Book Description
In his own book, Wartime, Paul Fussell called With the Old Breed "one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war." John Keegan referred to it in The Second World War as "one of the most arresting documents in war literature." And Studs Terkel was so fascinated with the story he interviewed its author for his book, "The Good War." What has made E.B. Sledge's memoir of his experience fighting in the South Pacific during World War II so devastatingly powerful is its sheer honest simplicity and compassion. Now including a new introduction by Paul Fussell, With the Old Breed presents a stirring, personal account of the vitality and bravery of the Marines in the battles at Peleliu and Okinawa. Born in Mobile, Alabama in 1923 and raised on riding, hunting, fishing, and a respect for history and legendary heroes such as George Washington and Daniel Boone, Eugene Bondurant Sledge (later called "Sledgehammer" by his Marine Corps buddies) joined the Marines the year after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and from 1943 to 1946 endured the events recorded in this book. In those years, he passed, often painfully, from innocence to experience. Sledge enlisted out of patriotism, idealism, and youthful courage, but once he landed on the beach at Peleliu, it was purely a struggle for survival. Based on the notes he kept on slips of paper tucked secretly away in his New Testament, he simply and directly recalls those long months, mincing no words and sparing no pain. The reality of battle meant unbearable heat, deafening gunfire, unimaginable brutality and cruelty, the stench of death, and, above all, constant fear. Sledge still has nightmares about "the bloody, muddy month of May on Okinawa." But, as he also tellingly reveals, the bonds of friendship formed then will never be severed. Sledge's honesty and compassion for the other marines, even complete strangers, sets him apart as a memoirist of war. Read as sobering history or as high adventure, With the Old Breed is a moving chronicle of action and courage.
Customer Reviews:
Gutted.......2007-10-08
I watched much of The War this weekend on PBS. Ken Burns leans heavily on Eugene Sledge's account of war, and that tells me that Burns at least knows genius writing when he reads it.
Sledge may be the best writer from the 20th century that most people have never heard of. His language is harrowing and detailed and does not spare any details about the chaos and misery and ineffable singular experience that is war. I truly believe that he lived through Peleliu and Okinawa, so he could compile his writings and share them with the world. How else can you explain the same person living through two of the nastiest battles of the 20th century?
Buy this book. Share it with everyone you know.
BEST WW2 BOOK EVER!!! ....so far............2007-10-04
This book was a pleasure to read. Not that I find pleasure in the horrors of war, I do not, but this book is so well written. I gets into the real nitty-gritties of every day life at war fighting a fearsome enemy. This book was the first book to ever give me a real glimpse of the totality of war on the foot soldier. There are many great books on WW2 out there, this definetly has to be one of the best! GET THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!! you wont regret it.
This is the best book ever written by an American Combat Veteran.......2007-10-04
This book is about combat. Nothing more. It is horrifying. It is well written. It is too well written. If you read this book, you will understand combat. Not "war", but combat. That's Mr. Sledge's goal. He wants the rest of us to understand the horror of combat. This is the best book on combat by an American combat veteran. The only combat book that is better is "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer, a German soldier on the Russian front during WWII. Both of these books will make you cry like a baby. Read them back to back & I promise that you will have nightmares.
My father on cover of later editions aiming weapon.......2007-10-03
I read the old copy of this twice. Imagine my surprise when my son sent me a blown up photo of the cover and I am staring at my father aiming his weapon as I remember him when he was young! He fought at Okinawa and out of his entire battalion only he and five others came back (& wounded at that). When I was little after the War, and Daddy was drinking, he used to describe some of war's horrors to my mother and his friends when he thought I wasn't listening. He would talk about a man named Sledge who was nicknamed, "Sledgehammer." Although my father kept his sense of humor about some of war's crazy happenings, he never recovered fully and drank when it became too much. He lost all of his buddies in battle. When Daddy died in 1981, I thought, "Well, he is with them, now." Sledge's accounts exactly match my father's from the late 1940s.
With The Old Breed.......2007-08-17
Wow!!! Sledge eloquently exposes the misery and ultimate madness of war. We owe much to our brave soldiers. All politicians should read this book to gain a sense of the sacrifice that our soldiers,past and present, have endured.
Book Description
Critical acclaim for The Battle for Okinawa
"An indispensable account of the fighting and of Okinawa's role in the Japanese defense of the home islands." âThe Wall Street Journal
"A fascinating, highly intelligent glance behind the Japanese lines." âKirkus Reviews
"The most interesting of the 'last battle of the war' books." âThe Washington Post.
"A fascinating insider's view of the Japanese command." âDallas Morning News
COLONEL HIROMICHI YAHARA was the senior staff officer of the 32nd Japanese Army at Okinawa.
A Military Book Club Main Selection
Customer Reviews:
A welcome addition to any WWII buff's library........2001-06-19
I recently got this book as one of my Father's Day presents, and wasn't able to put the book down until I was done reading it. Hiromichi Yahara's musings about the final defense of the island came down as poignant, as he saw impending defeat beyond the heroic but futile preparations. A perfect companion to The Girl with the White Flag.
EXCELLENT ACCOUNT FROM THE OTHER SIDE.......2001-06-11
I bought this book because I am stationed on Okinawa with the US Air Force. I was drawn... in by the first few pages and could not put it down. Colonel Yahara is candid in his telling of the Japanese perspective and strategy of the battle and masterfully conveys what he felt as well as what he saw. It is a heartfelt read; despite being an account written by "the enemy" (at the time, anyway), you can empathize with Col Yahara and envy him for his bravery. Col Yahara does an exemplary job illustrating the Japanese dedication to victory. The book comes complete with maps to help illustrate the direction of battle (which I also used to visit battle sites). I do not look at Okinawa the same way. It is a must read book for anyone interested in the Pacific war and especially for anyone stationed in Okinawa.
Standing on that hill.......2001-03-30
I read some of the reviews for this book and some were great but others put the book down...I'm a U.S. Marine stationed in Okinawa and I have to say I really enjoyed reading the book...When I get a chance I will read it again...I have to disagree when others put the book down, and this is my reason: Being in Okinawa I visited some of the battle sites and all I could do was remember some parts of the book...I visited that hilltop where General Ushijima stood as the U.S. landed on the beaches, and it was such an unexplainable feeling as i pictured the words in my mind...If you have a chance to visit Okinawa, books like these will have an impressionable impact on you...After reading a few books on the Battle of Okinawa, this is probably my number 1.
A japanese account of Okinawa.......2000-05-23
There is no doubt that the Japanese have a completely different mindset to their western counterparts. Take the last message from Major General Suzuki "Flowers dying gracefully on Hill 109, Will bloom again amid the Kudan trees". The Japanese not only knew how to fight, but they knew how to die. This book is written from the perspective of a Japanese Staff Officer and gives an excellent overview of the Japanese tactics. When you consider the overwhelming logistic and technological superiority of the American forces it's amazing that the Japanese gave such a good account of themselves. Yahara's account gives an insight into why we must all hope like hell that they're on our side next time. This is a fascinating book, a necessary counterpoint to those of the victors - if you're at all interested in millitary history, this is a must have book
A View from the Japanese Side.......1999-09-01
While not a full account of the battle, it gives some insight from the Japanese perspective. Drawn primarily from interrogation reports, the author helps Yahara explain to his countrymen and the world how and why he survived a battle that most of his troops did not. Troops who while digging cave fortifications felt in one soldier's words "as if we were digging our own graves". It helps fill in some of the gaps in the historical account of THE largest, the most savage, most forgotten and most protracted battle in the Pacific war. One whose 54,000 American, 100,000 Japanese and 200,000 Okinawan casualties makes all other better known Pacific battles pale in comparison.
