At the same time, submarine sinkings in other histories have been generally portrayed without the context of on-going campaigns by other forces. These reports became the basis for SpruanceвЂ™s battle plans in the First Battle of the Philippine Sea. By mid-1944, US submarines regularly reported Japanese fleet movements. Throughout the campaign, submarine reconnaissance played a more significant role than usually portrayed by those books documenting submarine operations during the war. His report of these discussions, set against the backdrop of the slaughter on Saipan arising from the Japanese suicidal mindset cemented the decision to use every means possible to avoid the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands.

This part of HornfischerвЂ™s story details aviation technology and development, bureaucratic maneuverings and expands into a discussion of the reasoning behind the use of the bomb against Japan on one side and the insistence of the Japanese military clique to fight to the last person on the other. Saved from court martial by General Jimmy Doolittle, Tibbets was summarily dispatched to create and lead a squadron of B-29 bombers dedicated to the delivery of the atomic bombs. TibbetвЂ™s story starts with being fired in North Africa for facing down and embarrassing then Colonel Lauris Norstad over bombing a heavily protected port at low level. The air bombardment of Japan-based in the Marianas is the end point of the story of Paul Tibbets вЂ“ eventually pilot of Enola Gay, the Hiroshima bomber. This was a battle, not of generals and colonels, but according to Hornfischer, of вЂњSecond Lieutenants and sergeants pushing their men forward into caves.вЂќ Although not as bloody, Tinian and Guam were easier to describe. The fighting in the central highlands of Saipan was platoon based, hand to hand, with little room for maneuver or deception. The unit integrity muddied even before the completion of the landing phase, with the Japanese resistance skillful and desperately fanatical. Those ashore on Saipan defy comprehension because the topography was so difficult. The naval maneuvers are straightforward and easy to follow. This history focused on people and tactics, both at sea and land: all fought for the strategic aim of bringing JapanвЂ™s Home Islands under aerial bombardment by long-range bombers built for that purpose. The shock of witnessing вЂњвЂ¦the horror of women, children, whole families leaping to their death from high cliffs into the seaвЂќ directly influenced American decisions leading to using the atomic bombs. Inoculated with fear and hatred of their enemy with their military leadership projecting their misconduct in the Rape of Nanking onto the Americans, many Japanese civilians preferred suicide over surrender. The battle ashore was dirty, ferocious and difficult against an enemy that neither gave nor asked for quarter. The centerpiece is the fanaticism of the Japanese. The characters chosen reflect the wider attitudes and behaviors of the compatriots. The narrative is salted with personal recollections and impressions of individuals on both sides. His focus is limited: starting on how the Marianas were targeted in the first place вЂ“ to provide a base for the Army Air Forces to bombard the Japanese Home Islands вЂ“ through the opening phases of the occupation of Japan. Using the Marianas Campaign as the canvas, he paints portraits not just of flag officers but individual officers, Sailors, Marines and Soldiers on both sides with skill in this overarching tale of the end of the Pacific war. Hornfischer has done it again! Crafting a historical narrative that is a вЂњpage turnerвЂќ featuring personalities and decisions as well as crisp commentary that is not always complimentary to his subjects, he brings the scenes of battle to life.

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