What is the setting of Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener?

The setting of the stories is the South Pacific during World War II, with American and Allied forces fighting Japan. At the battle of the Coral Sea, the ability of Japan to continue their attack is stopped, but they still control a huge area of islands and sea lanes. In the fight to defeat Japan there is fighting on only a few islands such as Guadalcanal and Bouganville, with many Japanese-held islands bypassed and isolated from supplies. These Japanese islands are bombed, but sometimes have enough ammunition to shoot back at American planes as well.