Amazon.com
The Battle of Okinawa was "the largest land-sea-air battle in history," yet remarkably little is know about this final major engagement of World War II. Based on interviews with Americans, Japanese, and Okinawans who endured the fighting, this masterpiece of military history explores every aspect of the three-month battle and its aftermath in vivid detail.
The U.S. invasion of Okinawa involved 1,457 ships and over half a million men. For six full days artillery fire poured down on the island while the Japanese holed up in underground bunkers and tunnels like moles, darting out for supplies only at night. In examining the battle from the perspective of both generals and infantrymen, George Feifer explains the substantial differences in the training and mindset between the soldiers, particularly the Japanese's fiercely nationalistic stance and willingness to die for their emperor that both impressed and baffled the Americans. Since most Japanese refused to surrender even after American victory was assured, less than 5 percent survived the battle. And worse bloodshed was certain to come, for the next step in the war was an invasion of Japan itself. Indeed, the Japanese government encouraged all 100 million Japanese to "die proudly" in defense of their homeland. It was both this kamikaze devotion and the heavy human losses at Okinawa that led directly to the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan rather than pay the high price of a large-scale invasion.
Feifer also lends a voice to the local civilians, certainly the least considered element in the battle, focusing on how the hospitable and peaceful Okinawans were caught in a crossfire they could neither comprehend nor control. During the fighting, over a quarter of a million Okinawans were herded into U.S. detention camps in order to get them out of the way of the fighting, yet an estimated 150,000 died from artillery attacks or because locals were often indistinguishable from Japanese soldiers. In a sense, the war continues for Okinawans since one-fifth of the best land on their island is still occupied by the U.S. military as well as a Japanese force. Feifer's excellent book should ensure that this horrific battle is never forgotten, for "if a symbol is needed to help preserve the memory of the Pacific War, Okinawa is the most enduring one." --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
A landmark text on the greatest land battle of the Pacific War.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding and Essential.......2006-08-06
This is most definitely the most detailed and in-depth book on any aspect of World War 2 that I have yet read. It told the often untold stories of civilians caught in the crossfire, pulled no punches in the detailing of atrocities committed by both sides but also did not hesitate to seek an explanation behind such actions. Most unique, it examined how this battle influenced future decisions and then subsequently faded into historical obscurity. This book is a MUST-READ for anyone seeking to understand the horrors of war, the durability and vulnerability of man, and the motivations and underlying causes that can explain any conflict, past or present. Read this book and understand why military zealots do what they do and how they must be combatted. Read this book and understand the tragedy of those caught in between. Read this book and be thankful for those who endured the hell of war in the Pacific.
I'm half Okinawan.......2006-02-04
My mother is Okinawan born and raised. She was about 13 during this battle. She speaks little of her life during this time and seems hesitant to say much when questioned. I was born in Tokyo though I only speak enough Japanese to get around and not enough to discuss and understand things "war". I've been to Okinawa many times and have seen the Peace Memorial a couple of times though didn't fully understand the enormity of it's existence. This book has helped fill the black hole in my knowledge of the battle on Okinawa. Obviously, I'm not formerly military or associated in any way. I'm speaking strictly as a civilian interested in things Japanese including the war as it's part of my heritage - both sides of the ocean. I had great difficulty reading this book (particularly the chapter on the Civilian Toll) through the tears in imagining my relatives' (most still alive in Okinawa) lives during this time. I lost an uncle in the battle, an aunt (in the caves) and had a crippled uncle from this battle who died in 1974. I'm saddened by my lack of knowledge and understanding of this battle until now and I now want to see the Peace Memorial Park and the southern end of the island with the new eyes I have. I've always said I'm half Japanese; I'll now say I'm half Okinawan when asked.
Must Read Book.......2006-01-08
A must read book, not only about the Battle of Okinawa, but also modern warfare and the limits of humanity. Every inch as good as T.R. Fehrenbach's This Kind of War, required military reading and the definitive guide to the Korean War. A page-turner than kept me up late at night.
I'm surprised at some of the other reviews. This is a book for "grown-ups" about modern warfare: descriptive, unflinching, and not without controversy. (Not unlike Chickenhawk, A Rumor of War, East of Chosin...all reading for military professionals.) One claims the book is exploitive through the many descriptions of carnage, but over a quarter of a million people were killed during the battle: Americans, Japanese, and Okinawans. (More civilians were killed than from both atomic bombs.) As far as social commentary, I think it added to the book. This included narrative about the US decision to use the atomic bomb, the mainland invasion of Japan, etc...the section about Kamikazes is excellent. (The end does ramble a bit.)
Another reason I think this book is so valuable is it's largely forgotten history. The Battle of Okinawa was the largest land-air-sea battle during WW II but how often do you hear about it.
I've been to Okinawa several times, and unless you travel to the Peace Memorial in the south, you'll be hard pressed to find any evidence of what happened there. Much of the island is covered in concrete now; most Okinawans under 65 are unaware of what happened there, because it's not taught in the schools.
My favority quote "Many people say using the atomic bomb was an inhumanity. Hell, the whole war was an inhumanity-military officer.: Read the book-it will change your whole outlook.
GOOD SOCIAL NARRATIVE -- NOT MILITARY HISTORY.......2003-09-09
It should be stated that this is really only tangentally a book of military history. There is no lead in or large diagrams noting units on the move, involved and their progression from beach-head to final battle. There is however a lot of very good first person accounts from soldiers from both sides and the civilians involved.
The whole point is to show how the horror of island hopping campaign that reached its bloody climax on a very large island with a very large civilian population. Although the charnel house of Burma, Tarawa, Peleliu, Saipan, the Philippines and other place names of the East Asian War were truly very much encounters largely between two brutal armies. In Okinawa we get this gigantic clash redux with civilians at the centre.
What Feifer does is describe this massive clash of arms on human beings, how humans behave in war and how civilians get the short end of the stick.
But let me be clear here: I have read a lot of Pacific War history and regularly join in the applause of the fighting prowess of the US Marines -- I have seen the battlefields at Okinawa, Peleliu, Saipan, Truk and many other sites of WWII horror. Feifer is honest in his discription of the horrors perpetrated by both sides. But he honestly points out in his introduction that the actions of the US pales in comparison with the cruelty of the Japanese. He spends most of his time on these attrocities and a VERY limited amount of time on those that Americans, through design or accident, perpetrated on Japanese POWs or Okinawan civilians (contrary to the other previous reviewer it is not at all a "rant" -- he should read the introduction again!). It is a fair and documented representation of what happenned and it is a sobering reminder of the responsibilities of democratic countries and their necessity to fight war always in a just manner and never to sink to the level of the opposition.
That is the one lesson of this book. The other one is that this is an excellent book for all nations to understand what happens in modern war when civilians get caught in the middle. It is a great book for those who seek a greater understanding of when the necessities of war cross over the elemental rights of civilians. It reminds us also of our humanity ---from the acts of kindness by a grisled Marine giving water and food to a child or an old woman, to the horror of an irrate Japanese commander willing to sacrifice people to a vain endevour and psychotic tribute to an obscurantist Japanese militaristic code.
