Customer Reviews

The Battle of Okinawa: The Blood and the Bomb

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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.

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.

This is a very good book. It presents the largest and greatest land-air-sea battle in history through the perspectives of the three sides that were affected during the battle - American, Japanese, and Okinawan. The last great battle of World War II is all but forgotten in history books in our school system. This book will help many understand the perplexities of war and how everyone in the world is more alike than different.
I did not know that the Okinawan suffered so much, with their population suffering more losses than the American and Japanese soldiers combined. Only problem with this narrative is that it recounts many characters' tales but their are no pictures. I would have appreciated some faces to all the names but perhaps this was done intentionally. Otherwise well worth the purchase.

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. No anger. Just pain. The man had lost his brother to American fire. And here I was, an American facing a sobbing, distraught Japanese soldier on HIS homeland, mourning the loss of his brother. Words fail to describe the emotion that came over me. I nearly broke down at my amazement for his compassion and understanding and desire to make peace. All I could think of to do was to repeat, "Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai..." (I'm sorry. I'm sorry...) and bow deeply, as I fought off my own tears. My only regret was that my limited Japanese was not capable of conveying my sorrow more articulately.

Reading this book has truly enhanced my appreciation for Japanese culture and understanding the relationship between the Japanese empire and Okinawan culture, and it's impact will stick with me forever.

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.

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.

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.

To begin, one important precision about this most excellent book: it has been published twice, each time under a different title. The first edition (1997) was titled "Tennozan. The battle of Okinawa and the atomic bomb" and the second one (2001) had the title "The battle of Okinawa: the blood and the bomb". But except for the title and some small changes in introduction, this is exactly the SAME book. It has its importance, as the used copies of the older hardback version are much cheaper than the new paperbacks...
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1. The battle of Okinawa.

It was one of the longest (1 April-21 June 1945) battles of the Pacific War and by far the bloodiest. American casualties reached 12 500 dead and at least 50 000 wounded. US Navy alone lost 4097 dead (almost all for kamikaze attacks), a number higher than casualties suffered in Pearl Harbour attack and Guadalcanal campaign combined! Japanese losses were even more terrifying - out of a garrison of 117 000 about 95 000 were killed, to which it is necessary to add 3700 sailors who died during battleship "Yamato" last sortie and about 3 000 "kamikaze" pilots. Only 10 000 Japanese soldiers were captured. Most of the remaining 12 000, officially declared missing, in fact also died, buried alive in caves and underground bunkers sealed by Americans. Okinawa civilians suffered the most, with possibly as much as 150 000 dead - which means that 25% of the population of the island was wiped out!

This battle was so intense that both commanders in chief, Japanese general Mitsuru Ushijima and American general Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., lost their lifes before it ended. It was also one of the very few battles in American history which cost life of not one but two US Army generals - general Claudius M. Easley was killed in action one day after his commander in chief. Finally, when the battle was over, 28 American warships were lying on the bottom of the ocean and 368 others were more or less damaged! The island was covered with burned remains of no less than 225 Sherman tanks and hundreds of other American armoured vehicles. Some Japanese soldiers managed to escape death or capture and, supported by Okinawa civilians, waged a guerrilla war against Americans until the end of war and beyond (a handful finally surrendered in 1947)!

2. The original title of the book ("Tennozan") and its significance.

The battle of Tennozan took place in Japan in 1582, between the armies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide. The latter was greatly outnumbered but was cornered and had to make a stand - and he ultimately lost the battle and his life. The battle however was long and bloody and its name came to symbolise a desperate last stand by which the weaker side stakes everything on one card hoping for a lucky strike...

Author has chosen this word as the initial title, because to Japanese leaders battle of Okinawa was just such a desperate last stand. On one hand they knew from the beginning that the battle would be lost, but they still considered it crucially important in two ways. On tactical level it was supposed to delay American advance as long as possible for the preparation of the defence of Japanese mainland (and it certainly gave them three priceless months). Its strategic purpose was however even more important: to show Americans how incredibly costly would be the invasion of Japanese islands and therefore push them to negotiate peace, rather than ask for unconditional surrender. In fact, general Ushijima and all his soldiers were send to fight a gigantic "kamikaze" mission, without much hope for victory or survival.

The suicidal character of this battle for the Japanese was even more stressed by the strict instructions given to the Okinawan civilians - they were all to help fight Americans by any means available, with sharpened sticks if necessary and if their villages were conquered by advancing enemy, they were ordered to kill their wives and children and then themselves. Soldiers were instructed to exterminate all those who would refuse to follow those orders. Japanese leaders were aware that Okinawa would fall sooner or later, so they decided that all its civilian inhabitants should die, to shock the Americans and also deny the invaders the use of civilians as labour force...

