Saipan: The Battle That Doomed Japan in World War II

Occurring only 9 days after the invasion of Europe in Normandy, the US Marines invaded Saipan (an invasion often called the D-Day in the Pacific). Expecting to take the island in only a few days, it took three grueling weeks, which also saw the Marine V Amphibious Corp commander, Lt. Gen Holland M. (Howling Mad) Smith controversially relieve a US Army General (Ralph Smith) for a perceived lack of aggressiveness (in actuality, it was probably a combat doctrine difference between Marine and Army combat philosophy.) Marine casualties were very high, especially for such a short period of time, while Japanese casualties were near total, confirming to the Americans that the Japanese would typically fight to the death rather than surrender. The battle was important, as by securing Saipan (and the other nearby Mariana islands, such as Guam and Tinian) as it provided bases in the Pacific from which US B-29's could attack the Japanese homeland. (The nuclear bombings were also later launched from Tinian.) The research is impressive, the writing both lucid and entertaining, and the book does a great job of covering this titanic struggle. If you're interested in WW II in the Pacific, this book is a must-get. Five stars.

A fantastic book about a crucial invasion

The signifance of the battle for the island of Saipan in bringing World War II to its conclusion is not widely recognized. That overall perspective is provided by James H. Hallas in his latest book "Saipan: The Battle that Doomed Japan in World War II." This Book also provides a comprehensive, readable, graphic account of the horrors of the war in the Pacific. Hallas uses brief accounts of experiences of a few hundred of the many thousands involved--primarily solders but also civilians on both sides--to illustrate the myriad of things that happened. Those on both sides were dealing with false intelligence, disputes among leaders, and most difficult, all sorts of forces beyond their control. Hallas has an apparent fondness for the innocent. So in addition to describing leaders including Japan's Emperor, he also describes incidents involving children, the indigenous people of the island, and the island's Korean population. Overall, it is an insightful readable history of what happened in a major invasion during an all-out war.

Good book

Good account off the fighting during this savage offensive. A real anti war account