82 days on Okinawa : one American's unforgettable firsthand account of the Pacific war's greatest battle

Title:

Author:

Shaw, Art, 1920-2020 author.

ISBN:

9780062907448

Edition:

1st ed.

Physical Description:

ix, 345 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

General Note:

Includes index.

Contents:

Prologue: Prelude to battle. Okinawa ; Surprises ahead ; Settling in ; The enemy emerges ; Coming ashore ; A price to be paid ; Sharpening the focus ; The snakes come slithering in ; Trudging on ; The end of the honeymoon ; No rest for the weary ; Dark days ; Tombstones everywhere ; Cactus Hill coming up ; Cutting the cactus ; Time out ; Tragedy on the ridge ; Slaughter ; The struggle to escape ; Bravery unequaled ; Valor ; No letup in sight ; A storm unabated ; In the dead of night ; While no one sleeps ; What next? -- Starting over: the next phase. The next step ; Struggling on ; Nonstop! ; Clearing the crags ; Going on ; The escarpment ; One more hill to climb ; Onward and upward ; Deadly Deadeyes ; Endless struggle ; Digging in ; Making do ; Plowing ahead ; Disaster ; Conical Hill ; No chivalry left ; Monsoon season ; The lost platoon ; Air strikes ; Stalemate ; Rolling on ; The big apple ; The home stretch ; The final battle ; The bomb ; The road home ; Morning comes again.

Personal Subject:

Shaw, Art, 1920-2020.

Corporate Subject:

United States. Army. Infantry Division, 96th -- History.

Subject Term:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Japan -- Okinawa Island.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Biography, American.

Soldiers -- United States -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

Okinawa Island (Japan) -- History, Military.

Added Author:

Wise, Robert L.,

Summary:

On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, 1.5 million men gathered aboard 1,500 Allied ships off the coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa, to launch the largest amphibious assault on the Pacific Theater. Then-Major Shaw was the first American officer ashore, a unit commander in the U.S. Army's 361st Field Artillery Battalion of the 96th Infantry Division, nicknamed the Deadeyes. For the next three months their artillery proving decisive against a phantom enemy who had entrenched itself in the rugged, craggy island. This is his unprecedented soldier's-eye view of the Pacific War's bloodiest battle-- the climactic final land battle of World War II.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	940.54252 SHA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Lake Elmo Library	940.54252 SHA	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"A gritty, first-person account. ... One can hear Shaw's voice as if he were sitting beside you." --Wall Street Journal

An unforgettable soldier's-eye view of the Pacific War's bloodiest battle, by the first American officer ashore Okinawa.

On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, 1.5 million men gathered aboard 1,500 Allied ships off the coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa. The men were there to launch the largest amphibious assault on the Pacific Theater. War planners expected an 80 percent casualty rate.

The first American officer ashore was then-Major Art Shaw (1920-2020), a unit commander in the U.S. Army's 361st Field Artillery Battalion of the 96th Infantry Division, nicknamed the Deadeyes. For the next three months, Shaw and his men served near the front lines of the Pacific's costliest battle, their artillery proving decisive against a phantom enemy who had entrenched itself in the rugged, craggy island.

Over eighty-two days, the Allies fought the Japanese army in a campaign that would claim more than 150,000 human lives. When the final calculations were made, the Deadeyes were estimated to have killed 37,763 of the enemy. The 361st Field Artillery Battalion had played a crucial role in the victory. The campaign would be the last major battle of World War II and a key pivot point leading to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and to the Japanese surrender in August, two months after the siege's end.

Filled with extraordinary details, Shaw's gripping account gives lasting testimony to the courage and bravery displayed by so many on the hills of Okinawa.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The retired Shaw, a former unit commander in the U.S. Army's 361st Artillery Battalion, debuts with a comprehensive and action-packed memoir of the Battle of Okinawa. Considered the last stepping stone for the Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands, Okinawa hosted nearly 100,000 Japanese ground troops and local draftees. Shaw claims to have been "the first actual fighting man" to set foot on the island, on April 1, 1945; the next morning, the 96th Infantry and eight other army and marine infantry divisions came ashore. The initial beach landings were unopposed, but as Shaw's field artillery unit and the 96th Infantry advanced further inland, they encountered stiff resistance from Japanese forces dug into heavily fortified positions. Shaw served as his unit's reconnaissance officer and visited the front lines regularly, where he witnessed fierce hand-to-hand combat and nighttime ambushes by Japanese fighters. As a unit commander, he also took part in the strategic planning behind the Allies' advance. This dual perspective gives the book a wide-angled view that's unusual in a soldier's battle memoir. Though the reconstructed dialogue occasionally rings false (" 'Hara-kiri is an ancient form of the ultimate surrender in the Japanese art of war,' I said"), this account gives a satisfying presentation of the bloodiest battle in the Pacific Theater of WWII. (Mar.)

