Operation Goodtime and the Battle of the Treasury Islands, 1943: A History of the World War II Invasion by U.S. and New Zealand Forces Paperback – Import, 21 September 2012

thoroughly enjoyed this book

The American part of WWII in the Pacific is extremely well-documented for the public; Australia much less so, but more books are gradually appearing on their participation. The New Zealand 3rd Division is almost unknown, especially beside the 2nd Division which fought in North Africa, Greece and Italy under the justly famous Sir Bernard Freyberg. The 3rd Division was undersized and ill-equipped compared to its compatriots in the Mediterranean. This is the first general book on the topic I have found, other than the online Official History.This book follows the 8th Brigade Group in the Treasury Islands during a one-month "sideshow" to the US invasion of nearby Bougainville in late 1943. It is largely composed of interviews with ordinary New Zealand soldiers, but does not neglect the greater context, the senior officers, or the perspective of natives and Americans who were also present. Nor do the interviews interrupt the flow of the story. The reminiscences of veterans provide an atmospheric look at what it was like to fight in the coral and jungle of the Pacific. The chapters are quite detailed, delving into extremely small units and actions, such as the half-dozen stranded Allied pilots who holed up with the natives, or the squad-level patrols that explored the islands before the invasion.Despite its highly specialist topic, "Operation Goodtime" will be enjoyed by any readers interested in the island-hopping campaigns of the Pacific. I hope to see more books in future for the general reader on the New Zealand 3rd Division.

A truly great read. Beyond being a well-documented account of a significant World War II South Pacific Battle, this book tells a profoundly human story. It uses military records, war diaries of both Allied and Japanese soldiers, and interviews with surviving veterans to tell of the fear, determination, irony, and even humor that accompanies men in war.

I bought the book for a friend and he told me the story. The story virtually brought him step by step back to the places which he has visited in the Solomon Island to track down the places where his deceased father had been posted and fought during the 2nd world war. He reckons it was a riveting story. He finished reading the book in three days.

My father was in the 3nd Div 29th Batt and would not talk about his time in the Treasury Islands, my mother said he came back a changed man.