Customer Reviews

Okinawa Odyssey

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Superb book; "Leading a platoon is like a plate of spaghetti. You can't push the noodles forward with a fork; you have to pull them from the front." This explanation of tactical combat leadership was made by Brigadier General Easly, ACG US 96th Infantry Division in WWII on Okinawa. Easly practiced what he preached; he was wounded twice by sniper fire on Okinawa, the second time mortally. The author served as a tank platoon leader on Okinawa in WWII. His book is an autobiography of his experiences. Imagine leading a tank platoon into combat for the first time. General Easly has just told you in simple terms how to lead your men. You do. As your tank penetrates into a Japanese defensive position, all heck breaks loose. Japanese weapons are firing at your platoon; suicide units armed with satchel charges are rushing your tanks, while you try to direct the action of your platoon and crew. Suddenly, you hear a bang and notice an antitank shell has penetrated your tank. You know this because you can see daylight through the hole it made in the armor. Bang; another hit. Your loader is screaming; that antitank round has just ripped off his leg. While you try to tie a tourniquet on your loader's stump, and load a round into the main gun with bloody hands, and give fire commands to your gunner, another round hits your tank. Finally, your gunner knocks out the antitank gun. You and your men bail out under enemy fire and exit the action on another tank. This is your first taste of combat; there will be many more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK ON THE US ARMY and ARMORed COMBAT in the Pacific. Superb; you won't be able to put it down. As a former Marine infantryman, I salute your service to our country in one of the bloodiest battles in WWII. Semper Fi!

Bob fought with the 763rd Tank Battalion on Okinawa. He starts of though recounting the story of his family as ranchers in Texas - Confederate ancestors and all. At first I thought this was a bit staid but it grew on me. Interestingly, he attended a military school which offered cavalry training and this saw him assigned to armour training when the war came. Some might find these opening chapters a bit plodding but once he gets to Leyte his delivery warms up considerably.

He starts the Okinawa campaign as a liaison officer with the infantry. He provides some good context on the operations of the 96th Infantry division, which his battalion supported throughout. Interestingly he believes the infantry had a harder time than the marines. He also explains very clearly the difficulties presented by attacking the Japanese on their strongly fortified ridges and particularly the reverse slopes. I learned a lot. His experiences are very dramatic in this role and there are several very close shaves. Once men alongside him are cut in half by a shell and he is crystal clear about what this meant. The horrors of battle are not sanitized. It is a sobering read.

During this phase he demonstrates exceptional shooting skills and even uses infra-red equipment to deal with night-time infiltrators. Then, under extraordinary circumstances he is given command of a tank troop and drives straight into a very vivid and violent battle. He recounts a number of vicious fights from his tank, against suicide squads and anti-tank guns. It is a war of extermination. He writes of this to his parents and his inclusion of complete letters is very useful for modern readers trying to understand the mentality of men in his situation. They are frank and unedited, using the terminology of the time. Green is no racist though. He was a decent young man who wanted no more than to be back on the family farm.

Green is very observant. He notes things about LSTs for instance that no one else has mentioned. He writes interestingly of combat fatigue and the bravery of medics. He conveys very well the tragedy of the war and there are some wrenching stories. As a tank troop commander he is mostly directing the action but there are a few times where he personally performs some incredible deeds, one such earning him the Silver Star. The other four Pacific tanker memoirs on my list are all worthy in various ways but in terms of combat participation, this is the pick of them. Highly Recommended! 4 1/2 stars

Partially based on letters to his mother and personal recollections. A must read if you want to understand the background of the WWII US citizen soldier.