Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

When this book first arrived last week, I was somewhat dismayed to learn that, while telling the tale of the final days of the Pacific Theatre in World War II, the three leaders it chose to focus on more deeply in this work were different from the ones I expected. He chose on Raymond Spruance, commander of the Fifth Fleet, Kelly Turner, commander of the transports that landed the amphibious forces ( Marines and Army), and Paul Tibbets, who flew the history-changing first atomic bombing mission. While these seemed disjointed choices at first, they proved to be quite smart. These are major players in the campaigns to capture Saipan and the Marianas, and with his intense examination of the Japanese will to resist, one is left with the obvious conclusion that an invasion of Japan proper would have been bloody beyond measure. Hornfischer does not proselytize, but lays out the facts of this critical period concisely and clearly. He does so with his usual engaging and readable narrative. Like his previous works, Hornfischer does not disappoint in this production that deals with the final throes of the Japanese attempt to rule the Pacific. Once again, I am reminded how grateful we all must be to the warriors of World War II.