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Tennozan
: The Battle of Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb
George Feifer weaves together the personal
experiences of soldiers and civilians with historical
accounts to recreate the horror of the last engagement
before the invasion of the Japanese homeland--a three- month
engagement that resulted in a death toll of 23,000
Americans, 91,000 Japanese, and 150,000 Okinawan civilians.
Includes 32 pages of photographs. Published by Ticknor &
Fields, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003.
Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.R - Click
Here to Order |
 Downfall:
The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire is an impeccably
written analysis of the last months of the Pacific War and
the unfolding of the American air campaign over Japan. The
story opens with a searing description of the fire-bombing
of Tokyo in March 1945, which caused more deaths than the
atom bomb in Hiroshima. Within five months, Japan's economy
was collapsing and the country faced catastrophic
starvation. Richard B. Frank coolly analyzes different scenarios for ending
the war (Russia waited in the wings). Frank concludes that
the emperor and the Japanese military were far from ready to
surrender, and that the decision to use the atom bomb
probably saved millions of lives, not only Allied but
Japanese and other Asian lives, also--perhaps a hundred
thousand Chinese were dying each month under Japanese
occupation. The effects of the bomb worked on many levels,
even lending faces to the Japanese militarists, who could
convince themselves that they were defeated not by a lack of
spiritual power but by superior science. Densely documented,
intelligently argued, Downfall recreates the end of
the war from the viewpoints of the principals, giving the
book an unusual immediacy. A highly valuable insight into
the disintegration of the Japanese Empire, one of the most
dramatic episodes of World War II. --John Stevenson -click here for details- |
 Duty
: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War
- Bob Greene:
There is a sense of integrity and honor that carries through
this audiobook about fathers and sons, soldiers and country.
Written by Chicago Tribune and Life magazine columnist Bob
Greene, Duty recounts his experiences during the last few
days of his father's life. It is at this time that Greene
learns about a past he never knew his father had: his
involvement in one of the most horrifying wartime acts of
all time--the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima. With his
authoritative and steady voice, reader Denis deBoisblanc
brings to Greene's memoir an appropriately journalistic
bent. His narration is not without feeling, though, and this
helps to flesh out the piece, reminding listeners that duty
to country and love of family can--and often do--coexist. -click here
for details- |
 Enola
Gay : Mission to Hiroshima
The story of
the development of Project "Manhattan" and the
establishment of the 509th Composite Group of the United
States Army Air Force to implement the bombing of a Japanese
city with the specific aim of forcing the final surrender of
the Japanese, bringing to an end their reign of terror in
the Far East. The
book tells of the appointment of Colonel Paul W Tibbetts to
the command of the 509th, of the establishment of the unit
at Wendover Air Base in Utah and of the training program
working up to operational status. The trials and failures of
the program are here, too, as are the successes and the
final move to Tinian Island in the Marianas.
Whilst
the 509th is working up to its deadly mission, the deputy
Mayor of Hiroshima struggles to eke out a meager living on
war rations, serving his master as best he can. A young
gunnery officer in command of a hill post overlooking the
city keeps watch of the air space above, whilst a young
flying instructor at the airfield below trains teenage
kamikaze pilots for their single trip to eternity. All
pursue their lives and duties in complete ignorance of the
shattering blow about to be delivered on their city.
A
submarine commander patrols his lonely vessel around the
waters surrounding his home base. Then, one day, he sails
further afield and spies an American battleship sailing
entirely alone. He cannot believe his luck and moves in for
the kill, seemingly un-noticed. Minutes later, the ship
which carried the atom bomb to Tinian, the USS
"Indianapolis", is sent to the bottom of the sea.
But the Japanese are still unaware of their impending fate.
Finally,
at 8.15:17 am. on 6th August 1945, the world*s
first atomic bomb dropped in anger is released from an
altitude of 31,060 feet above Hiroshima and the planet Earth
enters a new and dangerous age...
-click here for details- |
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