History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Stay Off The Skyline: The Sixth Marine Division on Okinawa - An Oral History

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The 6th Marine Division & The Battle of Okinawa
Down in the Mud at Okinawa
An oral history collecting the testimonies of the Sixth Marine Division in their own words

Stay Off The Skyline: The Sixth Marine Division on Okinawa - An Oral History
Laura Homan Lacey
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1574889524

Book Description

The Sixth Marine Division holds a unique place in U.S. Marine Corps history, because it was retired after one great battle. The division was formed on Guadalcanal in September 1944, its ranks filled with battle-hardened veterans and untested replacement troops. The Sixth Division fought its only action on the island of Okinawa from April to June 1945 but entered the fight with more combat experience overall than any other Marine division in its initial battle. It disappointed no one. The Okinawa campaign involved eight Army and Marine divisions, but the Sixth captured most of the ground in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Weeks later, atomic attacks on two Japanese cities in early August 1945 swiftly ended the war. "Before Hiroshima there was Okinawa. Because of Okinawa, in considerable part there was Hiroshima," wrote one reporter. With the invasion of Japan canceled, the Sixth Division went to China on occupation duty and, on 1 April 1946, was reorganized out of existence. As it was created overseas, so was it disbanded.

This book tells the story of these Marines in their own words. Historian Laura Lacey - a Marine family member who has lived on Okinawa -sympathetically portrays the men who in 1945 fought a tremendous battle that she contends has not received its full share of attention from historians. Lacey considers the gritty details of close quarters combat and considers the myriad physical and psychological wounds that war wreaks. With Marines now engaged in a tough fight in Iraq, Laceyâ€™s book reminds us that whether or not a war is popular, war is indeed hell.

Customer Reviews:

The 6th Marine Division & The Battle of Okinawa.......2005-12-18

Although as a participant I have a built-in prejudice, I feel compelled to comment on this notable example of the effectiveness of oral history. Ms. Lacey has combined her talent for conducting oral interviews with her ability to weave a most absorbing tale of the 6th Marine Division and its significant contribution to the Battle of Okinawa. She expertly and objectively explains the significance of the Battle of Okinawa and its influence on the decision to drop "the bomb." Her credentials are most impressive and she has gotten into the trenches for this endeavor. It's a MUST read, not only for military historians and history buffs, but those who want to learn what war is really like upfront and personal, with all the glory and hurrahs cast aside.

Down in the Mud at Okinawa.......2005-12-07

Oral histories from the men who where actually at places like Okinawa will soon be a thing of the past. Ms. Lacey has done a supurb job in tracking down and getting their histories from forth men of the Sixth Marine Division. And in the picture section of the book she shows pictures of several of the men, as they were during the war and as they are now. A surprising number of them then say something like 'Died in 2001.'

The Sixth was a division that came about as a result of the tremendous expansion of the Marines during the war. They were formed late in 1944, they were disbanded in 1946. They only had one big battle, but it was Okinawa where virtually all of the original front line riflemen, machine gunners, or anything else was killed or wounded, just about a hundred men per day.

Ms. Lacey is the official historian of the Sixth, and she has indeed done her job well with the publication of this book.

An oral history collecting the testimonies of the Sixth Marine Division in their own words.......2005-12-03

Stay Off The Skyline: The Sixth Marine Division On Okinawa is an oral history collecting the testimonies of the Sixth Marine Division in their own words. The Sixth Marine Division was formed of battle-tested veterans and fought its only action on the island of Okinawa from April to June 1945, capturing most of the ground in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. A gripping compilation that immerses the reader in the experiences of those who laid their lives on the line for their country, Stay Off The Skyline is a primary source enthusiastically recommended for lay readers and military historians alike.

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JAPAN AT WAR: ORAL HISTORY
War from the Japanese perspective
A "must read" for anyone who want to understand the Japanese psyche during the war.
An Illuminating View from the Other Side
Eye-opening

Japan at War: An Oral History
Haruko Taya Cook , and Theodore F. Cook
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565840399

Book Description

This groundbreaking work of oral history captures for the first time ever the remarkable story of ordinary Japanese people during World War II. In a sweeping panorama, Haruko Taya and Theodore Cook take us from the Japanese attacks on China in the 1930s to the Japanese homefront during the inhuman raids on Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, offering the first glimpses of how this century's most violent conflict affected the lives of the Japanese population. Japan At War is a monumental work of history--one to which Americans and Japanese will turn for decades to come.

Customer Reviews:

JAPAN AT WAR: ORAL HISTORY.......2007-06-11

This was a very good well written book! It is easy to follow, and takes the reader down numerous paths of the war years and the scars that were inflicted on those who lived, and died.

I believe the book was initially utilized as a text in some colleges, but it is not written like any text book I ever had to read.

This book is an accumulation of oral interviews that helps the reader to visualize, smell, and even taste the sadness and poverty of those who fought the war; not just on the high seas, or the jungles of the South Pacific, but...on the streets of Tokyo, Nagasaki, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.

