Customer Reviews

The Battle for Okinawa

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Having never had access to anything but the "western" accounts of the Battle for Okinawa, I found that Yahara presented a splendid account from the other side's point of view.
Chillingly accurate were his predictions and sadly detailed were the final events before the fall of the Japanese 32nd Army. Having spent more than 2 years in the United States, in the 1930's as an exchange officer, Colonel Yahara knew how the American military leaders thought and was privy to some of the strategies and general American military principles. Unfortunately for the Imperial Army, Yahara's expertise and gut hunches were mostly brushed aside and the Samurai mentality of offensive warfare prevailed.
Only after senior commanders, LtGen Ushijima and LtGen Cho realized that they were fighting a hopeless losing battle was Yahara finally given the reins - but it was too late. The 32nd Army had already lost too many troops and too much equipment. Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo, for reasons that are still arguable to this day, offered little more than pats on the back and lips service in the name of the mighty Empire.
Soon after Colonel Yahara was given authority to call the shots, it strikes me that his mission became two-fold: Hold off defeat for as long as possible in order to delay invasion of the homeland (mainland Japan) and, two, on a personal note, how to survive after the fall of Okinawa into American hands. He understood how foolish was the Japanese propaganda telling of how Japanese would be treated if they were taken prisoner.
I think that, in writing this book Colonel Yahara truly wanted to set the record straight but he had another motive - to relieve himself of the guilt and the condemnation of his peers that he felt as a result of surviving the campaign when his commanders had ended their fate in traditional seppuku - the taking of their own lives.
I also believe that Yahara saw the writing as a way to let the Japanese people know that he was loyal, intelligent and not a disgrace to his country.
It is interesting to note that the book was first publsihed and released in Japan in 1973. Not until the past decade have the school children of Japan been taught about the Okinawa Battle. Even the Okinawan children had long been deprived of our side of the story. The book should serve well to help the young Okinawans to understand why their land and their people were so clearly abused and wasted!
Well written and fairly well validated by editorial counter-point provided by Gibney. Any fan of the Pacific War owes it to himself to read this book!

In this book, Col. Yahara is a senior staff office of the Japanese Army defending Okanawa, and he describes the invasion and assault by the overpowering American forces, as well as his strategy to prevent rapid defeat, which already was a given. This book is quite good, in that: 1) it presents the view of the beseiged Japanese; 2) it is fast moving and gripping; 3) and it presents many of those "little facts" that are missing in history books, such as: how was it in the caves, what did they eat, how did they escape, did they do stupid things, what did they think of the Americans, what was it like to be around so many dead Japanese bodies, what was it like to be captured, were there Japanese POW's and how did they react; did they help the American M.P.'s. - This book is quite good and easy to read, plus has plenty of historical detail and maps. (The maps are hard to read though...) But overall, the book has value to the reader of light material as well as to the student of the Pacific War. - NOTE: the first page of Yahara's account is spellbinding: the Japanese Army hiding in caves up in the mountains, with Yahara looking down and reflecting at the hundreds of gray American Navy ships offshore, and the Marines pouring ashore completely uncontested. It's almost like reading the glorious acceptance of death in Yahara's mind; a strong impression of an inevitable death sentence which the Japanese defenders accepted unhesitatingly and proudly.

Disregard what the nay-sayers have said about this book. However, there is a qualifier: this is a varsity level book for Pacific War history buffs. Don't expect to pick this up as your first book on the Okinawa campaign and expect it to make sense. It was a complex campaign with a lot of moving parts. Col Yahara writes the book from HIS perspective, and how he experienced the battle, not to be an all-inclusive documentary of the battle. He does exactly what a professional soldier should do; he talks about what he knows and doesn't assume or speculate about what he doesn't know. Yes, it would have been nice if he included some better maps which would have made it easier to figure out what exactly was going on on both sides of the lines. However, I couldn't put this book down and found it absolutely fascinating.

Also, don't expect to get a bunch of Monday-morning-quarterbacking from Col Yahara regarding the really big picture, government policies, etc. These men believed in their cause and were extremely dedicated to it. They generally don't give sob-story apologies about their actions. If you know anything about the Japanes and their culture, you know that's just not their way!

if you are looking for anything resembling a blood-n-guts retelling of one of the toughest modern battles ... then just read the last 5 chapters or so.

yahara was a staff officer, and it shows very clearly in this book. a good 80% of the text is detailed troop movements and status reports. To keep up with the regiments and divisions, if you're into that, you'll need a notebook probably - because yahara jumps around quite a bit. Also, there are two or three battle maps of southern okinawa for reference to the movements being discussed, however they are VERY low resolution and if you want to have a full tactical grasp on what yahara specifically attempted and actually achieved, you'll want to find a more easily readable map elsewhere - if you do this, and especially have one which you can write on yourself, then you can very easily follow the progression of yahara's "war of attrition" tactics as they so effectively played out.

however, it IS rather dull in most of its retelling. The real charm of this book lies in the character of Yahara - calculating and well schooled, and full of honor that conflicts with his non-tradition order to survive while watching his beloved and respected commanders fight to the death or take their own lives.

The last few chapters of this book deal with, blow by blow, how Yahara nearly escaped the civilian camps of Okinawa (sometimes even mistaken as a woman to do so!) and how he was eventually discovered. Yahara makes an attempt to "clear his name" of the controversy surrounding his capture and failed warplan. Intermittently, the book is supported by short chapters by Frank Gibney, one of the officers responsible for his interrogation (and eventually one of his old war-buddies)These last few chapters are grippingly related by Yahara in a way which leaves you tingling and inevitably filled with respect for the men of the self-doomed and dying Japanese warrior doctrine of the time.

Included in an appendix is a full transcript of the interrogation reports - a nice little study in the historiography of how such things were carried out in the pacific theater - a standalone of its own right, to me anyway.

Overall, i wouldn't recommend this book to anyone with just a passing interest in the subject matter. But for anyone seeking detailed insight into the other side of this monumental battle, its a must.

This book is to say the least a slim volume. The text by Colonel Hiromichi Yahara is perhaps 180 pages of double spaced text. The book is padded out by 30 pages of after battle interrogation and some commentary and explanation by Frank Gibney.

The parts which are written by Yarhara are interesting but in no way could be called a history of the battle. They are more a memoir of his memories of it. His role was that of a staff officer. He spent most of the battle behind the lines in various command caves. The book is a description of his arguments with other officers about the proposed strategy for the defense of Okinawa. He believed in a slow defense of attrition. Other commanders advocated heroic but suicidal attacks.

In the end after the failure of a number of suicide attacks which compromised the ability of the Japanese garrison to fight a campaign of attrition Yahara was able to run things his way. The battle ended as it could only have done in a Japanese defeat. The cost for the American invaders was high. The success of Yahara's strategy was such that it probably contributed to the decision of the Americans to use nuclear weapons against Japan.

The book is interesting as it gives an insight into the Japanese command system but is in no way a history of the battle for Okinawa. Yahara had little idea of what was happening on the American side and no idea of the progress of Kamikaze raids on the American fleet. While interesting it is in no way a good introduction to the campaign for the general reader.