The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945--The Last Epic Struggle of World War II | 
| Author: Bill Sloan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $27.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 59432
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Simon & Schuster Hardcover Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.5
ISBN: 0743292464
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.54252294
EAN: 9780743292467
ASIN: 0743292464
Publication Date: October 23, 2007
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Condition: Ships immediately! Perfect and New! 1st Simon & Schuster Hardcover Ed. 2007 Hardcover.
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Product Description
The Ultimate Battle is the full story of the last great clash of World War II as it has never before been told. With the same "grunt's-eye-view" narrative style that distinguished his Brotherhood of Heroes (on the Battle of Peleliu), Bill Sloan presents a gripping and uniquely personal saga of heroism and sacrifice in which at least 115,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen from both sides were killed, as were nearly 150,000 civilians caught in the crossfire or encouraged to commit suicide by Japanese troops.It is a story set against a panorama of more than 1,500 American ships, nearly two thousand Japanese kamikazes sworn to sink those ships, and two huge armies locked in a no-quarter struggle to the death -- the 541,000 GIs and Marines of the U.S. Tenth Army, and Japan's 110,000-man 32nd Army. Woven into the broader narrative, in Band of Brothers style, are the personal stories of men who endured this epic battle and were interviewed by the author. In many cases, their experiences are told here in print for the first time. A few days after Japanese defenders surprised American assault troops by allowing them to land virtually unopposed on April 1, 1945, scouts of the 96th Division stumbled onto the outerworks of formidable Japanese defenses near Kakazu Ridge, where fierce fighting erupted. It would continue without respite for nearly three months as American forces used every weapon and strategy at their disposal to break through three cunningly designed Japanese lines of defense, each anchored by commanding high ground, intricate underground installations, and massed artillery. When one line was about to be breached, the Japanese would slip away to the next one, forcing the Americans to repeat the same exhausting and deadly "corkscrew and blowtorch" assaults all over again. Much of the action in The Ultimate Battle unfolds among men pinned down under relentless fire on disputed hillsides, in the ruins of shell-blasted villages, and inside stricken tanks and armored cars. Sloan also takes readers aboard flaming ships and into the cockpits of night-fighter aircraft to capture the horror and heroism of men and vessels besieged by kamikazes. When the battle was over, most of the GIs, Marines, and sailors who survived it were too worn out to celebrate. More than 49,000 of their comrades had been killed or wounded, and they knew that the even more brutal invasion of Japan's home islands loomed just ahead. But as Sloan makes clear, the slaughter at Okinawa helped to convince President Truman to use the atomic bomb against Japanese cities in the hope of shortening the war and averting a far more horrific loss of life. The Ultimate Battle is a searing and unforgettable recreation of the Okinawa campaign as it was experienced by men who were there. It is filled with fresh insights that only those men can provide.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 EXCELLENT READ. VERY INFORMATIVE, VERY READABLE. June 25, 2008
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
A person sort of hates to compare authors and their works, but you almost have to with this one. Bill Sloan, as far as writing ability, compares rather favorably with Stephen Ambrose. As has been pointed out, Ambrose died before he delved into the war in the Pacific, but Sloan seems to have taken up the torch rather well. It should also be noted here, that no one book can cover a battle of this magnitude. There are bound to be some units, some aspect of the battle that was either short changed, or, regrettably, left out completely. A good point was made by another reviewer here in mentioning the 77th Infantry Division. To be quite frank, that Division alone probably rates at least three volumes of this size. But, as I said, no book can cover it all. This 402 page book does do a pretty good job of giving the overall feeling of the battle, who participated, who did what and when.
Okinawa was the last major battle in the Pacific during World War II. In it, at least 115,000 soldiers, airmen and sailors were killed. In addition and estimated 150,000 civilians were either killed or committed suicide, in one of the most tragic episodes of the war. We probably never will know the exact number of human beings who lost their lives during this struggle. This of course does not even count the thousands that were left homeless. It is quite difficult for us to understand the hardship and suffering the soldiers, sailors and airmen went through during this battle. It was fought under the most trying condition imaginable. The author has done as good a job as any in conveying these points.
Bill Sloan has written a very readable account of this final battle, using many sources and many personal stories/narratives from individuals who took part. He has drawn quite heavily from Eugene Sledge's wonderful work "With the Old Breed," a great book for those who are interested. What the men went through, both American and Japanese during this battle simply cannot be described using words. I have been fortunate in having the honor of talking to several individuals who survived not only this battle, but also Peleliu. These were (and are) all very old men when I knew them and they were and are still being haunted by their experiences, and will until the day they die. The author has done as well as anyone though in attempting to get the feeling across, difficult as that is.