This book examines a proud culture and the utterly devestated people who lived within it.

War from the Japanese perspective.......2006-09-27

A compelling set of recollections from Japanese citizens and soldiers who lived and experienced WWII. These stories give an interesting insight into the psyche of the average Japanese citizen and soldier during the war. This is one of the few existing WWII books pertaining to the Pacific Campaign that gives you insight into the thoughts and feelings of the Japanese during the war. A must read for anyone wanting to see the perspective from the "other side". Highly recommended.

A "must read" for anyone who want to understand the Japanese psyche during the war........2006-08-09

Being an ethnic Chinese, though born after the war, I just couldn't understand the Japanese inability to accept that they have been behaving in a most atrocious manner during the war, given the massive amount of evidence that has been accumulated to prove that point. Despite there being so much evidence pointing to the fact it was the Japanese who started the war, and yet, they seemed to think of themselves as the victims rather than the victimizers. That was something I couldn't understand.

But now, having read this book, though I don't agree with them, I could, in an intuitive sense, understand them.

At the beginning of Part Four, on page 259, it's printed these words:

"Umi yukaba, misuku kabane...Across the sea, corpses soaking in the water, Across the mountains, corpses heaped upon the grass, We shall die by the side of our lord. We shall never look back."

"Umi yukaba.." is from a collection of poetry known as Manyoushu, which dated from around 700 AD, around the Nara, Heien period. This specific poem, "Umi yukaba..." was set to music in 1937, and after 1943, it preceded radio announcements of battles in which Japanese soldiers "met honorable death rather than the dishonor of surrender." In a flash,I understood the mentality of the time. They were really still set in the medieval feudal samurai mentality. The veneer of modernity was just that, a veneer of modernity. They might be able to build and master complex machinery of the modern twentieth century, the mentality was still of feudal Heien period. Their treatment of the conquered people was justified. That's how the Heien period warriors behaved. Their perception of themselves as the victims were justified. That's what samurai warrior would feel. They were all prepared, or at least indoctrinated to be prepared to die in the service of the emperor.

I cannot imagine any other country which would announce their battles lost with such a song.

The army doctor, Yuasa Ken, described his wartime experience, that of experimental surgery on perfectly healthy, well except for the fact that they have been starved, perfectly healthy Chinese. To them, there was nothing wrong. The Chinese were the conquered people. The Imperial Army needed doctors to treat the wounded soldiers, so many doctors were recruited into the army, including pediatricians, dermatologists, ophthalmologists and so on. These doctors have no experience in treating trauma injuries. How to train them? What better way than to use the Chinse as experimental animals for their training. Only in the light of the concept of "human rights", a concept developed in the West, was that kind of experimenation considered wrong. In the feudal samurai ethics, that was not considered wrong.

Now look at the situation this way. From the samurai ethics point of view, they had not behaved wrongly. But after the defeat, and the acceptance of the world view of "human rights", what they have done was definitely wrong. However, in their minds, they haven't done anything wrong. How to reconcile the one with the other? How to reconcile their internal moral judgment, "we have not done anything wrong", with the now newly developed and accepted concept of "human rights"? The only way out of this psychological dilemma is to deny that those atrocities have happened. The only way out is to deny that the Nanjin massacre had happened, that the human experimentations in Unit 731 had ever happened.

This is a most fascinating book, and is a MUST READ for anyone interested in how the Japanese felt and thought of the events of the time.

An Illuminating View from the Other Side.......2006-06-20

I have sought, over the years, to try to understand the nature of our enemies in war. Some wars, like WWI, were essentially fought over the issue of power and control. Some wars, like the US Civil War, get redefined periodically and often to the advantage of who's redefining it. Today, July 4, is a good day to reflect on our Revolutionary War and, although I don't do it annually like I feel I should, reading the Declaration of Independance is an excellent way to understand the grievances that led to war. It is WWII that had been my biggest challenge to comprehend and it was the Japanese side of this conflict that I understood the least. I can't say that one book clarified everything I didn't understand but "Japan at War: An Oral History" put me on the fast track to getting there.

This is an amazing book in many ways. First, the scope of the book covers the many different facets of the Japanese experiance in WWII. For example, the war begins for them with the invasion of China and the conquest of Manchuria; aspects we generally know little about. It has a chapter on the kamikazi's and the similar sailers who volunteered to man suicide torpedos. It looks to the glory of the height of conquest and to the chaos and destruction of the waning days. It takes a look at the little mentioned Soviet invasion of Manchuria (that began after The Bomb). It takes a brief look at post-war Japan as well. It does all of this through the interviews the authors conducted with a number of soldiers, sailers, officers, civilians, and conscripts. To their credit, the husband and wife team of Haruko Taya and Theodore Cook constructed their book by publishing the reminiscences of their subjects. We read the words they heard supplemented briefly by overviews provided by the authors. This first-person recounting of events and the reactions to them brings everything to life for us. Whatever passions we may have from our own perspectives are, at least temporarily, set aside with the riminder that war victimizes everyone it touches.