3. The contents of the book.

This is NOT exactly a military history book! You should not expect here much strategy and tactics, even if the more important decisions by both commanders and their political superiors are explained. You will find in this book especially the incredible mistake made by Japanese General Headquarters, when just before the battle Okinawa's garrison lost its best division of infantry (transferred to Formosa following American diversion attacks) which completely ruined General Ushijima's battle plan. On another hand, General Buckner's decision to break through the Japanese main line by a frontal attack, rather than to turn it with a second amphibious landing is discussed in great detail. There is not much descriptions of weaponry and battles - as for the maps they are limited to the absolute minimum.

What you will mostly find in this book is a great number of descriptions of the events by soldiers and civilians who participated in this battle and managed to survive. Author took lots of time to speak with a great many people and read their accounts and then combined them in a chronologically ordered description of the battle as it was lived by its basic participants: US Marines and soldiers, Japanese soldiers, Okinawan conscripts and civilians etc. One of the most powerful testimonies is that of a very young high school girl, who volunteered with all her friends as a nurse -and lived amongst suffering and dying people for three months, trying to help them and ease their sufferings.

I found this description of the events extraordinary good and I read this very long book as if it was a novel. It is REALLY well written and there is not even one page I would like to skip. It is however incredibly SHOCKING, especially when towards the end of the battle Okinawan civilians were asked to kill their families and then themselves - and those who refused were murdered by Japanese soldiers! The pages about the mass suicides and not less massif murders of the civilians in the last stage of the battle are amongst the toughest and most heartbreaking things I ever read...

There is only one weaker fragment in this book when in the closing chapter author gives his opinion on the foreign policy of United States after 1945 and especially the wars in Korea and Vietnam. Those last pages are completely not related to the topic of the book and also - in my personal opinion - so radical that I found them more a rant than an analysis...

4. The role of Okinawa campaign in the decision taken by Truman to attack Japanese cities with nuclear weapons.

Although the author stops just short of concluding that Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were not only justified but in fact were NECESSARY to end the war, his whole book proves just that. The grim determination of Japanese leaders to fight to the bitter end come hell or high water was not broken even after Tokyo was burned to the ground by American bombers, the remains of Japanese fleet were sunk and Okinawa has fallen. To the contrary, they were determined to refight Okinawa battle on a much larger scale on the island of Kyushu, which Americans had to take first. And if the casualties suffered on Kyushu were not enough to force Americans to negotiate peace, Japanese leaders were ready for the final apocalyptic confrontation on the main island of Honshu, which would dwarf all the previous Pacific War battles combined.

After Okinawa has fallen Japan still had MILLIONS of soldiers, thousands of planes and hundreds of suicide submarines ("kaitens") ready for "kamikaze" missions. And Japanese industry, although heavily damaged by air raids, was still able to arm and equip armed forces for the final battle - and that included the first decent Japanese tanks of the whole war, produced already in series but kept for the final battles on Kyushu and Honshu. It was also expected that the whole civilian population of Japan will be armed and send into battle, including suicide missions. As one of the Japanese generals put it "We will win in the last battle because unlike other nations, we are not willing to fight to the last man - we are ready to fight to the last child!"

Knowing the resolve of Japanese leadership Truman asked his generals to analyse Okinawa battle and extrapolate from this data estimations for the human cost of invasion of Kyushu and Honshu. The most conservative results indicated that to take Kyushu it would cost Americans one hundred thousand (!) KIA/MIA, when for the Japanese military losses would be around half a million and civilian losses would reach at least two millions! The numbers estimated for the final Honshu invasion were much higher - two hundred thousands dead Americans, at least one million dead Japanese soldiers and many millions of civilians! And that was not even the worse!

The battle for Okinawa was so intense, that all food reserves were destroyed and all food production capacity was wiped out for many months, which forced Americans to completely take in charge the feeding of all surviving Okinawa civilians for no less than 12 months. But what was possible for 400 thousand Okinawans, would be impossible for all the 70 million (or more) surviving Japanese, which meant that a lot of them would starve to death, raising the total death toll by many more millions!

Faced with the perspective of such a holocaust of suffering and death Truman ultimately didn't have any hesitation and ordered the nuclear attacks against Hiroshima and Kokura (which couldn't be reached on 9 August 1945 because of bad weather - so the secondary target Nagasaki was attacked). And after reading this account of battle of Okinawa I believe Truman was right and couldn't have taken any other decision...
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I think that this great book is a must to anybody who is interested in Pacific War and especially a necessary reading to better understand the circumstances in which the decision of the first operational use of nuclear weapons was taken.

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.

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.