During World War II the Solomon Islands became the scene of a titanic struggle between Allied and Japanese forces. After their victory on Guadalcanal, American forces advanced into the New Georgia Group and suffered horrendous casualties. Admiral Halsey then implemented an "island hopping" strategy, by-passing Japanese strongpoints. The first occasion he used this was on an obscure island called "Vella Lavella". This book is the first detailed examination of the struggle for Vella Lavella covering the ground, air and sea battles and the involvement of American and New Zealand soldiers, the coast watchers, South Pacific Scouts and the Islanders.

In late January 1944 a force of New Zealand soldiers and Allied specialists undertook a daring, behind the lines reconnaissance of the Japanese-held Green Islands of Papua New Guinea. The Japanese contested the invasion with air power and inflicted heavy damage on the American cruiser USS St. Louis. After a successful landing, the New Zealanders pushed inland and encountered fanatical Japanese defenders entrenched in thick jungle. After the island was secured, Allied engineers - including the famed Seabees - built airfields, roads and shipping facilities. The seizure of the Green Islands completed the encirclement of the main Japanese base in the South Pacific at Rabaul. A memorable but overlooked action of the Pacific War, ""Operation Squarepeg"" involved a diverse force of Allied sailors, soldiers and airmen that included Charles Lindbergh and future president of the United States Richard Milhouse Nixon.

On October 27, 1943, a force of New Zealanders and Americans invaded the Treasury Islands in the South Pacific, retaking them from their Japanese occupiers. Codenamed Operation Goodtime, the action marked the first time New Zealand forces took part in an opposed landing since Gallipoli in 1915. In an unusual allocation of troops in the American-dominated theater, New Zealand provided the fighting men and America the air, naval, and logistical support. Confronting extreme risks against a determined Japanese foe, the Allies nevertheless succeeded with relatively few casualties. Due to the needs for operational security, Operation Goodtime received little publicity and has been relegated to a footnote in the history of the war in the Pacific. This first complete account of the Allied seizure of the Treasury Islands stands as a tribute to the warriors who fought in this struggle.