Fading Victory: The Diary of Admiral Matome Ugaki, 1941-1945 [Hardcover]

Matome Ugaki (Author), Donald M. Goldstein (Editor), Katherina V. Dillon (Editor), Masataka Chihaya (Translator), Gordon W. Prange (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1991

Long out of print, theses wartime diaries of a key admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy, provide a revealing inside look into the Japanese view of the Pacific War. Matome Ugaki was chief of staff of the Combined Fleet under Admiral Isoroki Yamamoto until both were shot down over Bougainville in April 1943, resulting in Yamamoto's death. He later served as commander of battleship and air fleets, finally directing the kamikaze attacks off Okinawa. Invaluable for its details of the Japanese navy at war, the diaries offer a running appraisal of the fighting and are augmented by editorial commentary that proves especially useful to American readers eager to see the war from the other side. When first published in 1991, this dairy was hailed as a major contribution to World War II literature as the only firsthand account of strategic planning for the entire war by a Japanese commander.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Matome Ugaki was chief of staff of the Combined Fleet under admiral Isoroku Yamamoto until both were shot down over Bougainville on April 18, 1943, resulting in Yamamoto's death. Following his recovery from injuries sustained in the incident, Ugaki commanded a battleship division and later directed the kamikaze attacks against U.S. forces off Okinawa. His diary, augmented by clarifying editorial commentary, is historically invaluable because it provides intimate day-to-day glimpses of the Imperial Navy at war, along with then-admiral Ugaki's running appraisal of the fighting. The journal ends abruptly on August 15, 1945, when Ugaki, staggered by news of Japan's surrender, departed on an airborne suicide attack against the Americans and was lost at sea. Goldstein and Dillon coauthored with Gordon Prange At Dawn We Slept . Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Ugaki served as Admiral Yamamoto's chief of staff (he was wounded in the air attack that killed Yamamoto), and commanded major naval and air units. His diary provides useful insight into Japanese strategy and tactics, and into the mind of a military leader who always maintained his belief in his emperor and in victory--he died leading a kamikaze attack the day Japan surrendered. The introduction by the late Gordon W. Prange and the editors' comments provide important contextual information, correct damage reports, and identify Allied forces; the editors and Prange wrote At Dawn We Slept ( LJ 11/1/81), Miracle at Midway ( LJ 11/1/82), and December 7, 1941 ( LJ 10/15/87). Highly recommended.
- Kenneth W. Berger, Duke Univ. Lib., Durham, N.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 731 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press; 1st edition (November 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822936658
• ISBN-13: 978-0822936657
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,095,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique account of the Pacific War, September 4, 1999

By 

Kevin Pryor (Rockford, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fading Victory: The Diary of Admiral Matome Ugaki, 1941-45 (Paperback)

Anyone who calls themselves a true historian of the Pacific War should read this book. There are a variety of things that make this "Fading Victory" unique and important. First and foremost, Ugaki was one of Japan's leading military men and he was privy to the Japanese planning of much of the Pacific War. His mistakes, conceptions of the wartime situation, and commentary on the Allied victories and defeats create a new dimension to the Pacific War that standard histories do not provide. Furthermore, the account, unlike other wartime accounts, was not doctored or recalled years after the event. This means that what Ugaki wrote in, say June 4, 1942, is how Ugaki perceived the situation as it happened. Finally, "Fading Victories" also details the gradual defeat of Japan and how a Japanese patriot perceived it. It is almost sad to hear Ugaki in 1945 speak of countering raids by hundreds of American planes with a mere handful of Jpanese aircraft. If this were not enough, Ugaki also writes extremely well and the editors did a fantastic job of correcting him and presenting what really happened. The net result is that Ugaki's own biases become readily apparent. Do not pass this one up!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent war journal written by Admiral Ugaki., September 23, 1998

By 

TED B. (MARYLAND) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fading Victory: The Diary of Admiral Matome Ugaki, 1941-45 (Paperback)

I wondered whether this was going to be a boring self-serving narrative, but once I started reading it, it was so interesting that I couldn't stop. Ugaki details his day to day activities and lets you know his opinions and insights as he goes along. You get to like the guy, even though you know, in some cases, he's trying to fool himself about who's going to win the war. He is involved in just about everything in the Pacific War, and he narrates nicely. One of the best parts that you look forward to is where he and Yamamoto are shot down by U.S. planes. (Yamamoto is killed, but Chief of Staff Ugagki survives miraculously.) - The editor of this book every now and then corrects Ugaki (in italics) when Ugaki makes claims, such as ships sunk and planes shot down. This is extremely helpful, else you might think like Ugaki. This way you can sort of analyze Ugaki and where he's coming from. - Ugaki, the consumate samurai ends the book by demanding a kamakazi plane so he can die gloriously by sinking an enemy ship. He is unsuccessful. In the end, you sort of like and admire the guy. Very good reading if you are into the Japanese version of the Pacific War.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginners, May 29, 2005

By 

James Hercules Sutton (Des Moines, IA (USA)) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fading Victory: The Diary of Admiral Matome Ugaki, 1941-1945 (Hardcover)

The central issue in an autobiography is the character of its author. Ugaki's is replete with what he calls "Navy fighting spirit." He's sentimental, about family, lost friends and Nature. He's positive, in the worst circumstances. He's the quintissential naval officer; but, like Halsey, his strengths are also weaknesses. He understands his enemy, but underestimates him. He attacks when he should consolidate or retreat. He divides forces in the face of an enemy of unknown strength. He always "takes the bait." He never questions the logic of serving a government that has no more steering than a barge. Because his book reveals what he knew and when he knew it, it corrects misappreciations on both sides. It also exculpates Truman for dropping the Bomb, as it describes Japan's reserves hoarded against invasion and records fanatical desire to use them to the last man. Why did Ugaki commit suicide?--to take responsibility, obliged to atone for failing. He says his death will help keep alive naval spirit until Japan can rise again. Like other fascists, he blames men, not their ideology, for defeat, while looking forward to the next war. Despite his penchant for poetry, Ugaki is not a complicated man. He deserves the respect due to all those who live by a code not of their own making. His book is a study of one such man. I found it difficult to read, because of the form imposed on it as a diary and the ubiquitous feeling that Ugaki is writing for History. Read this book after you've read others about the Pacific War; it pulls missing pieces together--for example, that the Japanese were reading Allied codes, too. For a first-hand look at the consequences of decisions Ugaki made in abstraction, read Tamaichi Hara's "Japanese Destroyer Captain."