I recommended it to my niece and young nephew. They are unlikely to read military history. But they will be much wisened by this book. As such who cares whether they know a toss about the 1st or the 5th Marines. What this book teaches them about humanity is much more than lines on a map and the order of battle.
Interesting, but not Military History.......2003-08-14
Interesting for presenting the view from the hard-luck Okinawan civilians point of view.
However, as military history, this book is certainly a failure.
* The lack of maps has been noted by a previous reviewer.
* The author is apparently a journalist by trade and writes the book as if he just found the scoop of a lifetime: War is awful, and only he has discovered this fact, and of all the battles ever fought in the history of man, Okinawa was by far the worst, and only he has the honesty to give you the inside story.
* Worse than the lack of maps is the lack of citing. He has quotes from many interesting participants and then doesn't provide the source. He has a lengthy bibliography, but you have no way of following up. This is especially critical because he challenges the generally held notion that Yamato only had enough fuel for a one-way trip to Okinawa. The author states emphatically that this is not the case, but does not source this controversial claim!
* A lot of factual errors in this work, too. Example Doozy: Did you know that the single engine F-4U Corsair could carry more armament than the four engine B-29? Me neither.
* The chapter on Okinawa's influence on the decision to use the atomic bombs is quite good.
* The concluding chapter with the author's sermonizing on affairs after WWII is possibly the most ignorant geopolitical rant I have ever read. No doubt the Okinawan civilian has gotten the short end of the stick for centuries now, but to evaluate U.S. conduct without taking into consideration the pressures of the Cold War makes me think that the author had a point he wanted to make and was not going to allow facts (or even differing opinions) get in the way.
If you're not familiar with the battle or the Pacific War, this is NOT a book for you if you are actually trying to understand that campaign.
On the other hand, if you want an oral history from men on the bloody ground perspective, this is a fast-paced read.
Average customer rating:
- The Few, the Brave, the SOCS
- Few Words..
- Good Behind the Scenes Portrait of Wartime
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We Few: The Marine Corps 400 in the War Against Japan
James R. Dickenson
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
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Utmost Savagery
ASIN: 1557501688 |
Book Description
Desperate for junior officers to meet the wartime demands of its rapid expansion and to replace the mounting casualties in its Pacific battles, the U.S. Marine Corps convened a Special Officer Candidate School (SOCS) at Camp Lejeune in 1944. This special class was to augment the regular Officer Candidates School (OCS) at Quantico, which was operating at full capacity. The young candidates had been enlisted in the V-12 officers procurement program and called to active duty from colleges and universities across the country. Destined to fight in some of the bloodiest battles of the war then answer the call to arms again in Korea, the Marines of this special class, who called themselves the "SOCS 400," served in the Minuteman tradition established at Lexington and Concord nearly two centuries earlier. Their compelling story is told for the first time by a former Marine and reporter for some of the nation's best news organizations. He chronicles their experiences from induction through training and combat to the lives they later led.
Eliminating some of the traditional training of young Marine officers, this special OCS curriculum concentrated on infantry tactics and weapons, and ninety percent of the class wound up as platoon leaders on Iwo and Okinawa. Forty-eight of them were killed, 168 wounded, for a casualty rate of some 58 per cent. For their heroic actions they earned a host of decorations, including five Navy Crosses. Eight more were wounded in Korea and one more earned a Navy Cross. Many believe they had the highest casualty and decoration rates of any Marine OCS class in World War II. This book focuses on ten men representing all six Marine divisions and nearly every section of the country and all types of colleges and universities. The story's appeal bridges professional and general interests.
Customer Reviews:
The Few, the Brave, the SOCS.......2003-05-09
The measure of a great book is not in the total sum of its pages; it is a book written concisely, informatively, clearly and with an abundance of information- "We Few: The Marine Corps 400 in the War Against Japan" is that kind of book. For a book of only 248 pages Dickenson is able to fill those pages with details, facts, statistics, profiles of courage and much more.... Dickenson amasses large amounts of valuable data on the American military build up and, sadly, its losses in men and military armament during the war in the Pacific.
Dickenson describes the purpose for the creation of the Special Officers Candidate School, or the SOCS Program; the motives of young college students into the SOCS and the training they went through to become lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Although the focus of Dickenson's book primarily focuses on telling the story of the SOCS Marine, but the book also devotes a good portion of its words to describing the World War II generation-a generation that when the "call to arms" went out, it was quickly answered by young Americans from all walks of life and from all over the country. They scurried to enlist in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, and naturally the Marines and the Marine, and the Marine "Special Officers Candidate Schools" (SOCS). Those who would make it through the SOCS Program would became Marine Lieutenants.
This book overflows with stories of leadership, heroism, and sacrifices by young Marine lieutenants. Dickenson writes of the enormous responsibilities that fell upon these young lieutenants. They were charged with leading their men, but leading by example. In the battles against Japanese forces, the Marine Lieutenants would make decisions that determined the fates of men under their command. In some instances these young lieutenants would make the ultimate sacrifice-their life. A clear and moving example of this can be read in the case of Lt. Jack Lummus;
"Lt Jack Lummus, rose up to rally his men and was knocked down by a grenade blast. He got up, charged the position and killed its defenders with his submachine gun, and was seriously wounded in the shoulder by another grenade. He attacked another emplacement and killed its occupants. Directing the fire of supporting tanks, he again moved into the open, rushed a third heavily defended position, and killed the Japanese in it. He led his men in attacking individual foxholes and spider traps, and, twenty yards in front of his platoon, he motioned them to follow him forward again. He suddenly disappeared in a huge explosion. When the rocks and debris finished falling, his men could see Lummus and it looked like he was standing in a hole. He had stepped on a mine that blew his legs off. He yelled at his cursing, weeping men as they stopped to help him and urged them on to a three hundred yard advance across the area's ravines and ridges. The surgeons in the division hospital could only relieve his pain and give him blood transfusions to try to keep him from bleeding to death. They kept him alive for several hours "... He was smiling as he closed his eyes and died".
"We Few: The Marine Corps 400 in the War Against Japan" is a grand ccomplishment of military history, the statistics are awesome and saddening, the profiles in leadership and courage are inspiring, the details are at time frightening. It forces the reader to think of war in a different light. It is a winner and belongs on the shelves with other great military history books on World War II.
Few Words.........2001-12-27
A worthy companion to "With The Old Breed" and "We Were Soldiers Once and Young" both harrowing tales of horror and heroism in war "on the ground". "We Few" provides another insight into what these men marched into "doing what needs to be done" without much fan fair. Many of these men found bravery and fortitude they did not know they had, but cared little to share more that a few words about it. Not something to brag or even talk much about unless with those "where were there". I know as my father is on the back cover. Thanks to the author for writing it..
Good Behind the Scenes Portrait of Wartime.......2001-12-20
This is a fascinating and well organized story covering the rather unique Navy-Marine Corps "V-12" college officer program in World War II. The program was much larger than might be assumed. Using oral history, interviews and historical facts, the author follows a dozen or so members of a special USMC officer training program in 1944 -- abbreviated so that the men could be rushed into Pacific combat (Iwo Jima and Okinawa). Emphasis of the book is well balanced between early training and later combat experiences. This is a very good peek into the activities in our country "behind the scenes" of the grand theaters of war. It is also a rewarding affirmation of the quality and character of the nation's young men at that time. Good work, author Dickenson.