Kirkus Review

A memoir of World War II's last great battle by an officer who is now 99.Shaw was a field artillery unit commander already bloodied by the 1944 invasion of the Philippines when his unit landed on Okinawa on April 1, 1945. The immense invasion, the most expansive amphibious assault of the Pacific War (1,500 Allied ships and 1.5 million soldiers), came ashore meeting no resistance, which was the result of deceiving the Japanese, according to the author. In fact, the Japanese had given up defending beachesas they had abandoned mass banzai chargesbecause it didn't work. They had deeply fortified part of the island and prepared to fight to the death. Moving inland, the troops encountered resistance after a few days, and here the narrative records nearly three months of brutal combat that killed more than 100,000 Japanese soldiers, 10,000 Americans, and far more Okinawan civilians. Shaw often scouted ahead of his battery, observing frontline infantry in action. His purported duty was to direct artillery fire, but readers expecting to learn the experiences of a WWII forward observer will discover that this is mostly a literary device. In the text, co-written by Wise, Shaw is the omniscient observer describing the murderous battles of his division down to company and platoon level across the island. The author also offers his eyewitness account of the suicides of the defeated Japanese generals and descriptions of regular trips to the rear to record deliberations of the senior commanders and chat with his men. The result is a docudrama with invented dialogue and action that must be at least partly fictionalized because it's unlikely Shaw could have witnessed so much, not to mention remember it.A vivid re-creation of a campaign so vicious that the soldiers involved rejoiced when they heard about Hiroshima. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal Review

April 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa (April 1, 1945-June 22, 1945). For the United States, taking control of the Japanese island was critical to reaching the mainland, but the hilly and woody terrain and experienced Japanese military resistance presented challenges. As a 25-five-year-old field artillery commander (361st Artillery, 96th Division), Shaw was one of the first U.S. officers to land on the beaches. When the battle ended, he and his men had experienced 82 days of fighting. The first day many units lost half of their men. After nearly three months of combat, more than 10,000 Americans and many more Japanese lost their lives. Two years ago, at 97, Shaw told his story to veteran World War II writer Wise; included are accounts of repeated acts of heroism and astonishing attacks. Shaw tells how victory was uncertain until the very end. VERDICT World War II aficionados will love this book.--David Keymer, Cleveland

Maps
Allied Invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa	p. x-xi
Okinawa, April 1-8, 1945	p. xii-xiii
Okinawa, April 9-June 30, 1945	p. xiv-xv
Authors' Note	p. xvii
Prologue: Prelude to Battle	p. 1
1 Okinawa	p. 9
2 Surprises Ahead	p. 17
3 Settling In	p. 24
4 The Enemy Emerges	p. 29
5 Coming Ashore	p. 36
6 A Price to be Paid	p. 44
7 Sharpening the Focus	p. 50
8 The Snakes Come Slithering In	p. 55
9 Trudging On	p. 61
10 The End of the Honeymoon	p. 66
11 No Rest for the Weary	p. 71
12 Dark Days	p. 77
13 Tombstones Everywhere	p. 82
14 Cactus Hill Coming Up	p. 88
15 Cutting the Cactus	p. 93
16 Time Out	p. 99
17 Tragedy on the Ridge	p. 105
18 Slaughter	p. 112
19 The Struggle to Escape	p. 118
20 Bravery Unequaled	p. 124
21 Valor	p. 130
22 No Letup in Sight	p. 135
23 A Storm Unabated	p. 140
24 Darkness Descends	p. 147
25 In The Dead Of Night	p. 152
26 While No One Sleeps	p. 157
27 What Next?	p. 162
Starting Over: The Next Phase
28 The Next Step	p. 167
29 Struggling On	p. 172
30 Nonstop!	p. 177
31 Clearing the Crags	p. 183
32 Going On	p. 187
33 The Escarpment	p. 193
34 One More Hill to Climb	p. 199
35 Onward and Upward	p. 204
36 Deadly Deadeyes	p. 209
37 Endless Struggle	p. 214
38 Digging In	p. 220
39 Making Do	p. 226
40 Plowing Ahead	p. 231
41 Disaster	p. 237
42 Conical Hill	p. 244
43 No Chivalry Left	p. 250
44 Monsoon Season	p. 256
45 The Lost Platoon	p. 262
46 Air Strikes	p. 272
47 Stalemate	p. 278
48 Rolling On	p. 285
49 The Big Apple	p. 290
50 The Home Stretch	p. 296
51 The Final Battle	p. 302
52 The Bomb	p. 307
53 The Road Home	p. 313
54 Morning Comes Again	p. 322
Acknowledgments	p. 333
Index	p. 335

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Summary

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Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Library Journal Review

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