The Cooks have done an excellent job of finding persons who were not only first-hand witnesses but excellent historians as well. The stories that they were able to collect were so personal and down-to-earth that the one exception (a professor's educated treatise on the censuring of textbooks) sticks out noticeably in comparison.

The witnesses let us in on many events but it is their editorial perspective of how these events changed their lives (and the lives of other Japanese) that reaches across the animosities of war and touches us deeply. There are interviews with some of the volunteer suicide soldiers who would have carried out their mission but for time and/or equiptment failure. There are stories of Koreans brought to Japan and insights on how they were treated. However, the most impressive were the stories of the witnesses and survivors of the Atomic Bombs that fell on Japan. Whatever your feeling on this subject are (and mine affirm the correctness of our actions) these first hand accounts are stunning.

The Cooks deserve a lot of credit for their painstaking efforts to amass all of these interviews. Their editing appears to be minimal as is their background introductions to each new chapter. In other words; helpful without being intrusive. Undoubtably, there were many other survivng Japanese witnesses to war who would not tell their story. Many of those who did were reflective of having been misled.

The Japanese and Americans are solid allies these days and the birth of that alliance is found in these monologues of history. Countless eye-witnesses bore testimony to their individual discovery that the American soldiers were not the devils the Japanese leadership portrayed them to be. The gratuitous stories of the acts of kindness and generosity of the American GIs were really heartwarming to read.

"Japan at War: An Oral History" was everything I had hoped it would be; and more. As a Baby-Boomer, I carry not the scars of war but the legacy of war. The history of American wars is the eventual alliance with our enemies. This book, in an indirect way, is a reminder of that tradition. We can only hope that our current conflict can eventually end in the same Phoenix of peace.

Eye-opening.......2005-10-03

Until I read this book, I had no real appreciation of suffering and cruelty in the Pacific War. The format of this book, oral histories in the first person, so personalizes suffering and cruelty that I had to interrupt reading many times in order to go on. There is so much pain here that I soon understood why many Japanese refuse to revisit such memories, even after sixty years. The book is a record of what happens when those in command plug their eyes, minds and hearts with mud. As such, it reminds us that we should not be silent about what happened, if we truly wish that it might never happen again.

Operation Iceberg: The Invasion and Conquest of Okinawa in World War II--An Oral History

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Riveting...
The End and The Beginning of A Better World.
Outstanding Oral History
Interesting book about Okinawa
Must read for anyone whose father fought in the Pacific

Operation Iceberg: The Invasion and Conquest of Okinawa in World War II--An Oral History
Gerald Astor
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1556114257

Customer Reviews:

Riveting..........2006-08-08

Gerald Astor's book on Okinawa is, again, one of the better oral histories I have read on WWII. He delicately weaves the stories as told by the servicemen with his own narratives. What works with this is a great "you are there" feel to the book. The soldiers give harrowing accounts of the fighting with the Japanese and how they would infiltrate the foxholes at night only for the Marines to see the daylight battlefield scattered with the corpses of the Jap soldiers.

I knew from other books and TV documentaries how savage the Japs were; and this book confirms it with the soldiers stories. Astor concludes this book with his analysis on the battle and how the dropping of the atom bomb took place shortly thereafter. He skillfully analyses the Okinawan/Iwo Jima fighting with Truman's reasoning for using the bomb.

The only drawback of the book (my '95 paperback copy) were not enough maps of Okinawa (only one small map in the beginning of the book).

At any rate, definitely worth a read and an addition to your library.

The End and The Beginning of A Better World........2005-12-15

More people died during the Battle of Okinawa than during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki just six weeks later. This is where correspondent Ernie Pyle (made an appearance in Knoxville, TN to interview a local personage at a small cafe) was killed by a sniper shot just a couple of weeks after the landing by our troops. This was the most bloody close-quarters of land fighting in WWII with 12,520 American casualties from the various branches of our enlisted men, Marines, airmen, sailors and soldiers.

'Operation Iceberg,' as it was known had the fiercest attack of kamikazes (named after the 'divine wind' which had reputedly saved Japan from a Mongol invasion. They were first seen in action against HMAS 'Australia' and 'Taffy1" earlier in the war. The kamikaze pilots were proud (and crazy) to become the ultimate sacrifice for their country. On Christmas Eve, 1942, the troopship 'Mauertania,' went on a convoluted course to safely deliver five hundred German POWs, thousands of wounded Allied soldiers, twenty-five civilians (women and children) home to USA for Christmas. By Christmas Eve, two months after sailing from the Persian Gulf, they'd had to evade the submarines and the kamikaze planes. With the occasional weaving of the boat to confuse enemy sub pursuit, the weary travelers clung to the railing wondering if they would ever see America again. Just six months earlier, in June 1942, the Japanese defeat at the Battle of Midway and Guadalcanal in August caused the ferociousness of the kamikaze attacks had increased and the cruier 'Helena' had been destroyed. Altogether, the Americans had lost over thirty vessels and 368 ships had major damage from these suicide bombers which went on to sink 34 Allied ships.