Customer Reviews:
I'VE READ BETTER - BUT THIS WAS A EASY READ.......2005-11-01
I was just a bit disappointed with this particular work. The only words I can use, off the top of my head are "thin" and "shallow." Fortunately, this was a fast and very easy read and was worth the small effort it took to read. As pointed out by other reviewers, there were no maps! It is difficult, if not impossible to glean helpful information in reference to battle with out them. There were many, many aspects of this particular battle which were briefly touched upon, but nothing in depth. Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of this work is the fact that while I can complain about lack of information, etc. which is not really all that important, the true wonderful men who fought this battle, I feel, are quite short changed here. They, the men, deserve better. I suppose I can recommend this one if you want a brief overview, but other works should certainly be read and pondered.
Why no maps?.......2004-04-06
Okinawa
The Last Battle of World War II Robert Leckie
The author describes in detail the various battles using landmarks on maps. Unfortunately, the book has not a single map. If you want to read this book, get your own detailed map of Okinawa to try and follow along.
The author at the end tries to say that Truman thought the use of the a bomb was a mistake using a letter he wrote to his sister at the time saying that the decision to bomb was a terrible decision. Obviously, the decision was terrible. He knew that many thousands would die. The decision was not a mistake however, and Truman never said that it was.
As the Author points out, Okinawa was a compromise between what Adm King wanted, which was an invasion of Formosa, and Okinawa. Formosa had 3 times as many Japs defending it. King agreed, as Okinawa would also would provide a jumping off point, but to Kings chagrin, was not nearly as close to China, which King also wanted to help.
Casualty estimates to attack Formosa were 150,000 Americans, much too costly.
With Saipan taken, Iwo Jima and Okinawa were natural stepping stones to Japan. Taking Okinawa would also cut off the supply line of oil to Japan.
Okinawa was to be the jumping off point for the invasion of Japan in the fall of 1945.
The island was fortified and was made of coral. The Japs would also use the kamikaze for the first time in large numbers. The author spends a long time discussing the history and use of the kamikaze flyer. He discussed the Jap generals in charge of the defense of Okinawa. The kamikazes destroyed a bunch of Navy ships. Each is detailed by the author.
The force invading was larger than the D Day invasion force in terms of ocean going ships, Navy firepower, tonnage, and numbers of troops invading. Ike had 150,000 troops invading, Gen Buckner had 184,000 invading. Kelly Turner was the Navy man in charge of getting the troops to shore. He had a habit of trying to manage the assault force after it got ashore too, and caused a bunch of fights with the Marine officer. Turner had screwed up the Guadalcanal invasion causing a bunch of Marines to be killed, so the Marines were not happy to have him in charge again.17 carriers were used.
Okinawa was pounded for several days by the ships as they did not want to make the same mistake as at Iwo, which only 2 days bombardment by the ships left many Jap fortifications and Japs alive to kill Marines when they came ashore.
Several medals of honor were won by the Navy, Marines, and Army.
The Japs did not defend the beaches, so it was a couple of days before they came upon the enemy lines.
The largest battleship afloat, then or now, the Yamato, made a one way kamikaze trip from Japan to try and use her 18 inch guns to stop the landings, but was sunk on its way there. It was hit by sub torpedoes, as well as by bombs and torpedoes from American Navy planes. The ships escorting her were also sunk.
The death of Ernie Pyle is described.
The battle of Kakazu ridge is discussed in detail
The Japs mostly defended from fortified positions. When they came out for Banzai charges, they were slaughtered by the Americans.
Two ammunition ships were lost to kamikazes on April 6, and the loss of the ammo was felt for a long time.
Hodge made and attack and was hurled back by the Japs.
The air force and Navy both attacked the kamikaze air bases.
Army Gen Buckner, in charge of the Okinawa operation did not give the Marines a chance to make a behind the lines invasion that could have stopped the fighting a lot sooner. The Marines were not suffering the ammunition shortage the Army was, and could have done the invasion.
The Navy was getting tired of Buckner's slow progress, and they wished that Marine Gen Holland Smith was in charge. The quicker the invasion was over, the quicker the navy ships could move out of range of the kamikazes.
Adm Nimitz had loaned some of his ships to MacArthur, and wanted them back, but Mac refused, saying they were being used. Mac had invented a task for the ships so that he did not have to return them.
May 7, an attack started and continued for days. Finally the Jap lines broke and the Jap generals killed themselves.
According to the author, the capture of Okinawa finally convinced Emperor Hirohito that the Japs had lost the war. He now would help the peace group trying to find a way to stop the war.
A summary history of the Battle for Okinawa........2004-01-31
I have many of Leckie's books about American history. His books are average reads generally. In this book, Leckie details the last battle of World War II and why Okinawa was picked as an island to be invaded by the Marines and U.S. Army. At a little over two hundred pages, it is an easy read and one can understand the ferocious fight that developed between the Americans and Japanese.
Five chapters of this book deal with the kamikazes and the effects on the U.S. Navy. Only four pages deal with the attack on the Yamato, which I believe was a significant event of the battle for the island. The rest of the book concerns the desperate struggle for the island and the death or capture of the Japanese forces. As a previous reviewer has noted, some of battles for the island have been shorted or left out in this summary history. Leckie does include some interesting details, such as the fact 10,000 Japanese soldiers surrendered rather than commit suicide.
This is an average read about a great battle. Leckie provides a lot of upfront history prior to explaining the great battle over the island, and this might lessen the interest of those who want to read about the subject of the book. Operation Iceberg is a more detailed book about this battle.
The "Rock".......2001-06-27
I read this book while my husband (with his family in tow) was stationed at Butler on Okinawa. We lived on Kinser, visited the ER on Lester, shopped at Courtney, Foster & Kadena (ect.), and visited every base on the Island over the 3 years we were there.
I thought Leckies books was both powerful & noble in the telling of the Battle for Okinawa. I could actually SEE the battle as my family & I visited memorials and battle sites. Leckie's book brought it all to life for me.
Here's something of intrest for all those who read Mr. Leckie's book; The Camp Kinser Commissary is built on the site of a former temp. cemetery for those who died in the battle for Sugar Loaf Hill. There wasn't a trip for groceries at Kinser that I wasn't reminded why my Marine was on Oki.
okinowa,the last battle.......2000-04-24
I have read this book...The author was not on Okinawa, but mydad was and the book falls short in telling of the horror.This battlewas for naught,the men killed for nothing,the war was over soonafter,the men not knowing this fought like it was the last battle.Unfortunately for the dead it was,for the living a nightmare.Every man came home scarred in some way,the Japanese fought to the death,100,000 of them died.It was the bloodiest battle of the war in every way.Leckie borrows some pictures and uses notes from others to make a buck...lest we forget! END
Book Description
What defines a "watershed event," a moment in history that changes the world forever? Victor Davis Hanson tackles this intriguing question in RIPPLES OF BATTLE, an eye-opening look at three great military encounters: Okinawa, Shiloh, and Delium, an obscure battle of the Peloponnesian War. A master of military detail, Hanson describes the strategies and tactics, and the terrible cost in human life, of each battle. These vivid accounts set the stage for a wider inquiry into the long-term, often unintended, consequences of war.
