Okinawa: The Last Battle (United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific) - Softcover

Appleman, Roy E.; Burns, James M.; Gugeler, Russell A.; Stevens, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1515082997 ISBN 13: 9781515082996

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015

Synopsis

(Includes maps) The conflict with the Axis Powers confronted the United States Army with problems on a scale never faced before—problems as great in administration, training, supply, and logistics as in strategy and tactics. THE UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II sets forth in detail the nature of the problems faced, the methods used to solve them, and the mistakes made as well as the success achieved. The object is to provide a work of reference for military and civilian students as well as a record of achievements which deserve an honorable place in the pages of history. Its value to the thoughtful citizen as an aid to his comprehension of basic problems of national security has been a major consideration. Its preparation has also been prompted by the thought that in a faithful and comprehensive record all who participated in the Army's vast effort would find a recognition merited by their service and sacrifice. The present volume concerns one of the most bitterly fought battles of the Pacific war, in which the Army, the Marine Corps, and the Navy all played a vital part. In order to make the Army's role and the campaign as a whole as intelligible as possible the historians have treated in detail the operations of the Marine Corps units attached to Tenth Army, and have also sketched the contribution of the Navy both in preliminary operations against Okinawa and in the campaign itself. Another characteristic of this as of other volumes on Pacific campaigns is that tactical action is treated on levels lower than those usually presented in the history of operations in the European theaters. The physical limitations of the terrain fought over in the Pacific restricted the number and size of the units which could be employed and brought into sharp focus the operations of regiments, battalions, and smaller units. A wealth of verified material on such operations is available for all theaters, but it is only that of the Pacific which can be used extensively, since in other theaters the actions of smaller units are lost in the broad sweep of great distances and large forces. The description of small-unit action has the merit of giving the nonprofessional reader a fuller record of the nature of the battlefield in modern war, and the professional reader a better insight into troop leading. Okinawa: The Last Battle was written by U.S. Army historians who participated in the Ryukyus campaign as members of a group organized to accompany the American forces to the Ryukyus and secure at first hand the materials for a history of their operations. This group was formed in Hawaii as a section of the 1st Information and Historical Service, which was attached to Tenth Army in January 1945.

About this title

About the Author:

Major Roy E. Appleman (19041992) served in the U.S. Army in both World War II and the Korean War. He is the author (or co-author) of several military history studies, includingSouth to Naktongand North to the Yalu.

Sergeant James M. Burns was the author of Guam, from the American Forces in Action series. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Captain Russell A. Gugeler was the author (or co-author) of several military history studies, including Combat Actions in Korea. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Colonel John Stevens served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Harry J. Malony (1889-1971) was an American Brigadier General who commanded the 94th Infantry Division in World War II.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1515082997
• ISBN 13: 9781515082996
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 652