On the 'Mauretania,' the civilians reached out to the prisoners by descending into the lower recesses of the ship to sing "Silent Night" ('Stille Nacht') written by a German composer. It was an emotional event for all as they stood there, unable to speak. The seven-year-old girl who wrote an account of it 57 years later said she crawled into bed that night, tingling with happiness, certain there had never been a Christmas Eve like this one. There was a world war raging, an enemy to fight, just the beginning of the Japanese reign of terror as they rained down a deadly barrage of kamikazes. Early in the war, Japan had a series of military successes; after the attack on Pearl Harbor, they attacked U. S. air bases in the Phillippines.

This book was written by Gerald Astor (with the aid of historian Leckie) on the fiftieth anniversary of 'Operation Iceburg" for eighty-three days from April to June. It gives personal accounts of hand-to-hand combat, flame-thrower and ambush attacks with nowhere to run for cover, with entire companies of U.S. men killed by the brutality and ferociousness of the enemy. The battleship 'USS Tennessee' covered the landing area by firing salvos onto the beaches at Okinawa. Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt had met with Chiang Kai-Shek and Madam Chiang in Cairo to no avail. Churchill himself later wrote, "The decision whether or not to use the atomic bomb to compel the surrender of Japan was never even an issue." On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" and three days later, the plutonium bomb, "Fat Man," on Nagasaki. One hundred twenty people died as a result of the two blasts.

It was General Douglas MacArthur, my hero, himself who insisted that, for political and prestige reasons, all the Japanese troops be forced to surrender in the Phillippines. He kept his word, and "did return" to that island as he had promised. On September 2, 1945, he officially received the Japanese surrender on the battleship 'Missouri' in Tokyo Bay. This account brings it to the reader on a personal level, not like a history textbook. The victory in Europe and the Pacific caused us to have two memorial days, V-E Day on May 8 and V.J Day on August 14. This is a reminder of a Christmas long ago, told as if it had happened only yesterday -- gone into the past, but not forgotten.

Outstanding Oral History.......2005-03-12

Operation Iceberg is a masterwork of the oral history approach to telling a story. Astor ably edits and arranges the various oral accounts into a quick-paced, yet comprehensive account of a rather complex and important battle. Astor has collected inputs from Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, and Airmen who were there and made victory possible. But the accounts would be nothing if they weren't arranged into a pattern that the reader could follow. Astor does that, and provides his own brief narrative to fill in any gaps that the oral accounts have left. As a result, the book becomes a text on the Battle for Okinawa and not just a collection of personal reminisces.

Interesting book about Okinawa.......2003-03-30

1st of all, I'm not too big into the Pacific Theater of WWII (My main interest is the European Theater). This is the 1st book I have read about it. With that in mind; I found this book interesting. It is mostly personal stories of G.I's and there wild stories of fighting the Japs. It was very interesting to learn about the Japs tatics that they used, usually at night & also about how feared the Japanese locals & Jap military were deathly afraid to fall into the hands of the Americans. This is part of the reason that 99% of the Japs fought to the death. The book covers fighting on land and at sea. The book also covers the death of Ernie Pyle.

Must read for anyone whose father fought in the Pacific.......2001-01-19

My father was a member of the 77th Division which fought in the Pacific. He never talked about the war and I have always been interested in learning more about how he survived. This book is a MUST read for anyone whose father fought in the Pacific, especially on Okinawa. It is not a history lesson as other books are, but actual memoirs of the soldiers who fought there. You are even given their names and brief biography. You hear and read so much regarding the D-Day invasion and how terrible that was but after reading Operation Iceberg, you will come to understand how much worse the fighting in the Pacific was. I find it hard to believe that anyone came home unwounded from those battles, but they did, including my father. My knowledge of World War II has been greatly expanded after reading Mr. Astor's book. Thank you, Mr. Astor, for writing this book and for giving me some insight into what my father lived through.

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Mildly Interesting
A great book!

Never in Doubt : Remembering Iwo Jima

Manufacturer: Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1557504636

Book Description

Survivors of one of the fiercest battles of the war in the Pacific tell their dramatic stories in this collection of oral histories. Veterans from all the services--Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Army, and Army Air Corps--are represented, everyone from infantrymen, machine gunners, and engineers to medics, airmen, and coxswains. Their vivid firsthand accounts of personal experiences explore the great variety of actions that made up the campaign to win Iwo Jima from the Japanese. Their descriptions of events add new dimensions to the history of the monumental battle. Ordinary young Americans thrown into extraordinary situations, they recall the details of battle as if it happened yesterday. Their recollections not only provide insight into military operations but reveal the effect that battle had on the course of their lives and the meaning it holds for them today.

Interviews with forty-five Iwo veterans were selected for this book, among them Angelo Bertelli, the 1943 Heisman Trophy winner, and Charles Lindberg, the last survivor of the first flag raising on Mt. Suribachi. Most accounts were recorded face to face, while others were sent to Kessler on tape or were handwritten. Their compelling stories about the reality of the battle honor the sacrifice of the 6,821 Marines, sailors, soldiers, and airmen who died at Iwo Jima. An informative introduction helps set the scene.