RIPPLES OF BATTLE begins with the most recent battle and works backward in time, starting with Okinawa (1945) and its legacy. While many have drawn comparisons between the 9/11 pilots and the Japanese kamikazes, Hanson argues that the real significance of the battle was the heightening of America’s resolve to win the war at any cost. The failure of suicide tactics was also a vital catalyst in ending Japan’s militarist leadership and setting the country on the path toward democracy. Next, Hanson explains how the death of Confederate Commander-in-Chief Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh (1862), long considered a turning point in the Civil War, gave birth to the myth of the Lost Cause—the belief that only a tragic accident of fate destroyed the South’s noble dream. The stubborn devotion to this reactionary view would slow Southern progress for a century. Turning to the battle of Delium (424 B.C.), Hanson shows how the ripples of each battle spread and deepen with the passage of time. Little remembered today, the battle inspired a tragedy by Euripides, profoundly altered the direction of Western philosophy (Socrates was one of the few Athenians to survive), and virtually created Western infantry tactics.
Employing the lens of the past to bring the present into focus, RIPPLES OF BATTLE is a work of penetrating insight and profound understanding of the human cost and consequence of war.
Download Description
¿Like any good classicist, Victor Davis Hanson accepts the primacy of military history in human affairs. In 'Ripples of Battle,' a sequel of sorts to his masterful 'Carnage and Culture,' he shows the fascinating repercussions of three lesser-known battles. You cannot fully understand Hiroshima, the bitterness of the Old South, or the Golden Age of Athens without reading this gem of a book.¿
--Robert D. Kaplan
"Victor Davis Hanson is one of our leading military historians, and in 'Ripples of Battle' he does not disappoint. A far-reaching story of man, war, and history, it is, by turns, iconoclastic, touching, deeply learned, and endlessly fascinating. This slim book is a grand study."
--Jay Winik, author of April 1865: The Month That Saved America
¿Victor Davis Hanson has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the most interesting and innovative military historians in the world. In 'Ripples of Battle,' he shows once again why he¿s the best. He ranges far and wide, from World War II to the wars of ancient Greece. Along the way he combines a born storyteller¿s gift for rip-roaring battle narrative with a scholar¿s attention to the deeper meaning of conflict. Once again he manages to take what may seem familiar and to show it in an utterly new light. The ¿ripples¿ that he identifies¿which include characters as disparate as Socrates and the author of Ben Hur¿astonish and delight. This book is not only deeply enlightening but also a sheer pleasure to read. It is, in short, vintage Victor.¿
--Max Boot, Olin senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
History for Liberals.......2007-01-03
The book was interesting, but replows an already exhausted field. I found the references to 9/l1 a pathetic attempt to make the book "relevant". I found the sloppy chapter on Okinawa distracting. It showed the authors loose grasp of facts, or worse yet his ignorance. His general and constant reference to the Marines, as if Operation Iceberg was a Marine operation and the Marines were the only troops on the island is an insult to the four Army divisions that fought there. The Marines made up less than 1/3 of the US troops on the island. The book, Tennozan: the Battle of Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb, is a much more authoritative, interesting and moving account. I do have to say that the author was on the mark in his assessment of why the Okinawa Campaign, the largest amphibious landing of the war and the longest protracted naval and aerial battle of the war is virtually unknown by Americans. The rest is dubious.
To say that Sherman had an epiphany at Shiloh due to the high casualties is rediculous. What about the wasteful frontal assaults he ordered before Vicksburg at Chickasaw Bayou long after Shiloh? His performance and tactics on his march through Georgia were dictated by opportunity and events. His partnership with Grant as a trusted capable and loyal subordinate on whom Grant could rely had more to do with his accendancy, ultimately to the postwar General of the Army under then President Grant. This relationship and others are interestingly described in Partners In Command by Joseph Glatthaar.
In all I find the book a stretch.
I personally think the revisionism in the book will particularly appeal to those with a liberal bent as the author fits conforms events to fit or support his preconcieved notions. What I would call a California view of history. While he may be an authority on the Ancients, he is obviously out of his element when writing about 19th and 20th century warfare.
carnage and culture, jr........2006-08-07
This is a junior version of "Carnage and Culture," and a solid introduction to the style and ideas of Hanson. Instead of East vs. West being the prevailing theme, as in "Carnage and Culture," "Ripples of Battle" features three battles which are not appreciably famous but incredibly influential. They are, as more lengthy Amazon reviews iterate: Okinawa, Shiloh and Delium.
The most impressive chapter is that of Okinawa, a vast amphibious encounter between a stoic and hardened America and a dug-in and desperate Japanese empire. What makes the story of Okinawa so familiar to those of us who pay attention to our current engagements (and that of Israel) is that the will of the stronger, Western and free invader was severely tested and affects the decisions made at the highest level. The most dramatic open battle of Iraq II was Fallujah, following 1.) a presidential edict of vengance following a set of gruesome images of the charred bodies of American contractors, and 2.) a disasterous "Fallujah brigade," which demonstrated that Americans alone would have to carry out the plans. As in Okinawa, the enemy had infiltrated the civilian population and hoped to cause enough carnage to wilt the morale of the Americans. Yet, they too were ultimately surprised at the willingness of the Americans to root them out of their hiding places.
Maybe a good lesson of Okinawa would be the America represents a resilient foe, despite the ultimate failures in Vietnam and Iran in the following decades. There were plenty of doubters about the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan (noting the disasterous attempt made earlier by the USSR), but the result appeared so one-sided that this skepticism seems lost to history today. Similarly, the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 was criticized in the beginning by talking heads who predicted defeat at the hands of Saddam's elite guard (and those sandstorms). Of course, the real difficulties started after Saddam's regime fell and were anticipated by almost nobody.
Certainly a bad lesson from Okinawa is that body counts matter more than controlled territory when fighting non-Western enemies. The folly of this was shown in Vietnam and Korea, but it continues to plague official communication in the War on Terror. X number of militants were killed in Afghanistan, we hear. But how does that translate into substantial progress? One hopes that this is only a public relations problem and does not decide official policy as in the past.
I am obligated to give this book four stars, as it inspired purchase of two more of Hanson's books. It's not his best work but it is definitely worth buying and reading.
An exploration of the consequences of three battles.......2005-06-01
Victor Davis Hanson explores some of the consequences and effects of three battles: Okinawa, Shiloh, and Delium. The book starts off with Okinawa in which the author lost an uncle. This provides a very personal touch as the author explains his efforts to find out more information about his Uncle.
In discussing all three battles the author covers some of the obvious consequences, like the lost of loved ones and how that affected families back home. He reviews some of the changes to military strategy after each battle and changes in politics. He also shows that there are many less obvious consequences to each battle.
Okinawa:
In Okinawa, near the end of World War II, the Americans launched an invasion that was bigger than Normandy. The Americans saw it as a stepping stone to the invasion of the Japanese islands. The Japanese wanted to make the battle so bloody that they thought the Americans would decide Japan would be too hard and ask for peace. The Japanese lied to the civilians on Okinawa. The civilians were told that Americans would rape the women and kill the children. Many of the civilians helped in the defense of the island. The Japanese would do almost anything to kill an American solider. After awhile the marines decided that the Japanese didn't value their own lives.
The author traces the decision to use the Atomic bombs to the horrendous loses at Okinawa. Up until Okinawa the plan had been to use Okinawa as a base for close to 10,000 bombers to soften up the islands, followed by large invasion. After realizing just how expensive a normal invasion would be, the atomic bomb was more seriously considered.