This work does not only cover the ground campaign, but also the sea and air aspects of the battle. It also gives some insight to the Japanese point of view and their rationale of doing what they did and when. The author has also addressed the reasoning behind some of the tactics used by the American leaders during the battle, which is probably the weakest portion of his work, but then this book is really not about tactics, so there is not a great loss here. The ramifications of the outcome of this battle have been discussed, and indeed, the ramifications had the battle not been fought. Looking at it from a certain angle, it was probably one of the major factors in the decision to drop the atomic bomb rather than invade Japan proper. This of course can be argued long and hard, and probably will be for years to come. The only small complaint I have about the entire work is that it would have been greatly enhanced with more maps and more detailed maps. This was a minor problem though.
As with any historical work, a reader should not finish it, and only it, and feel they know everything there is to know about this particular event. There are many, many other works out there and many more will be written. These should be read for those who are interested. I do feel the reader will enjoy this work more, and learn more from it, if they read of some of the battles in the Pacific that led up to this particular one.
Overall, I do recommend The Ultimate Battle quite highly. You certainly cannot go wrong reading it.
 Beyond Guts! June 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Throughout the history of warfare, few have given more for benefit of future generations then the warriors of the Pacific. Extraordinary devotion to others and our Country. Why don't they teach this in our public schools?
The Last Battle of WWII March 29, 2008
I have not completely finished reading this book but have come across several things that need to be noted. The first is that the maps are very incomplete in that a lot of the places/towns mentioned in the book are not on the map which leaves the reader to try to guess where the action took place. And on the maps Kadena is incorrectly located. The air base leads to the East China Sea where planes took off almost over the water. I will mention that during the Korean War, there were some planes who took off from Kadena to bomb Korea but were so heavily loaded they ended up in the East China Sea instead of in the air. For that reason, if nothing else, the maps need to be corrected.
The second thing to mention is that there are two places not mentioned in the book that are there. The first is The Pit of the Virgins and the other is Suicide Cliff. Someone might ask how I know of these two places. I remember hearing about them and seeing them when I was a child living on Okinawa with my army father. These two places help figure prominently at the end of the battle for Okinawa. The Pit of the Virgins was dug by the Japanese who encouraged young Okinawan women to jump to their deaths on sharpened bamboo stakes as these young women were told that the American soldiers would rape them and take their virture. Suicide Cliff was at the end of the island where a lot of the Japanese commanders and even soldiers jumped to their deaths rather then be taken captive by the Americans.
The one thing I did enjoy about this book is that there is a lot of first-person accounts of what happened during the battle to free Okinawa. But, it is not mentioned that both the Americans and Japanese both contributed to to the destruction of a culture that had existed for thousands of years. After all, ninety-five percent of Okinawa was destroyed during WWII to include evidence of Okinawan pre-war way of life.
A grunt's eye view of the Typhoon of Steel January 24, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
An excellent book. It is personal snapshots of the events of one of the bloodiest battles for America in WW II. This is the most detailed examination of this battle I've ever read. It reviews the Japanese preparations and strategies, tactics, and errors. General Ushijima lead an excellent delaying defensive action attriting the American forces to the point of condemning Hiroshima and Nagasaki to nuclear strikes to end the war. This battle started on April Fool's Day, and for the first week was nearly a lark as the Americans moved inland taking objectives the didn't expect to take for several days including Kadena and Yontan air bases. Once the Americans encountered the Japanese defenses the discovered how well armed and deeply the Japanese were dug were they still didn't understand how difficult the coming fight would be. Both sides made tactical errors that increased the carnage. On the Japanese side it involved Ushijima listening to his second and launching a counter offensive from the Shuri line losing several thousand men that could have reinforced and held the Shuri line for several more days or even weeks. The error by General Buckner is a little more debatable. When the Americans drive stalled in front of the Shuri line several subordinates pressed for an amphibious end around assault on the Japanese from the south end of the island. If the Americans had the resources available this could have pressed the Japanese from both sides and prevented the Japanese from withdrawing to the southern end of the island and extending the fight for another month. The personal stories (exclusively American) reveal how vicious the individual engagements were. The fight for the small hill called "Sugarloaf" was especially bad. The Americans took this lump nearly a dozen times before they kept it. The hill was little more than 50' high and maybe 250 yards long but was one of three points southwest of the Shuri Castle that controlled the area. The hill isn't much to look at but like nearly every other strong point on the island was honeycombed with caves and strong points. Having been on Okinawa it's hard to imagine the visuals this book generates. I've been to Mabuni Hill, Shuri Castle, the Naval underground headquarters, and been a stones throw from Sugarloaf (to many UXOs around to approach). I've been up on Kakazu ridge and looked down on the invasion beaches. Looking down from Kakazu is a sobeing sight visualizing what the Japanese saw those opening days waiting for the Americans to come to them. Not having read the Band of Brothers but seeing the series I'd favorably compare this book to that one.
Truly a vivid portrayal of an epic struggle. January 8, 2008
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945-The Last Epic Struggle of World War II
A very well researched and written book. Hard to put down to go to bed.
Vivid descriptions of the conditions, living and fighting, these men endured. Makes me very angry at the way our fighting men in Iraq and other places are treated by our legislators in Washington.
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