Implacable Foes: War in the Pacific, 1944-1945
by Waldo Heinrichs
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"At the end of World War Two, Americans clamored for their troops to come home. Politics intruded upon military policy while a new and untested president struggled to strategize among a military command that was often mired in rivalry. The task of defeating the Japanese seemed nearly unsurmountable, even while plans to invade the home islands were being drawn. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall warned of the toll that "the agony of enduring battle" would likely take. General show more Douglas MacArthur clashed with Marshall and Admiral Nimitz over the most effective way to defeat the increasingly resilient Japanese combatants. In the midst of this division, the Army began a program of partial demobilization of troops in Europe, which depleted units at a time when they most needed experienced soldiers. In this context of military emergency, victory was salvaged by means of a horrific new weapon. As one Army staff officer admitted, "The capitulation of Hirohito saved our necks." In Implacable Foes, award-winning historians Waldo Heinrichs (a veteran of both theatres of war in World War II) and Marc Gallicchio bring to life the final year of World War Two in the Pacific right up to the dropping of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, evoking not only Japanese policies of desperate defense, but the sometimes rancorous debates on the home front. They deliver a gripping and provocative narrative that challenges the decision-making of U.S. leaders and delineates the consequences of prioritizing the European front. The result is a masterly work of military history that evaluates the nearly insurmountable trials associated with waging global war and the sacrifices necessary to succeed."--Provided by publisher. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Implacable Foes: War in the Pacific. 1944-1945 by Waldo Heinrich's and Marc Gallicchio was an outstanding book on the final years on the war in the Pacific.
Without the notes it comes in at under 600 pages and it covers the gambit of the war, including the different campaigns led by the Army and the Navy, the impact of wants and need of the home front ranging from politics, the economy and the transition from wartime to peace and the feelings of the civilian sector.
The book goes into detail in the impact of releasing high point men from service primarily in Europe but also in the Pacific and rotating them home while also gearing up for the final stages of the Pacific Campaign and the difficulties in doing both simultaneously. The book show more goes deeply in the position of unconditional surrender and the division on modifying it especially in relation to the Emperor and the impact of the Atomic bomb on the decision.
The personalities of Nimitz, MacArthur, Marshall, King, Leahy, Truman and others both in and out of the administration and congress are clarified and dwelled into.
A wonderful addition to the field and a must read. show less
Without the notes it comes in at under 600 pages and it covers the gambit of the war, including the different campaigns led by the Army and the Navy, the impact of wants and need of the home front ranging from politics, the economy and the transition from wartime to peace and the feelings of the civilian sector.
The book goes into detail in the impact of releasing high point men from service primarily in Europe but also in the Pacific and rotating them home while also gearing up for the final stages of the Pacific Campaign and the difficulties in doing both simultaneously. The book show more goes deeply in the position of unconditional surrender and the division on modifying it especially in relation to the Emperor and the impact of the Atomic bomb on the decision.
The personalities of Nimitz, MacArthur, Marshall, King, Leahy, Truman and others both in and out of the administration and congress are clarified and dwelled into.
A wonderful addition to the field and a must read. show less
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Dan Carlin's Supernova in the East Book List
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3 Works 206 Members
Waldo Heinrichs is Professor of History at Temple University
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