Customer Reviews:

Mildly Interesting.......2001-04-11

This book was mildly interesting. Doesn't rank with the oral histories written by Ambrose or Ryan.

A great book!.......1999-12-04

The stories and memories from the Iwo Jima veterans will make you laugh and cry. When I think about the "trail of beer cans," I wonder what other mischief these Marines were up to!

The Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force

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Simply extraordinary!
Interesting and Compelling
Excellence Continued
A true tribute
YOU CAN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN

The Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force
Joseph A. Springer
Manufacturer: I Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743479602

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They were the shock troops of the American Army. In their ranks were lumberjacks, miners, skiers-men from the United States and Canada who were accustomed to hardship and living on their own. Their training was extraordinary: forced marches of 100 miles in the Montana wilderness with 50-pound backpacks was typical. Weapons training was equally rigorous and the men became as dangerous with their hands and a knife as they were with rifle and machine gun.

In Italy they became the unit called to accomplish the impossible. At Monte Cassino, and at Anzio, they did, earning the respectful accolade from their German enemies: Schwartzer Teufel-Black Devils.

For the first time ever, the men of the First Special Service Force tell in their own words the full and complete story of their unit which is regarded as the parent of today's Green Berets.

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Simply extraordinary!.......2006-03-20

My grandfather served with the Devils Brigade, and since knowing that I wanted to learn more about this extraordinary elite unit of WWII. What I found was perhaps one of the best oral recount's of one of the finest units to ever exist. Having grown up in East Helena (3 miles east of Helena, Montana) and working at one point out at Ft. William Henry Harrison, this book gave me a new found respect for my grandfather and the great men who served in the First Special Service Force. Having finished the book I passed it on to my grandfather and he couldn't let it go. Driving by Memorial Park in Helena and watching the American and Canadian Flags both flying next to the First Special Service Force memorial, day and night, 365 days a year, I can't help but utter a simple, "thank you" everytime I go past it to those that are still living and those that perished for the freedom they helped provide for both countries.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a greater depth of knowledge of this elite unit, or for the military buffs who wish to learn about or learn more of this outstanding unit!

Interesting and Compelling.......2006-03-17

My grandpa happened to pass away about 6 years ago, and he happened to be a part of the Black Devil Brigade. His accounts are in this book, his name is Fred Hubbard, and throughout the book he moves from a 2nd LT to a Captain. The funny thing is, I married a man who just commissioned into the army as a 2nd LT. and will soon be deploying. It is amazing to hear the story of what my grandfather when through captured in a book. The things these men endured for our freedom will always amaze me. I will always wish that I spent more time picking my grandpas brain while he was alive, but I am thankful to have this book to remember these things. This book really captures the essence of what these men went through, and what began what is the special forces today.

Excellence Continued.......2004-01-27

Mr. Springer may have been initially motivated by the desire to honor his uncle (killed serving with the First Special Service Force) but his work honors all who served in that unit. One seldom sees an oral history which tells the story of a unit so well. All the contributions by unit members tell the story without the distractions often found in other compilations. Always engaging, you just don't want to put the book down. Not only does one learn about the unit and individuals who made up that unit but one also learns about the equipment used, how it was acquired, and the soldiers' opinions of its performance. An amazing amount of information presented in a way that also entertains and honors the men who served.

A true tribute.......2003-12-07

Hats off to Joe Springer....! He did the men of 5-2 and the FSSF an honor. My father was a Lieutenant in 5-2 FSSF and one of the main characters of the book, and Joe's Uncle was one of my father's NCO's who was KIA on Anzio. The personal accounts in the book may sound far fetched and exaggerated. However, this is far from the truth. The exploits of the men of the FSSF are a matter of record. Every man who served in the FSSF is a very unique individual. I got to know many of these gentlemen over the years by attending the annual FSSF reunions. And yes, what an honor and a privilege to just meet and speak with them about WWII and life in general. Every man in the FSSF willingly, and knowingly volunteered to join a unit where the odds of being accepted in the unit is less than 20%, and your chances for survival were even less. Thank You Joe for getting my father to open up regarding his experiences during WWII for your book. It also meant so much to him to honor the men in his command who were taken, that were not only soldiers/warriors, but true friends forever.

YOU CAN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN.......2003-01-22

TAKE ABOUT FIFTY AMERICAN AND CANADIAN WORLD WAR TWO COMBAT VETERANS THAT WILLINGLY VOLUNTEER FOR A WINTER SUICIDE MISSION BEHIND GERMAN LINES. THEY ALL HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF EXPLOSIVES, THEY ARE SKIERS, PARATROOPERS, AND ARE EXPERT SHOOTERS. THEY BECOME THE BEST TRAINED AND HIGHLY MOTIVATED AND FIERCEST SOLDIERS THAT THERE GENERATION AND NATIONS PRODUCED. SEND THEM TO CENTRAL ITALY, ANZIOBEACH, AND SOUTHERN FRANCE WHERE THEY SLAUGHTER FIFTEEN TO TWENTY THOUSAND GERMANS. MORE THAN SIXTY YEARS PASS BY AND THEN THESE SAME FIFTY COMMANDOS INVITE YOU INTO THERE HOMES AND TELL YOU ABOUT THE FUNNY, SAD, AND ASTOUNDING THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO THEM IN COMBAT. THAT IS WHAT THIS BOOK IS ALL ABOUT.

Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit: The World War II Generation Remembers the Tragic Event That Transformed a Nation

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Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit: The World War II Generation Remembers the Tragic Event That Transformed a Nation

Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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SYNOPSIS Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit is filled with unforgettable interviews that describe the shock, anger, confusion, dislocation, and unwavering American resilience that followed Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The book is perhaps the first to document the broad human experience of December 7, 1941. In this groundbreaking publication, more than 175 people from all across America recall how their lives were suddenly changed forever by Japan's "dastardly attack" in Hawaii.

These fascinating stories take the reader back in time to vintage diners, filling stations, railroad depots, drug stores, family farms, stadiums, churches, barracks, and other places where the alarming news of the ambush was announced to a stunned nation.

Many narrators discuss significant personal, national, and world events from the time of the Depression through WWII, thus making this book a fine introduction to the momentous Roosevelt era. The stories show how the children of the Depression overcame hardship-and acquired the strong character that enabled them to emerge as liberators of the world.

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Field of Spears: Last Mission of the Jordan Crew

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A Thorough and Compelling Account
Ordinary Mortals Experiencing Epoch-Making History
Fascinating Read
Thrilling historical drama
academically rigorous and infinitely readable

Field of Spears: Last Mission of the Jordan Crew
Gregory Hadley
Manufacturer: Paulownia Press Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0955558212

Product Description

What happens to ordinary people in times of war? Gregory Hadley explores this question as he documents the true story of a B-29 crew that was shot down over a rural Japanese village on July 20, 1945. Presented in narrative form, Hadley weaves a gripping tale drawn from recently declassified historical documents, never before seen photographs, and interviews with both Japanese eyewitnesses and survivors of the B-29 crew. Field of Spears is not simply the story of an incident that took place over half a century ago. It is a chilling reminder of what awaits today s soldiers when they fall into the waiting arms of terrified and angry civilians. Based upon several years of investigative research, Hadley uncovers the mystery that had surrounded this singular event in Niigata s history: How did the four crewmen who died that night actually perish? What sets Field of Spears apart from similar books of this genre is that Hadley has interviewed eyewitnesses from both sides of this incident, both villagers and former B-29 crewmen. He supplemented this with numerous documents and Japanese memoirs that he found in area, as well as reports that were recently declassified through the US Freedom of Information Act. A showpiece of the book is a series of never before seen photographs taken in Niigata that reveal, in gripping and sometimes gruesome detail, the capture and lynching of several crewmen. In a narrative style, Hadley follows the aftermath of the July 20th incident, first by detailing how villagers sought to cover up the events surrounding the crewmen s capture, the horrific experiences of the B-29 crewmen in captivity, the tepid efforts of war crimes investigators during the Occupation, and a study of the damaging effect the incident had upon on both the crewmen and villagers, all of whom were forgotten by their respective governments once the guns had fallen silent. Field of Spears is not simply a story of an incident that took place over half a century ago. As the wheel of history turns yet again, this book offers insight into human rights issues affecting our lives today, and provides a chilling reminder of what awaits today s soldiers when they fall from their positions of elevated safety into the waiting arms of an angry mob.

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A Thorough and Compelling Account .......2007-10-11

"Field of Spears" refers to the field in which rural Japanese lynched US fliers of a downed B-29 bomber during World War II. That airmen who bailed out over Japan were likely to meet such a fate was understood by US commanders, who advised air crew to surrender to the Japanese military as their safest option. As the possibility of an Allied invasion of Japan loomed in 1945, Japanese civilians -- including housewives working in weapons factories -- armed themselves with bamboo spears and farmers also had at their disposal a range of sharp tilling instruments.

The Jordan crew, whose B-29 was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Niigata in July 1945 after dropping mines into Niigata Port, was made up of twelve people, of whom four didn't survive the crash or its aftermath. Professor Gregory Hadley, in "Field of Spears - The Last Mission of the Jordan Crew," diligently and faithfully describes and analyzes the events surrounding the crash.

Hadley also provides valuable accounts of conditions in Japan that led to the prosecution of a disastrous war, of US Gen. Curtis LeMay's planning of the B-29 firebombing of major Japanese cities, and of the Allied POW experience, including torture. He brings matters to life and to the present by relaying the mood of those of his students who would fight North Korea in the name of the emperor. There are also several fascinating historical asides, such as on the misinformation that Tokyo was a nuclear-bomb target.

I gained the feeling of what it would actually have been like to fly in a perilously complex and overworked B-29 and felt I was glimpsing the personal and professional lives of the crew, before and after their last run.

