"This meticulous work finally gives us a long overdue stern but shrewd assessment of the evolution of U.S. naval gunfire support doctrine for Pacific amphibious landings. It reflects a host of still useful insights into the formulation of multiservice doctrine. Among the most important of these are the critical value of a shared understanding of terminology, a rigorous pursuit of empirical data to identify combat 'lessons,' and the difference between the good intention to incorporate combat 'lessons' into doctrine and actually incorporating those 'lessons.' Its most timeless finding is that precision targeting counts far more than tonnage of explosives. This is a must-read for any serious student of amphibious warfare history."—Richard B. Frank, author of
A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Vol. 1,
Tower of Skulls and
Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle"Technology reflects the influence of human innovation. Yet, the key social and political aspects of technological innovation are often obscure within the literature of maritime history, naval strategy, and operations. Considering developments in doctrine and technology, Donald K. Mitchener provides an important analysis of fundamental trends in American maritime strategy and naval command in the era of the Second World War. Drawing new perspectives from primary sources as well as the historiography, Mitchener offers fresh conclusions and his work will be an indispensable addition to any library. U.S. Naval Gunfire Support in the Pacific War will be required reading for examining the trends which shaped the struggle to achieve precision in supporting U.S. Navy amphibious operations in the Second World War and beyond."—David Kohnen, director of the John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research, U.S. Naval War College