Books for Prep | |
by: Bill Sloan  List Price: $27.00 Amazon.com's Price: $17.82 You Save: $9.18 (34%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 940.54252294 EAN: 9780743292467 Edition: 1st Simon & Schuster Hardcover Ed ISBN: 0743292464 Label: Simon & Schuster Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 416 Publication Date: October 23, 2007 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Studio: Simon & Schuster Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: The Ultimate Battle is the full story of the last great clash of World War II as it has never before been told. With the same "grunt's-eye-view" narrative style that distinguished his Brotherhood of Heroes (on the Battle of Peleliu), Bill Sloan presents a gripping and uniquely personal saga of heroism and sacrifice in which at least 115,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen from both sides were killed, as were nearly 150,000 civilians caught in the crossfire or encouraged to commit suicide by Japanese troops. It is a story set against a panorama of more than 1,500 American ships, nearly two thousand Japanese kamikazes sworn to sink those ships, and two huge armies locked in a no-quarter struggle to the death -- the 541,000 GIs and Marines of the U.S. Tenth Army, and Japan's 110,000-man 32nd Army. Woven into the broader narrative, in Band of Brothers style, are the personal stories of men who endured this epic battle and were interviewed by the author. In many cases, their experiences are told here in print for the first time. A few days after Japanese defenders surprised American assault troops by allowing them to land virtually unopposed on April 1, 1945, scouts of the 96th Division stumbled onto the outerworks of formidable Japanese defenses near Kakazu Ridge, where fierce fighting erupted. It would continue without respite for nearly three months as American forces used every weapon and strategy at their disposal to break through three cunningly designed Japanese lines of defense, each anchored by commanding high ground, intricate underground installations, and massed artillery. When one line was about to be breached, the Japanese would slip away to the next one, forcing the Americans to repeat the same exhausting and deadly "corkscrew and blowtorch" assaults all over again. Much of the action in The Ultimate Battle unfolds among men pinned down under relentless fire on disputed hillsides, in the ruins of shell-blasted villages, and inside stricken tanks and armored cars. Sloan also takes readers aboard flaming ships and into the cockpits of night-fighter aircraft to capture the horror and heroism of men and vessels besieged by kamikazes. When the battle was over, most of the GIs, Marines, and sailors who survived it were too worn out to celebrate. More than 49,000 of their comrades had been killed or wounded, and they knew that the even more brutal invasion of Japan's home islands loomed just ahead. But as Sloan makes clear, the slaughter at Okinawa helped to convince President Truman to use the atomic bomb against Japanese cities in the hope of shortening the war and averting a far more horrific loss of life. The Ultimate Battle is a searing and unforgettable recreation of the Okinawa campaign as it was experienced by men who were there. It is filled with fresh insights that only those men can provide. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The ultimate readI am the son of a WWII veteran and I've read dozens of books on the war. This is by far one of the best. Bill Sloan spares no detail in placing the reader in the boots of the heroes who fought the battle of Okinawa. The reader is riveted to the human drama as related by the men who sacrificed so much. Today we have only works like this to honor these men and women as their numbers dwindle daily. I recommend this book to anyone who is an American and to anyone who cherishes freedom. The Ultimate ... Read More Rating: - EXCELLENT READ. VERY INFORMATIVE, VERY READABLE.A person sort of hates to compare authors and their works, but you almost have to with this one. Bill Sloan, as far as writing ability, compares rather favorably with Stephen Ambrose. As has been pointed out, Ambrose died before he delved into the war in the Pacific, but Sloan seems to have taken up the torch rather well. It should also be noted here, that no one book can cover a battle of this magnitude. There are bound to be some units, some aspect of the battle that was either short changed, or, ... Read More Rating:  - Beyond Guts!Throughout the history of warfare, few have given more for benefit of future generations then the warriors of the Pacific. Extraordinary devotion to others and our Country. Why don't they teach this in our public schools? Rating: - The Last Battle of WWIII have not completely finished reading this book but have come across several things that need to be noted. The first is that the maps are very incomplete in that a lot of the places/towns mentioned in the book are not on the map which leaves the reader to try to guess where the action took place. And on the maps Kadena is incorrectly located. The air base leads to the East China Sea where planes took off almost over the water. I will mention that during the Korean War, there were some planes who took ... Read More Rating: - A grunt's eye view of the Typhoon of Steel An excellent book. It is personal snapshots of the events of one of the bloodiest battles for America in WW II. This is the most detailed examination of this battle I've ever read. It reviews the Japanese preparations and strategies, tactics, and errors. General Ushijima lead an excellent delaying defensive action attriting the American forces to the point of condemning Hiroshima and Nagasaki to nuclear strikes to end the war. This battle started on April Fool's Day, and for the first week was nearly a lark ... Read More 
In association with Amazon.com | |