Tennozan Battle of Okinw CL

by George Feifer

Book Overview

This book provides an unforgettable picture of men at war and also the context for understanding one of the most ominous events of the 20th century: the decision to drop the atomic bomb. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395599245
• ISBN13: 9780395599242
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 622 Pages
• Weight: 2.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Not Military History, but an Important Book None the Less

This book is not really a Military History, and doesn't have much in the way of evidence, photographs or maps (in fact, there really isn't any), but the book is still important, thanks to the numerous testimonials that have supplied it. What makes the book unique is that it's searched for testimony from every party involved in the conflict, including the enemy, which I find to be a side of the story tragically lacking in most true 'military histories'. This book isn't so much about the campaign itself, but the people on the ground, who suffered and sacrificed in the midst of a battle that was literally hell on Earth. It doesn't attempt to describe the overall scope of the battle, but the soldiers on the ground couldn't have either. This is not only a testimonial, but a modern parable concerning the true cost of war, and the true thoughts and feelings of the men who fight it. For understanding the battle itself, there are better books, but I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand what it was truly like for the soldiers and civilians involved with the battle. At least from my point of view, that is a lot more useful and important than pure military history, which usually falls short of describing the events as they truly happened.

The Human Side of the Battle and Insight into WHY the Hardest Decision Imaginable Was Made

I tend to take a historical interest in places that I visit. I have done two 6 month deployments to Okinawa, and developed a deep interest in the significance of this battle. If only more people knew the history and the importance of this often forgotten battle. It trumps nearly every other battle in the Pacific on loss of life and brutality. The Navy lost more ships in Okinawa than Pearl Harbor. The book is thankfully written from the perspective of both sides, and is not about the triumph of allied forces, but the tragedy that occurred on BOTH sides. It is told in explicit detail and hammers home the true nature of WWII warfare. The Battle of Okinawa served as a precursor to what an American invasion of the Japanese homeland would be like...but it would be FAR worse. Worse than a battle that killed more Japanese than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki COMBINED! After reading this, the reader will certainly see the reasons why the utterly difficult decision to drop the atomic bomb was made. As horrible as it was, the lives lost were likely far fewer than would have been, had the allied forces invaded the Japanese homeland. This book is not about military history and I don't believe is designed to lay claim to accounting the detailed battle plans and tactical decisions made. That is not the purpose of this book, and those interested in such are not likely to find the value in this book as those who are after an intense foray into the heads of the soldiers and the sense of suffering and futility that soldiers and leaders on both sides felt. Passages in this book played in my head almost on a daily basis as I drove past one of the bloody beaches everyday. Where, there as an island oasis now, I could only see soldiers fighting and dying. I have seen the caves they lived in. Dark, damp and cold. As I explored the island, I saw the places, now a modern landscape that held bloody battles in the past. I couldn't have experienced these places with such insight had I not read this book. It is about humans. Americans AND Japanese. I have been to the Okinawa Peace Park (mentioned in the beginning), and it is truly more ominous than even the Viet Nam War Memorial in D.C. The opening of the book spells out the true nature of Okinawans by recounting a meeting of an American veteran and a Japanese veteran. In typical naive American observation, the American says, "I guess it's like our Viet Nam Memorial." The Japanese Governor dryly replies, "Yes, but there are no Vietnamese names on the Viet Nam Memorial." I have been there. I have seen the names on the countless walls. The names are Japanese, they are American, they are British, they are Irish, and more... I was approached by a veteran of the battle. He didn't speak a lot of English, and I not much Japanese, but the combination of the few words we understood in each others language conveyed his feelings. He and his wife were in tears, but somehow shaking my hand was a bit of closure for them

Keep you on the front.

A gripping history of one of the last battles of WWII. My father fought in this battle, and after reading the book, I had a whole new appreciation of what he and his comrades in arms went through to secure this last bastion of the Japanese army and why he and others who were involved viewed the "final solution" of the war, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan as life saving. This book makes you feel the horror of daily life and the unbelievable sacrafice of the men on both sides who were commited to following orders to their death against all odds.

Outstanding and Essential

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.

Must Read Book

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.