Those who seek balanced perspective and reasoned probability in history can look to "Field of Spears" with confidence and be rewarded. They will gain cultural insights lamentably absent in earlier monographic works. Hadley raises the research bar in his field and others will have to try that much harder to clear it. He literally dug up some of his facts. This is ever important as many still muddy the historical waters of the Pacific War, deliberately -- old soldiers online; some of those on the political left and some on the right -- or through secondhand scholarship.

Japanese should admit to the lynching. They should say, "This is how we felt, and this is what we did." More than a half century after the event, there's no need for them to prevaricate or obfuscate. Hadley's book brought to mind Yoshihiro Hattori, the Japanese high school student who was fatally shot on Oct. 17, 1992 by the owner of a house he had mistaken for the address of a Halloween party in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Hattori wasn't even on a bombing run. Jurors sympathized with the shooter. But moral relativism, as tempting as it is to ponder, isn't helpful. War is a human condition which, like extreme hunger, dehumanizes. We can't do better than to say what we did, in the hope that our children will learn from both positive and negative example.

Several photos richly illustrate the book and the cover photo of a captured, blindfolded flier held by what appear to be farmers and police is brilliantly atmospheric.

In the Foreword, Dr. Philip Seaton perhaps should know that it was not bribes paid by Lockheed that caused the downfall of Kakuei Tanaka, a former prime minister who hailed from Niigata, but rather the land transactions and related scandals of two years earlier, but this lapse takes nothing away from the body of Hadley's fine work.

Ordinary Mortals Experiencing Epoch-Making History.......2007-10-11

Prof. Greg Hadley has thoroughly researched the story of one particular B-29 crew; "the Jordan crew", whose lives were irretrievably changed when they were shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Japan on the night of 19/20 July 1945.

The story of these men runs as a single thread through the complex tapestry of the USAAF bombing campaign against Japan. This book includes an informative historical treatment of this campaign and the lives of the people it affected.

After setting the historical scene, the book describes how the Jordan crew, hailing from diverse backgrounds, were welded together into a fighting unit. They flew their first combat mission in early February 1945, participating in the campaign of high-level B-29 precision raids against industrial targets. These raids were frequently impeded by strong winds and obscured targets, and desperate Japanese defence. The Jordan crew later helped enact the dramatic US change of tactics to low-level fire raids on urban areas by night. They watched from above as the largest Japanese cities blazed, one after another.

As the Jordan crew's battle-experience increased, the reader gets an alarming impression of the toll that this relentless campaigning imposed on their individual performances and cohesion as a crew. The danger of flying the Air Force's most technically ambitious aircraft in the hostile skies above Japan is brought home very well.

The Jordan crew were finally shot down during a mission to lay mines in the waters off the Japanese west coast. (The book has many interesting details about USAAF mining campaign, which made an enormous but largely unsung contribution to crippling the Japanese war economy.)

The loss of their B-29 probably hinged on one seemingly trivial decision, made as they climbed away from their minelaying run that night. After deviating from the official mission flight plan (possibly to steer a faster "direct" route towards home) they were hit over the city of Niigata by a crack Japanese anti-aircraft unit, recently transferred there from Tokyo after that city had been virtually destroyed.

The Jordan crew were the only B-29 crew to be shot down over Niigata during the war. (Ironically, Niigata had been "quarantined" to remain in a pristine condition as one of the US's potential A-bomb targets! However, the A-Bombs were dropped elsewhere, and Niigata became one of the few large Japanese cities to survive the war without being razed.)

Hadley's persistent detective work has uncovered the true story behind the murder of two of the parachuted crew-members by Japanese local-defence militias (the "Field of Spears" of the book's title). These crimes were covered-up at the end of the war, when an impressive grave was hurriedly constructed for the "crash victims". US grave-recovery personnel never had reason to believe that there had been an atrocity. (Tragically, at least one of the Jordan crew also decided to go down with their ship, rather then bale out and take their chances as prisoners of the Japanese.)

The photographic coverage of events on the ground is one of the strengths of this book. One poignant time-lapse photo really brings home the tragedy of war. It shows the blazing bomber descending rapidly across the night sky while Japanese children wearing "anti-fire" hoods look on in fascination. Hadley has even located photos of the actual capture of the surviving crewmembers. Other startling photos illustrate the high degree of regimentation and propaganda-incitement of the civilians; very reminiscent of modern-day North Korea. These civilian militias were waiting on the ground in a state of fear and anger as the "parachutists" drifted down from above. (Paradoxically, some of the Jordan crew had their lives saved through the intervention of regular Japanese Army soldiers calming down the frenzied civilians.)

Thereafter, in the hands of the feared Japanese military police, the men suffered continuously harsh treatment - intended as retribution for the enormous damage which was being inflicted by the B-29s all over Japan. The captured bomber crews were classified by the vengeful Japanese essentially as war criminals. They received even worse treatment than the pitiful conditions applying to other POWs of the Japanese Empire. The reader can only be appalled at their plight, as described many years later by the still-affected surviving crewmembers.

