The Fall of Japan, by William Craig
Reviewing book The Fall Of Japan, By William Craig, nowadays, will not require you to always purchase in the establishment off-line. There is a fantastic area to purchase guide The Fall Of Japan, By William Craig by on the internet. This internet site is the very best site with whole lots numbers of book collections. As this The Fall Of Japan, By William Craig will certainly be in this book, all publications that you need will certainly be right below, as well. Just search for the name or title of guide The Fall Of Japan, By William Craig You could find just what you are searching for.
The Fall of Japan, by William Craig
Read and Download The Fall of Japan, by William Craig
Told from both Japanese and American perspectives, this thrilling account of the final weeks of World War II in the Pacific has been heralded by the New York Times Book Review as "virtually faultless".
By midsummer 1945, Japan had long since lost the war in the Pacific. The people were not told the truth, and neither was the emperor. Japanese generals, admirals, and statesmen knew, but only a handful of leaders were willing to accept defeat. Most were bent on fighting the Allies until the last Japanese soldier died and the last city burned to the ground.
Exhaustively researched and vividly told, The Fall of Japan masterfully chronicles the dramatic events that brought an end to the Pacific War and forced a once-mighty military nation to surrender unconditionally. From the ferocious fighting on Okinawa to the all-but-impossible mission to drop the second atom bomb, and from Franklin D. Roosevelt's White House to the Tokyo bunker where tearful Japanese leaders first told the emperor the truth, William Craig captures the pivotal events of the war with spellbinding authority. The Fall of Japan brings to life both celebrated and lesser-known historical figures, including Admiral Takijiro Onishi, the brash commander who drew up the Yamamoto plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor and inspired the death cult of kamikaze pilots. This astonishing account ranks alongside Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day and John Toland's The Rising Sun as a masterpiece of World War II history.
The Fall of Japan, by William Craig- Amazon Sales Rank: #5519 in Audible
- Published on: 2015-11-13
- Format: Unabridged
- Original language: English
- Running time: 668 minutes
Where to Download The Fall of Japan, by William Craig
Most helpful customer reviews
60 of 62 people found the following review helpful. An epic account of the end of the war By Brian D. Rubendall William Craig is an excellent and in my view underappreciated military historian. His book "Enemy at the Gates," is an appalling account of the battle of Stalingrad that captures the abject horror of that campaign. In "The Fall of Japan," he gives us the end of World War Two from the perspective of both the Japanese and American belligerants. The writing is crisp and he brings the story alive through the eyes of those who lived it. Particularly well described is effect of the Atomic bombs and the decision by the Japanese emperor to overrule custom and insist that the war be ended. With this book, Craig deserves a place alongside such excellent military historians as John Toland and Stephen Ambrose.
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Job By Andy in Washington The last few days of Japan’s WWII regime are a fascinating topic. The very thought of surrender was so hard to fathom that many Japanese leaders tried to convince themselves that making “one last stand” would at least gain better surrender terms. Even after seeing the damage done at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it required quite an effort, and at personal risk, for the “peace bloc” to make the idea of surrender a reality.=== The Good Stuff ===* William Craig does a great job of capturing the emotions, motivations and strategies of the key players in Japan’s final days. The author provides a look at the maneuvering and political tactics that were required to isolate and marginalize that last remaining fanatics insides the Japanese government. Craig writes in an easy-to-read style, and he explains his points well enough so that even the more casual reader can understand the machinations that occurred.* I have read other books on this subject, and there was enough new information and analysis presented to make this a worthwhile read. For example, I had previous read of the “fanatics” who wanted to prolong the war at any price, but hadn’t realized how close Japan came to a military coup during those last days. Nor did I understand just how much of a personal risk the leaders of the “peace faction” took in opposing the hard-liners. Many of them expected to be assassinated before they could complete the surrender.* Craig dives deeply into a few of the key characters. For example, the Japanese War Minister, General Anami is shown struggling through his final days. On one hand, he is loyal to the Emperor, who had advised the government to accept surrender in line with the terms of the Potsdam proclamation. But Anami had a great many friends and colleagues, many of whom were personally loyal to him, who were plotting a military coup to take over the government and continue the war. In the end, Anami makes a decision and accepts the consequences.* Some of the tales are just sad: Allied prisoners brutally murdered during the final days of the war; A Japanese General goaded into suicide by, of all people, his wife of over 30 years; Ordinary Japanese citizens, living in ruined cities, terrorized by what they have been told will happen to them at the hands of their conquerors. Craig doesn’t sensationalize these tragedies, but he doesn’t sugar coat them either. Some of the content is a bit brutal.=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===* I am not sure how well this book would be received with someone lacking background in WWII history. For example, there is a brief view of the role of the Soviet Union in the war against Japan. It is a fascinating story all by itself, with Stalin being “talked into” agreeing to declare war on Japan by August of 1945. Of course that became less important to the US after the success of the atomic bombs, which was something Stalin knew about through espionage. To put it another way, Stalin got himself a seat at the victor’s table for a minimal investment. Knowing this background made that part of the book more interesting.* While Craig does a generally good job with explaining the Japanese thoughts and motivations, sometimes I found this to be muddled. For example, when he reports conversations between senior members of the Japanese government, sometimes I needed to read the passages multiple times to understand the nuances and hidden meanings in the discussions.=== Summary ===I enjoyed the book and a found it to be an excellent look at the final surrender of Japan. While the military situation was well-known to be hopeless, the political “face-saving” and need to control the hard-lines was a fascinating tale. The book ends with the beginnings of the occupation, and despite the harsh content of much of the book, it was comforting to see how quickly the leaders of both Japan and the US were able to begin mending relations between the two countries.I would recommend the book to anyone with an interest in how the Japanese Imperial government worked, as well as history buffs in general. It is a relatively easy book to read, and the content and analysis is rewarding.=== Disclaimer ===I was able to read an advance copy through the courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful. A very good read By WW2 VET This is a very good read. It is exhaustively researched. I found it to be personally authentic in the final chapters, based on my experience on Luzon Island in 1945.
See all 234 customer reviews... The Fall of Japan, by William CraigThe Fall of Japan, by William Craig PDF
The Fall of Japan, by William Craig iBooks
The Fall of Japan, by William Craig ePub
The Fall of Japan, by William Craig rtf
The Fall of Japan, by William Craig AZW
The Fall of Japan, by William Craig Kindle
