Bloody Okinawa

The Last Great Battle of World War II

By: Joseph Wheelan

Narrated by: George Newbern

A stirring narrative of World War II's final major battle—the Pacific war's largest, bloodiest, most savagely fought campaign—the last of its kind.

On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, more than 184,000 US troops began landing on the only Japanese home soil invaded during the Pacific war. Just 350 miles from mainland Japan, Okinawa was to serve as a forward base for Japan's invasion in the fall of 1945.

Nearly 140,000 Japanese and auxiliary soldiers fought with suicidal tenacity from hollowed-out, fortified hills and ridges. Under constant fire and in the rain and mud, the Americans battered the defenders with artillery, aerial bombing, naval gunfire, and every infantry tool. Waves of Japanese kamikaze and conventional warplanes sank 36 warships, damaged 368 others, and killed nearly 5,000 US seamen.

When the slugfest ended after 82 days, more than 125,000 enemy soldiers lay dead - along with 7,500 US ground troops. Tragically, more than 100,000 Okinawa civilians perished while trapped between the armies. The brutal campaign persuaded US leaders to drop the atomic bomb instead of invading Japan.

Utilizing accounts by US combatants and Japanese sources, author Joseph Wheelan endows this riveting story of the war's last great battle with a compelling human dimension.

©2020 Joseph Wheelan (P)2020 Hachette Books

Critic reviews

"In Bloody Okinawa Joseph Wheelan presents us with a rich narrative tapestry of the final great battle of World War II. To cite Wheelan himself, his book's 'scenes of nearly indescribable carnage' mixed with his insightful knowledge of military history are as breathtaking as they are unforgettable. This book belongs not only on the shelves of readers World War II non-fiction, but in the library of anyone interested in the horror, bravery, and compassion that total war brings out in American fighting men."—Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, bestselling authors of The Last Stand of Fox Company, Halsey's Typhoon, and The Heart of Everything That Is

"Bloody Okinawa puts the reader in the heart one of the war's largest battles through the eyes of the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who experienced the fighting firsthand. Wheelan also captures the perspective of the civilians and Japanese. Storming Japanese pill boxes and relentless kamikaze attacks punctuate a narrative that places the reader in the vortex of this enormous struggle. Gripping and harrowing, the book brings to life the battle so savage that it influenced America's decision to drop the atomic bomb."—Patrick K. O'Donnell, award-winning and bestselling author of The Unknowns: The Untold Story of American's Unknown Soldier and WWI's Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home

"Wheelan mines a wealth of source material to present a 360-degree view of the battle, and maintains a brisk pace.... Exhaustive yet accessible"—Publishers Weekly

Gut wrenching

Amazing tell all of the last battle in the Pacific War. The sacrifice of our Military during WW2 was just amazing.

Review

The narrator did Joseph Wheelan's well written book a true disservice with his poor choice in style.

Recomendado

Para descendente de okinawanos conhecerem sua história. O livro narra muito bemnem riqueza de detalhes a batalha.

Very Technical

The battle of Okinawa was the defining moment in the Pacific Theatre, as it was the last island battle. "Bloody Okinawa" is extremely technical, and this is made worse by narrator George Newbern. Now George Newbern is a wonderful narrator, and this is nothing against him. His work in other genres, and other history books too, is noteworthy. This is just not a book where his talents are put to use. He accents certain words making the reading more laborious and tedious. This book appears to be one that would be better read instead of in audio.

Excellent Detailed History

This was an excellent detailed history of Japanese and American units in both the land and naval Battle of Okinawa.
The only detractor was the narrator with his glib, clipped presentation style.

Well Done

Good weighting makes a good story. This work is full of facts, some of which may curl your hai, but it is well done.

okinawa

well documented accounts of the reality of war and sacrifices made to preserve our way of life.

read it yourself

had to buy this book and read it myself. personally I couldn't stand the reader.

narrator mispronounced words many times.

Seriously poor narration, There is NO EXCUSE for this level of incompetence. Researching proper/correct pronunciation is part of the job of a narrator. It also seemed there were paragraphs repeated in whole or in part at various places. If that was the Author's fault - his editor should have to pay back every cent he received. if it was the performer fault, he should already have had to repay his fee due to the numerous mispronounced words.

The reader makes a difficult narrative worse

The authors narrative ranges from passable to poor, sometimes burying the lead and occasionally making unforced errors (e.g. referring to Sailors as Soldiers). The author consistently borrows from primary sources but fails to add necessary and appropriate context (for example, he borrows from Robert Bush’ Medal of Honor narrative that concludes “collapsing only after attempting to walk to the battle aid station.” - but the author never notes that Bush survived!).

Add to this struggling narrative a narrator who routinely fails to consistently pronounce key words the same way (Ugaki and Shuri are two particularly annoying victims) and a cadence filled with odd minor pauses…. And an annoying lack of common sense (for example, when describing casualties he refers to “Company One… Company K… and… in L.” The clown didn’t recognize that “I” (as in Item) wasn’t a Roman numeral despite the context clues!!).

In all, this read was more a toil than a pleasure. Will not buy the narrator or author again.