Shiloh:
The battle of Shiloh was the first battle in the United States Civil War to have a huge body count. Thousands on both sides were killed. The South was able to launch a surprise attack, which after the first day seem to indicate that they were winning the battle. The North was able to rally and drive the South away.
There were a lot of interesting consequences from this battle. This is where both Grant and Sherman had their baptism of fire; they became well known and were given larger commands. Johnston, who had lead the South, died on the first day. And for decades afterwards many in the South believed that if he had lived, they wouldn't have lost the Civil War. Because of the chaos of war, another Union solider, Lew Wallace, became disgraced. He spent the next forty years trying to get redemption. And in part this is what leads him to write "Ben-Hur." Colonel Forrest, on the Confederate side, gained great recognition because of his successful daring actions. He was given a much larger command and was very effective. He was very capable and ruthless. After the Civil War he was asked to lead the KKK, and because of his fame, he was able to get large numbers of people to join the KKK.
Delium:
The Battle of Delium was fought between Athens and the Boeotians in 424 B.C. Athens was badly defeated.
Being so long ago there is less known about what happened, and all of the consequences from this battle, nevertheless, the author is able to show some key results of this battle. One of the Athenians, Alcibiades, gained great fame from this battle, and because of the fame he was able to rise in power, but eventually he helped destroy Athens. Some of the first real uses of tactics were used in this battle. Up until this battle, most battles were two armies just rushing at each other. Socrates was also at Delium. Much of the contribution Socrates made to Western thought happened after this battle.
Consequences in General:
The last chapter of the book explores why some battles seem to have more of an effect. Some of the factors are timing, the number of dead, how important they are in an overall war, how well publicized the battle was, and other factors. The author notes that the effects of 911, the Terrorist attack on the United States, are still happening.
This is a good book for anyone interested in Military History. The author writes very well. He knows his military history. The book is easy to read and hard to put down. There are a lot of interesting ideas and observations. This book is well worth reading.
Relevance of History.......2005-04-08
I most heartily second the review of the author Robert Kaplan and add that this is perhaps one of the best books to explain the relevance of history to the world of today. Above all, this book gives the reader much to think about and discuss with others who may have learned history as "just a bunch of dates and events".
well-done, thought-provoking history.......2005-03-29
If you're looking for the nitty-gritty of battles, I'd suggest looking elsewhere than Hanson. That's simply not what he does. But what he does do -- and does extremely well -- is approach battles from a thematic perspective and link them in intriguing, insightful ways, usually in light of Western culture broadly conceived. His Soul of Battle and Carnage and Culture followed this approach. In this book, Hanson uses three battles (Okinawa, Shiloh, and Delium) to argue that war has broad, far-reaching consequences on culture and society, often decades and centuries after the event itself.
By far, his discussion of Okinawa is the book's most interesting chapter. The Japanese suicide attacks during that battle resonate loudly in our own time, and Hanson connects such attacks, as well as the responses to them, to the modern-day variety. Debates about using the atomic bombs are always fascinating; Hanson makes a fine contribution. Moreover, Hanson's introduction about his namesake uncle who died on Okinawa makes for great reading and drives home how battles affect us in sometimes strange and surprising ways.
But the rest of the book has much to offer as well, especially in the realm of what ifs (e.g. what if Socrates had died at Delium? what if Albert Sidney Johnston had not died at Shiloh?). I highly recommend it.
Book Description
On May 12, 1945, the 6th Marine Division was nearing Naha, capital of Okinawa. To the division's front lay a low, loaf-shaped hill. It looked no different from other hills seized with relative ease over the past few days. But this hill, soon to be dubbed, "Sugar Loaf," was very different indeed. Part of a complex of three hills, Sugar Loaf formed the western anchor of General Mitsuru Ushijima's Shuri Line, which stretched from coast to coast across the island. Sugar Loaf was critical to the defense of that line, preventing U.S. forces from turning the Japanese flank. Over the next week, the Marines made repeated attacks on the hill losing thousands of men to death, wounds, and combat fatigue. Not until May 18 was Sugar Loaf finally seized. Two days later, the Japanese mounted a battalion-sized counterattack in an effort to regain their lost position, but the Marines held. Ironically, these losses may not have been necessary. General Lemuel Shepherd, Jr., had argued for an amphibious assault to the rear of the Japanese defense line, but his proposal was rejected by U.S. Tenth Army Commander General Simon Bolivar Buckner. That refusal led to a controversy that has continued to this day.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Combat Narrative.......2003-02-15
James H. Hallas's book `Killing Ground on Okinawa' is one of those books that should be in any decent military history library. Having previously read his account of the fighting on Peleliu, `The Devil's Anvil' I couldn't wait to read this account of the battle for Sugar Loaf Hill. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed in this book.
The author allows the Marines who took part in the fighting tell the story and its incredible to read what these blokes went through for what looks like a very small piece of Pacific Island real estate. The accounts of the fighting men are detailed and to the point and you are forced to sit back and think of how these men endured this hell, it is almost beyond the comprehension of today's generation.
The narrative is full of details but the real guts of the book is the first-hand accounts by the men involved in the assaults against the well constructed Japanese defensive positions. Not only were the Japanese well dug in and protected but they used their firepower and weapons to great advantage. They wrought destruction upon the advancing marines. Men and machines were continually being knocked out with no gain being made against the determined Japanese defence.
Finally after a heroic night attack the marines secured a toehold on Sugar Loaf but then had to hold against Japanese counter attacks and massive counter fire from artillery, mortars, machine guns and snipers. The casualty list for the marine units were massively high causing some questioning of the strategy and tactics used by the Army High Command. In over seven days of fighting the 6th Marine Division suffered over 2,000 casualties fighting for this pimple of a hill which secured the Japanese Shuri Line.
The only fault that I could find with this book was the standard of the maps and photographs. I am sure that they could have been of a higher calibre. Overall this is a great story of combat, dedication, bravery and Espirt de Corp. I think it is one of the better combat accounts of the Pacific Theatre that I have read in some years and I am certain that anyone interested in the Pacific War would be fascinated by this account.
Wow.......2003-01-12
This is a great telling of what is often an untold battle. These Marines went through hell and back and this is an excellent telling of their hardships.
A ferocious Fight to the finish!.......2001-01-21
This book is another amazing account of a ferocious battle engaged by the US Marines at the close of WWII at terrible personal sacrifice. It ranks among the best narratives I have read. If you want to take a trip into the trenches of Okinawa with the men who bled their, this book is a must read. The story is fast paced, action packed, gripping and heart rending. I cannot imagine what the outcome of the Pacific war against the Japanese would have been without the sacrifice these brave young men made on behalf of freedom.
A great, eye-opening Read.......1999-02-18
As a proud member of the U.S. Marines, I can't help to be a fan of the colorfull and violent history that is the legacy of my Marine Corps. This book is a fine example of the amazing feats that American Marines (with a few Army guys) have made the trademark of the Marine Way. I whole-heartedly recomend this book as is is very fast-paced and leaves you with a constant feeling of amazement and respect for all the men that were at that fatefull battle.Having traveled to Okinawa this summer, I had a chance to take an amazing tour of the historic battle sites on Okinawa island. After reading this, I'm begging to go back.
