Overview

"The Ultimate Battle tells the full story of the Battle of Okinawa as it has never been told before, using the same up-close narrative style and ""grunt's-eye"" view of the action that distinguishes Sloan's Brotherhood of Heroes from other war books. It is a gripping story of heroism, sacrifice, and death in the largest land-sea-air operation in US history. From April to June 1945, more than 250,000 American and Japanese lives were lost (including those of nearly 150,000 civilians who either committed suicide or were caught in the crossfire). It is a story told against a panorama of 1,300 American ships, 1,900 Japanese kamikazes sworn to sink those ships, and two huge armies (the 541,000-member U.S. Tenth Army of GIs and Marines, and Japan's 110,000-man 32nd Army) locked in a no-quarter struggle to the death. But woven into the broader narrative, in Band-of-Brothers style, are the personal stories of men who endured this epic battle - more than sixty of whom were interviewed by the author. In many cases, their experiences are told here in print for the first time."

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9780743292467

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Memory of an epic battle that altered history has begun to fade. Yet, the fighting for Okinawa was so ferocious that it influenced America's decision to use the atomic bomb. If Japan would fight so furiously for an island outpost, what would an invasion of the mainland cost? Bill Sloan answers that question in this close-up, you-are-there account of the Pacific war's ultimate struggle. Battle reportage at its finest. -- Joseph E. Persico, author of Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day 1918

Bill Sloan's The Ultimate Battle is the Okinawa book I've been waiting for. You actually feel like you're with the GIs and Marines as they storm Japanese bastions, and on American ships as the kamikaze attacks are unleashed. A very harrowing, well written World War II classic. -- Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge and The Boys of Pointe du Hoc The Ultimate Battle is a compelling, immensely evocative story of one of the largest, most fiercely fought battles in American history. Here is that gigantic struggle, the defining battle of the Pacific War, seen primarily through the experiences of the sailors, soldiers, and airmen who suffered through it. This is a terrific work. -- Donald L. Miller, author of Masters of the Air and D-Days in the Pacific Bill Sloan has a real feel for the human side of this horrific drama. He suggests there can never be such a battle again, and by the time you've finished reading, you will pray he's right. A powerful, moving book. -- Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign, 1941-1945 Gripping. Authoritative. Masterfully told. I cannot praise this book highly enough. -- Alex Kershaw, author of The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter Memory of an epic battle that altered history has begun to fade. Yet, the fighting for Okinawa was so ferocious that it influenced America's decision to use the atomic bomb. If Japan would fight so furiously for an island outpost, what would an invasion of the mainland cost? Bill Sloan answers that question in this close-up, you-are-there account of the Pacific war's ultimate struggle. Battle reportage at its finest. -- Joseph E. Persico, author of Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day 1918

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