Scan barcode
Reviews
The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945 by James D. Hornfischer
nelsta's review against another edition
5.0
Hornfischer does a good job of describing the political, logistical, and moral problems that plagued the Pacific commanders in the late Pacific War. Individual battles are given little description as the purview of this book is how the U.S. Navy overwhelmed and out-invented the Japanese Imperial Navy. The book focuses on several admirals (Halsey, Nimitz, Spruance), the UDT and Paul Tibbets' roles in ending the war. Very well written with great detail given at the administrative level of the war.
mburnamfink's review
5.0
Hornfischer excels at smaller, more intimate history, Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors being a shining example of what books can do. So how does his style translate to the massive undertaking that was the Allied victory in the Pacific?
Well, Hornfischer cheats. He focuses on three main characters, Admiral Spruance, who's Fifth Fleet was the decisive naval arm, Draper Kauffman, a naval officer who organized Underwater Demolition Teams to prepare the beach for invasion, and Paul W. Tibbetts, who dropped the first atomic bomb. Secondary characters, Marines, pilots, and Japanese soldiers and civilians, round out the history, providing a personal touch on great events.
The meat of the book focuses on the invasion of Saipan, a grinding campaign to force tenacious defenders out of a network of caves and bunkers. Saipan also served as the catalyst for the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, where skilled American pilots in F6F Hellcats tore the guts out of the IJN's naval aviation wing. From then on, kamikaze attacks were the best that the IJN could mount, but these desperate measures could still exact a terribly high cost.
Saipan dominates the book, getting over 20 chapters to something like 2 pages on Iwo Jima, and a similar slighting of the invasion of Okinawa. The big show was the planned invasion of Japan, Operation Downfall. Causalities were expected to be immense, exceeding over 100,000 deaths on the Allied side, and millions on the Japanese side. Chemical weapons were expected to be used. It would have been horrific.
Here, Hornfischer launches into his second major theme of the book, justifying the use of the atomic bomb. This is a subject of unending historical debate, and Hornfischer hews close to conventional wisdom. While Hiroshima and Nagasaki may not have been strictly military targets, the object was the dysfunctional psychology around Emperor Hirohito. Despite a hopeless military position, including blockade and regular firebombing attacks, Japan was unwilling to surrender. The overwhelming force of the bombs provided an impetus to end the war. It was atrocious, yes, but a final atrocity in a decade of horrors.
So with the caveats that this book is really about Saipan, with a long digression on the ethics of the atom bomb, it is still really excellent. Hornfischer is top notch as a storyteller, humanizing a powerful military facing a determined opponent. Well worth the read!
Well, Hornfischer cheats. He focuses on three main characters, Admiral Spruance, who's Fifth Fleet was the decisive naval arm, Draper Kauffman, a naval officer who organized Underwater Demolition Teams to prepare the beach for invasion, and Paul W. Tibbetts, who dropped the first atomic bomb. Secondary characters, Marines, pilots, and Japanese soldiers and civilians, round out the history, providing a personal touch on great events.
The meat of the book focuses on the invasion of Saipan, a grinding campaign to force tenacious defenders out of a network of caves and bunkers. Saipan also served as the catalyst for the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, where skilled American pilots in F6F Hellcats tore the guts out of the IJN's naval aviation wing. From then on, kamikaze attacks were the best that the IJN could mount, but these desperate measures could still exact a terribly high cost.
Saipan dominates the book, getting over 20 chapters to something like 2 pages on Iwo Jima, and a similar slighting of the invasion of Okinawa. The big show was the planned invasion of Japan, Operation Downfall. Causalities were expected to be immense, exceeding over 100,000 deaths on the Allied side, and millions on the Japanese side. Chemical weapons were expected to be used. It would have been horrific.
Here, Hornfischer launches into his second major theme of the book, justifying the use of the atomic bomb. This is a subject of unending historical debate, and Hornfischer hews close to conventional wisdom. While Hiroshima and Nagasaki may not have been strictly military targets, the object was the dysfunctional psychology around Emperor Hirohito. Despite a hopeless military position, including blockade and regular firebombing attacks, Japan was unwilling to surrender. The overwhelming force of the bombs provided an impetus to end the war. It was atrocious, yes, but a final atrocity in a decade of horrors.
So with the caveats that this book is really about Saipan, with a long digression on the ethics of the atom bomb, it is still really excellent. Hornfischer is top notch as a storyteller, humanizing a powerful military facing a determined opponent. Well worth the read!
bilinski68's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent history of the Pacific War!! Everything you need to know and then some!!
More...