Excellent battle history........1996-10-25
Amid the VE-Day euphoria of 1945, Okinawa was captured at a
cost (including civilians) of over 200,000 lives. Mr.
Hallas persuasive argues (with others) that had Marine General
Lemuel Shepherd's end-run plan been adopted, many of those lives
might have been spared. The narrative particularly focuses on the key to
Japanese defenses, Sugar Loaf Hill, where the 6th Marine
Division lost over 6,000 men in a brutal slugging match
unsurpassed in the annals of American courage. Meticulously
researched and based on interviews with nearly 100 susvivors,
this is a fitting tribute to the struggle, largely unknown
to most Americans.
Book Description
By the spring of 1945 the Allies were sweeping all before them in the Pacific War against Japan, and a series of victories had reclaimed many of the islands and territories seized by the Imperial Japanese forces in the early months of the war. The dark days of humiliating defeat were far behind the unstoppable Allied juggernaut - victory was now assured. The question was where the last battle would be fought. That place was the island of Okinawa. This book details the struggle for the island as US Marines and Army units battled determined Japanese defenders in the last battle of World War II.
Customer Reviews:
Too much detail and not enough context.......2002-11-01
Okinawa 1945: The Last Battle (Campaign, 96)by Gordon Rottman is packed full of details concerning the Okinawa landings. If one wants to merely know about troop movements then this is the book for you. However, the battle was about more than troop movments. As, such Rottman's book seems sterile. Thie is espically true after reading Ospery's other books about the War in the Pacific, espically Iwo Jima and Tarawa.
What is missing from the book is any context for the battle or any notion that men fought the battle. Okinawa was the last major battle of the War and resulted in a devesting loss of life. Rottman cites the statistics, but in order to understand the battle mere statistics are insufficent. The Ospery format certainly limits the ability of Rottman to move beyond the basics of the battle. However, the books on Iwo Jima and Tarawa prove that it can be done.
Too much detail and not enough context.......2002-11-01
Okinawa 1945: The Last Battle (Campaign, 96)by Gordon Rottman is packed full of details concerning the Okinawa landings. If one wants to merely know about troop movements then this is the book for you. However, the battle was about more than troop movements. As, such Rottman's book seems sterile. This is especially true after reading Ospery's other books about the War in the Pacific, especially Iwo Jima and Tarawa.
What is missing from the book is any context for the battle or any notion that men fought the battle. Okinawa was the last major battle of the War and resulted in a devesting loss of life. Rottman cites the statistics, but in order to understand the battle mere statistics are insufficient. The Ospery format certainly limits the ability of Rottman to move beyond the basics of the battle. However, the books on Iwo Jima and Tarawa prove that it can be done.
One of the Best of the Campaign Series.......2002-05-02
Former Green Beret Gordon L. Rottman provides an excellent summary of America's last great amphibious invasion of the Second World War in Osprey's Campaign #96, Okinawa 1945. Quite simply, this is one of the better titles in Osprey's campaign series and shows that it is possible to pack a great deal about a major military operation into a 96-page format. This book is particularly useful as a case study for military officers, thanks to the author's attention to many pertinent details that escape most civilian authors. Overall, Okinawa 1945 is a "must-have" for anyone interested in the later stages of the Pacific War.
Although Rottman follows the standard Osprey campaign format, the opening chapters of this volume are far more in-depth than virtually all the other titles in the series. An 11-page introduction covers the history and terrain of Okinawa, as well as the American strategic debate about whether to invade Okinawa or Formosa. The section on opposing plans is also quite detailed, totaling 10 pages. Seven pages are used to cover opposing high-level commanders on both sides. Another 12 pages are used to cover opposing forces, including succinct but detailed discussions of tactical organization and strength and weaknesses of each major unit. Pertinent characteristics are included; such as each US Army division in the invasion was about 1,000 infantrymen under strength due to a shortage of replacements and the fact that one of the two Japanese divisions on the island had no organic artillery. Taken together, Rottman provides a far more detailed introduction to the campaign than any other Osprey title, by spending fully 52% of the volume on the background material. Unfortunately, the strength of the introduction leads to the weakness of the main campaign narrative that - while good - is overly succinct. The invasion itself is covered in 33 pages: sections on the initial landings, the continuing offensive, actions at sea, and the push southward. There are three color battle scenes: Japanese suicide boats at Naha, Marines reducing a bunker and the virtual annihilation of the US 193rd Tank Battalion on 19 April 1945. There are a total of five 2-D maps (strategic situation, Okinawa, the initial landings, the Ie Shima assault, and the withdrawal of the 32nd Army)and three 3-D "Birds Eye View" maps (the Japanese counteroffensive on May 4-6, 1945, the Battle for Sugar Loaf Hill, and the final stand in the south). The author also effectively uses footnotes at the end of each section to provide additional details.
Okinawa 1945 has a great many strengths. The author's discussion of terrain and weather (e.g. the impact of rain on operations) greatly enhances the reader's appreciation for the operational environment. Rottman also makes very good use of statistics, particularly concerning military and civilian casualties. For example, I was unaware that 153 of 354 American tanks used on Okinawa were knocked out by the Japanese - a 43% loss rate for US armor. Nor was I aware that fully one-third of Okinawa's civilian population died in the campaign. The author also covers the challenges of civil-military operations (CMO); the US military had to screen and care for over 285,000 indigenous civilians on Okinawa. The introduction of some new weapons - such as the American 75mm recoilless rifles is discussed, as well as how both sides adapted their tactics based upon lessons learned from previous island battles. In particular, the Japanese adoption of defense-in-depth and attritional tactics allowed the Americans to get ashore at low cost, but provided the basis for a bloody, protracted campaign. Finally, the author provides a superb order of battle for both sides, including information on support units such as signal, engineer, medical, quartermaster, and MPs. Even the US Marine Corps' three canine platoons are included.
The only real disadvantage of Okinawa 1945 - which is the overly short shrift given to the main battles on the Shuri Line - is not the author's fault, but rather due to Osprey's size limits. The last six weeks of the campaign are covered in about six pages, which leaves room for only a bare-bones account. No eyewitness accounts are incorporated into the campaign narrative, which could have been used to add intensity and grunt-level perspective. Otherwise, the campaign seems just like flags moving on a map, without real soldiers bleeding and dying. The maps are also a bit inadequate, particularly since no map depicts the initial battles or dispositions on the Machinato Line. The question of General Buckner's operational plans is also studiously avoided; over 7,600 Americans died on Okinawa and the question should have been raised if these losses were excessive. Due to the Japanese concentration of most of their forces in the south of the island, Buckner was able to land his troops and occupy the vital airfields and more than two-thirds of the island at the cost of fewer than 500 dead. The Americans came to Okinawa to get the airfields and they succeeded in seizing them at very low cost. Was it really necessary to engage the remaining Japanese garrison - hopelessly trapped in one corner of the island - in a bloody attritional battle for over 80 days? With so many Japanese garrisons bypassed across the Pacific, it seems odd that Buckner never considered sealing the Japanese 32nd Division off and slowly reducing them to impotence by bombardment and starvation. Particularly given the fact that the Joint Chiefs of Staff knew of the impending Atomic Bomb raids, it seems odd that so many American leaders would endorse an attritional battle like Okinawa at this stage of the war.
