Crucible of Hell: Okinawa: the Last Great Battle of the Second World War

In his book "The Battle of Okinawa: The Last Great Clash of the Second World War," Saul David provides a new and powerful narrative of the Battle of Okinawa, the last great clash of the Second World War, which had profound consequences for the modern world. The battle was fought for eighty-three days, with almost a quarter of a million people losing their lives, including thousands of civilians lost to mass suicide. David argues that the horror of the battle ultimately determined President Truman's choice to use atomic bombs in August 1945. The book uses graphic eyewitness accounts and declassified documents from archives in three continents to illuminate a shocking chapter of history that is often missing from Western-centric narratives of the Second World War.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 448 pages
Publication date: 01 April 2021
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

‘Saul David is a brilliant historian … In shocking and jaw-dropping detail,he brings a battle that deserves far greater prominence and understanding vividly back to life. James Holland From award-winning historian Saul David, an action-packed and powerful new narrative of the Battle of Okinawa – the last great clash of the Second World War, and one that had profound consequences for the modern world. For eighty-three blood-soaked days, the fighting on the island of Okinawa plumbed depths of savagery as bad as anything seen on the Eastern Front. When it was over, almost a quarter of a million people had lost their lives, making it by far the bloodiest US battle of the Pacific. In Okinawa, the death toll included thousands of civilians lost to mass suicide, convinced by Japanese propaganda that they would otherwise be raped and murdered by the enemy. On the US side, David argues that the horror of the battle ultimately determined President Truman's choice to use atomic bombs in August 1945. It is a brutal, heart-rending story, and one David tells with masterly attention to detail: the cramped cockpit of a kamikaze plane, the claustrophobic gun turret of a warship under attack, and a half-submerged foxhole amidst the squalor and battle detritus. The narrative follows generals, presidents, and emperors, as well as the humbler experiences of ordinary servicemen and families on both sides, and the Okinawan civilians who were caught so tragically between the warring parties. Using graphic eyewitness accounts and declassified documents from archives in three continents, Saul David illuminates a shocking chapter of history that is too often missing from Western-centric narratives of the Second World War.

Weight: 340g
Dimension: 128 x 197 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008342517