Book description
A companion volume to his bestselling 'Armageddon', Max Hastings'
account of the battle for Japan is a masterful military history.
Featuring the most remarkable cast of commanders the world has ever
seen, the dramatic battle for Japan of 1944-45 was acted out across the
vast stage of Asia: Imphal and Kohima, Leyte Gulf and Iwo Jima, Okinawa
and the Soviet assault on Manchuria.
In this gripping narrative, Max Hastings weaves together the complex
strands of an epic war, exploring the military tactics behind some of
the most triumphant and most horrific scenes of the twentieth century.
The result is a masterpiece that balances the story of command
decisions, rivalries and follies with the experiences of soldiers,
sailors and airmen of all sides as only Max Hastings can. 'A
monumental achievement…Compassionate but unsparing in its judgements.'
Laurence Rees, author of 'The Nazis: A Warning from History', Sunday Times
'An outstandingly gripping and authoritative account of the battle for
Japan, and a monument to human bravery and savagery.' Daily Telegraph
'Absolutely excellent.' John Simpson, Observer
'Magisterial…it is truly cathartic to reach the end of the Second World
War in Hastings's company.' The Times
'Brilliantly though Hastings lays out the strategic context, his real
talent lies in his account of the “terrible human experience” that it
involved…This is a book for anyone who wants to understand what happened
in half the world during one of the bloodiest periods of the
blood-soaked 20th century.' Spectator
'Spectacular…Hastings makes important points about the war in the East
that have been all too rarely heard…excellent…compelling…searingly
powerful.' Sunday Telegraph
'As Hastings brilliantly describes, conditions for fighting men on both
sides were appalling…the fire-bombing of Tokyo and the decision to drop
the atomic bombs were influenced by the urge to 'get this business over
with', but the argument, as Hastings explains so well with his usual
exemplary judgement, is far more complex.' Financial Times Max
Hastings studied at Charterhouse and Oxford and later became a foreign
correspondent, reporting from more than sixty countries and eleven wars
for newspapers and the BBC. He has won many awards for both his
journalism and his bestselling books. After ten years as editor and then
editor-in-chief of the Daily Telegraph, he spent six years as editor of
the Evening Standard. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he
was knighted in 2002. He lives in Berkshire.