Customer Reviews:
Dad Was Right.......2007-04-25
I do not come from the background of many of those reading WWII books. I read this book looking for general information on the Battle of Okinawa and more specifically corraboration of information left by my father who fought there. This book is extensively researched and incredibly documented with the voices of those who lived and died there. Other reviewers of this and later additions have complained that it is not a Military History---one could argue convincingly that it is more a military history than the overly sanitized versions one is usually offered. Yes, it does not have the usual maps, diagrams and extensive strategies but in its place is the brutally bloody and human side of War.
At the outset my father claimed that the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved lives. Honestly I had trouble swallowing this argument. However, after reading Tennozan, George Feifer has brought me around to my Father's line of thinking. My father was stationed on Nagasaki after Okinawa so he was in a position to compare the two.
After researching on the internet and in other books about Okinawa I could not find corroboration of my father's claim that attrocities had been committed on Okinawa by American's just as horrible as that of the My Lai massacres in Viet Nam. This book includes a chapter "American Atrocities." Although not comforting to the American psyche it is none the less important to have a full picture of the brutality of War from all sides.
An unexpected surprise was to glean the day to day life of a Marine and to understand what being a Marine meant to my father and to all those who wear the globe and anchor. Reading this book was a very personal journey. One I feel is worth taking. In honor of my father HQ Co. 1st Battalion, Eighth Marines, 2nd Division.
Big logical flaw.......2005-08-25
The psychology of the fighting man actually gets quite boring after several pages, and more of it is provided than is really necessary. Rather than focusing so heavily on that aspect, the book might have devoted more than one paragraph to the crucial issue of whether all those deaths were strategically necessary.
America lost thousands of men attacking Japanese dug in in southern Okinawa, south even of captured air bases. Given that Japan is north of southern Okinawa, it doesn't take a genius to point out what a dumb tactic this was. McArthur in fact pointed out what a dumb thing it was. But this glaring stupidity, central to the whole story, merited only a paragraph in the whole book. Of course the terrible toll on Okinawa was used to justify the 'life-saving' bombs, no doubt on the assumption that any invasion of Japan would be prosecuted in the same stupid way.
Labouring the horrible view from the trenches, when it was all for nothing, then using it to justify the atomic bombing, is essentially dishonest. Perhaps another book will compare the Battle of Okinawa with the Charge of the Light Brigade.
In the mud with the soldiers .......2005-07-03
The Battle for Okinawa has never found its way into American folk memory the way D-Day and Iwo Jima have. Perhaps the battle for the island was upstaged by the simultaneous collapse of Nazi Germany and rendered anti-climatic because of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan shortly thereafter.
Okinawa, however, was a battle that inspires superlatives. It was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific for both Americans and Japanese; the American fleet for the invasion was the most powerful naval armada ever assembled; the kamakazi attacks of the Japanese led to the largest naval losses the US has ever suffered; the number of soldiers and civilians killed in the battle exceeded those killed by both atomic bombs dropped on Japan.
This is one of the best books I have ever read on World War II. There is less here of strategy and tactics and more of the personal experiences of American and Japanese soldiers at the sharp end of the stick and the unfortunate Okinawans, a "little" people killed in wholesale numbers by both their Japanese overlords and the American invaders.
The author does an especially good job of examining the education and psychology of Japanese officers and soldiers and their incredibly naive faith that Japan would somehow prevail against the awesome American armada. He explores the Japanese cult of death and their archaic beliefs that courage and military virtues could overcome American firepower. (As a practical American said, brave men and firepower will always defeat brave men.) Most of all, the author paints a sympathetic picture of Okinawa and its peaceful people, one third of whom were killed in the battle.
"Tennozan" has not received the recognition it deserves as a classic of warfare. Perhaps this is because it is essentially an anti-war book that extols the courage of the fighting man -- but does not sugar-coat the atrocities committed by both Japanese and Americans. Perhaps it is because the book takes a forthright view of the correctness of the American decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. In my opinion, the author is fair-minded in all his conclusions and has turned out a magnificient work of art and history.
Smallchief
Don't pass this up.......2005-03-22
This book has been around a while but your library should have it. It didn't get much of a play a few years back despite its excellence because it made the case for the necessity for dropping the atomic bombs. The Left, whom some believe control the book review industry and library services, didn't want to read such arguments and didn't want you to read them either. Not many people today, even those who can find Okinawa on a map, know that the 8th Air Force was scheduled to move to Okinawa when Germany went belly up. The move was already under weigh when the bombs were dropped. Your editor was talking to a veteran of Troop Carrier Command just the other day and he regaled me with tales of meeting 8th Air Force people newly arrived on Okinawa. They were out of their element, according to the TCC guy.
He did not know to what outfit the 8th people belonged but he thought they were some sort of pathfinder for those to follow. He said he became a hero to the 8th people who were desperate to know where they could buy some cigars. He managed to get them aboard a Navy ship where they got their cigars but refused offers of pogey-bait, a term unknown to refined 8th AF people. "Tennozan" was a famous site in the 16th century where a Japanese warlord risked everything on one battle. The 1945 warlords were planning to fight for every inch of the homeland in just such a struggle when Hiroshima and Nagasaki convinced them that further struggle was useless.
Perhaps you are alive today because of the events related in Tennozan. Your editor recalls August 9, 1945, very clearly. It was his 21st birthday. He was an RO on a B-24 heading for Chengtu (now Chengdu) from India with a cargo of high octane. Rumors were everywhere that soon we would move to China and resume bombing. I was fiddling with the radio when I heard an excited English language broadcast from someplace in China telling of the bomb that had just wiped out a city. It sounded like that bomb would end the war and we could go home. We began to celebrate on oxygen at altitude as best we could in a B24 that stunk of gasoline. We probably passed around the cigarettes!.jb
Rebirth, Resurrection.......2003-07-31
In Tennozan, Governor Ota tells of the morning he first felt hope after the Battle of Okinawa was over. Still a boy, but now, with grizzly experience that left very little child in him, he dipped a bamboo stick in his coffee and wrote these words over and over: SHINSEI SAISEI SHINSEI SAISEI-- Rebirth, Resurrection, Rebirth, Resurrection.
I grew up in Okinawa, so leftover signs from the Battle of Okinawa were common and thus, sometimes not thought about. My school was built on a ridge that WWII's 'bloodiest battle of the Pacific'was fought on; elderly women would occasionaly leave offerings at a deigo tree on campus. Friends' parents and grandparents had lived through it. Memorials were tourist attractions also good for fieldtrips. So the battle was all around and yet after reading Tennozan, I realised how much I never knew.
Although Feifer is American, he obviously has a very deep understanding of Okinawan culture and thinking. While he gives plenty of attention to the American perspective and experience, he does his best to give the Okinawan perspective just as much.
The highlight of the book is his following of Governor Ota's childhood story as a thread throughout the book. I had never heard his story, although I knew he'd been a young teen during the war. I never had considered that the same gracious, well-respected governor that my dad met with on occasion was once in the middle of a living hell and yet had managed to come out as a phoenix.
Tennozan reveals the extent of the horror that Okinawans were trapped within of this part of the war in a way that gripped me as it never had before. Equally, its portrait of the extent of the Okinawans' amazing courage, forgiveness, and will to live also gripped me as never before.
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Japan's Battle of Okinawa, April-june 1945
Thomas M. Huber
Manufacturer: University Press of the Pacific
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Japan
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World War II
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1410222705 |
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