comparing the
history of man’s scientific understanding of physical
science and man’s quest for the next wonder weapon. The book is primarily a work on the history of
science and an introductory text on physics. Warfare
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