Early U.S. Logistics in the Pacific 1941-42: Replenishment, Repair, Reinforcements & Replacements

Early U.S. Logistics in the Pacific, 1941-42
December 27, 2025

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — discusses early American logistics in the Pacific during World War Two, with a focus on replenishment, repair, reinforcements, and replacements.

#navalhistory #logistics #pacificwar #worldwartwo #USnavy

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00:00 Introduction
03:25 Pearl Harbor: Fuel, Repair, and Shipyards
05:06 Pacific and Asiatic Fleet Oilers
09:06 The Pacific War, 1941-42
17:05 Early US Navy Carrier Raids
23:36 Battle of Midway
37:15 Reinforcement of the Pacific
49:05 Guadalcanal Campaign
1:17:39 Conclusion and Analysis

Recommended Reading List:

Martin Caiden, Flying Forts: The B-17 in World War II

Richard Frank:
Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942

Trent Hone, Mastering the Art of Command: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific

James Hornfischer, Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal

John Lundstrom:
First South Pacific Campaign: Pacific Fleet Strategy December 1941-June 1942
The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway
First Team and Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942

John McManus, Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943

Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully, Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

Craig Symonds, Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay

Ian Toll, Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942

H. P. Willmott
Empires in the Balance: Japanese and Allied Pacific Strategies to April 1942
The Barrier and Javelin: Japanese and Allied Pacific Strategies, February to June 1942