An Empire In Ruins
Focused mainly on the First Marine Division campaigns, An Empire in Ruins provides readers with an understanding of the major land, sea, and air actions in the Asia Pacific Theater of WWII, followed by an encapsulation of post-war activities that took place after the defeat of Japan.
Including an Introduction about the European Theater to explain why and how World War Two first began, the time scale for this book is approximately 1940 to 1946, and its historical accuracy is strictly observed.
The two historical people from Texas to whom the book is dedicated also appear in the story.
If you wish to read the Trilogy in sequence, this book should be the first to read (even though it is the most recent one published) because it is shorter than the others and could leave you ready to learn more about the Asia-Pacific region from various perspectives.
Like the other two books of this trilogy about World War Two in the Pacific, a cast of fictional characters interfaces with historical people to help make this an enjoyable human interest story as well as an important history. The chapters contain photos to help the reader relate to that long-ago era.
Below is a list of fictional people in their approximate order of appearance, that you can refer to while reading the book or ebook:
+Blumberg, Olive and Valerie, mother and daughter friends of Blanche and Betsy Seligmann in Seguin.
+Brady, RADM Ronald USN, head of the ONI and PT Boats in Hawaii.
+Bridgewater, Cpl. Billy USMC, ashore on Guadalcanal
+Cruz, Bernie, a Mexican Air Force pilot attached to the USAAF
+Fisher, Mabel, former GF of the Jones twins in Norman Oklahoma.
+Garcia, Carlos Ortiz, another Mexican pilot with the USAAF
+Jones twins Alex and Ajax, ex-OU Marines.
+King, Valerie, stage name for Valerie Blumberg
+McGowan, Ensign Robert USN and ONI
+Perkins, Lt. Commander Elmer “Bongo” USN and ONI
+Perry, Peter, British civil engineer
+Thomas, Mary Ellen, Australian bride-to-be
+Wall, Commodore Stanley ‘Stoney’ USN and ONI
+Silvers, Captain ‘Hi-Yo’ USN, ONI liaison on CINCPAC staff.
Verisimilitude: All other named characters are historical, to whom various words or actions may have been attributed by the author with the utmost respect, to enliven their public personae.