The atomic "secret" provides another fascinating aspect of this book. The crewmen had been briefed that in the event of capture, they should not attempt to "hold back" information from the Japanese. - It was well understood that silence could easily prove fatal, so alarming the enemy with true tales of overwhelming American technical superiority was probably the best course anyway.

However, the Jordan crew knew something special. At their island base on Tinian, their B-29 had been parked beside the 509th Composite Group - the Atomic bombers! The men in the Jordan crew had heard members of this elite unit talking about "winning the war with one plane"...

As Hadley explains, the Japanese were keen for information on the atomic threat...

It is unlikely that the Jordan crew could have "honestly" related any more than a few general details about the Bomb to their interrogators, but Hadley brings the story to a climax by presenting several intriguing facts about Japanese fore-knowledge of these epochal weapons.

Then suddenly, the war was over, and the B-29s began dropping Prisoner-of-War relief supplies instead of bombs. The liberation of the POWs ended the nightmare of their captivity, but it is clear that nothing could calm their memories in the decades that followed.

However, Hadley's thorough exposition of the tale does offer later generations the chance to understand the fierce emotions, stresses and terrors of those times, and to gain a new appreciation of those who survived.

Fascinating Read.......2007-09-04

Wow. I read this book in a couple of days while vacationing in Niigata this summer. I would've finished in one day if I had had a whole day off to do nothing but read. It's one of those rarities you find every other year or so, a non-fiction page-turner. Dr. Hadley has his academic chops down (Everything in here is meticulously researched and I totally trust his translations of the oral interviews.) AND HE CAN WRITE. It's a readable book that keeps your interest. Sometimes the narrative can be a bit corny "A cup of green tea was offered with simple elegance." (Hope I got that quote right. I'm writing this from memory.) But all in all, it's very good. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in WWII Pacific history or anyone who has lived in or has an interest in Niigata.

Thrilling historical drama.......2007-08-09

Greg Hadley takes us on a thrilling ride to discover the truth of what happened to a B29 crew during the last days of World War II. This book is an excellent work of historical scholarship which reads like a novel. It takes you inside the minds of both the B29 crew and of the Japanese people affected by them on the ground. It is an important contribution to the body of historical information available on World War II, but it is also timeless as an example of what happens to both combatants and civilians caught up in the middle of a war. It is easy to imagine yourself in the shoes of any person you come to know through these pages, and to contemplate how you would react in their situation.

I am looking forward to any other historical works Greg Hadley may publish in the future.

academically rigorous and infinitely readable.......2007-08-06

"Field of Spears" attempts to piece together what precisely took place during the ill-fated B29 bombing mission over Niigata (Japan) during the night of 19th-20th July 1945, and its aftermath. The complex narrative has been painstakingly pieced together from a variety of sources, including official U.S. Air force and Army records and the testimonies (mostly oral) from both crew members and local Japanese on the ground at the time. As such, this book represents probably the closest the world is ever going to get to knowing what exactly transpired concerning this mission and its results.
The achievement of the author does not lie solely in his getting to the facts, shrouded in obscurity for more than half a century, but also in his ability to tell the narrative in a compelling and sensitive way. The book does an excellent job of providing the reader with a coherent background both of the B-29 crew members themselves, and of the (still comparatively little known) Niigata area over which the bomber was shot down. At the same time, all the characters in this drama are portrayed by the author with the utmost integrity and sensitivity. The book clearly aims at contextualizing those events, and explaining the actions of the protagonists; it never stoops to judging those involved and its tone is always genuine, never sensationalist. What therefore transpires is an account of people who appear human, all too human some might say, but all the more understandable because of their failings. The result, to be short, is that "Field of Spears" is one of only a very few books I have read recently which embodies both academic rigour and infinite readability - I read the book in a single day, finding it almost impossible to put down.
This book has appeared at a very important time. There has been renewed interest recently among the American and Japanese general public in the Pacific theatre of World War II, in large part due to the two Clint Eastwood movies "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima". Both of these movies sought to get past the traditional depiction of this battle (in which the US lost 6,821 men, the Japanese almost 21,000) as one between heroes and villains, and to attempt to portray a far more human, and therefore ultimately realistic, account of this truly gruesome battlefield. "Field of Spears", I believe, fits perfectly into this genre, and will do much to make the events surrounding the downing of the B-29 intelligible to all, while at the same time forcing us to face some thorny issues that are as relevant today as they were then. Chief among these are: 1) how should we expect trained and armed military men to behave when confronted by a hostile mob of civilians; 2) what treatment should we realistically expect those on the ground who have been bombed to mete out to those who, only minutes before, were bombing them?

Forgotten Heroes: Japan's Imprisonment of American Civilians in the Phillipines, 1942-1945, An Oral History

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Forgotten Heroes: Japan's Imprisonment of American Civilians in the Phillipines, 1942-1945, An Oral History
Michael P. Onorato
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313280843

Book Description

These oral histories focus on American civilians imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II.

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