It is somewhat surprising to me that we don't see more written on the end of the war in the Pacific. Or it could be that I just don't get to read much on it. Either way, it is nice to have a look at the preparations for the invasion of Japan, the intelligence on what to expect, the thoughts of those who were going to plan the event, the plans and resources of the Japanese, and what eventually happened to end the war. That is one very long sentence.

The invasion of Japan was seen on the American side as something they'd rather not do, but was seen to be inevitable. The ferocity of the Japanese defense of Okinawa was a portent of the huge number of casualties to be expected during a landing. While it was hoped that the Soviets would take away some of the strain in Manchuria, the truth is that the Japanese had pulled out most of its defensive forces from that area to bolster the home islands so the Soviets had pretty much an easy go of things.

I found it interesting that the Japanese were planning to build up and defend the very areas that he Allies had chosen to land on Kyushu and later on Honshu itself. It seems the most likely landing sites were quite apparent. As you can imagine, much of the book is involved on the decision to use the atomic bombs or not. McArthur in particular wanted to use them to try to end the war as quickly as possible so as to keep the Soviets out of Japan. He foresaw that including them in the invasion or occupation forces would be nothing but trouble, and events elsewhere have since borne out this consideration.

As is the norm for a book in the Campaign series, this one starts with a preamble of events leading up to the events covered, a look at the commanders of both sides and the men under their command. Then there is an inspection of the plans of both sides. The 'meat' of the volume is next with the various stages of preparation and planning. Finally, a look at the dropping of the two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, what was learned, and how it affected future events. There is also a look at the battlefield today, which pretty much is contained to the two Japanese cities. All of this is superbly illustrated using period photograph and the superb illustrations and artwork of John White to add some color to things.

I have to say that this is really an excellent book on this pivotal series of events. One that shaped much of what happened to the world over the next 40 years or so. A book I know you will enjoy reading.

November 2008

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