At the beginning of 1943, the American Joint Chiefs of Staff approved the advance through the central Pacific as the cheapest and most effective way to proceed against Japan. The first target was to be the Gilbert Islands. The invasion of Tarawa and Makin is the subject of Edwin P. Hoyt's book "Storm Over the Gilbert Islands." The prolific American military historian details the operation, which was considered a "simple" training exercise for amphibious units before much more challenging invasion operations, where American commanders would test new tactics, new methods, new organization, and the deployment of new weapons. "Storm Over the Gilbert Islands" is the first part of Hoyt's trilogy dedicated to the fight of Americans against the Japanese in the Pacific. The events in the central Pacific in 1944 are covered in the second book, "To the Marianas – War in the Central Pacific: 1944," while the final battles in 1945 are addressed in the last part, "The Circle Closes – War in the Pacific: 1945." The second and third parts of the trilogy will be published by Naše vojsko in 2020–2021.
