Saipan

The Battle that Doomed Japan in World War II

By: James H. Hallas

Narrated by: Tim Dixon

Length: 22 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

The story of the Battle of Saipan has it all. Marines at war: on Pacific beaches, in hellish volcanic landscapes in places like Purple Heart Ridge, Death Valley, and Hell's Pocket, under a commander known as "Howlin' Mad." Naval combat: carriers battling carriers from afar, fighters downing Japanese aircraft, submarines sinking carriers. Marine-army rivalry. Fanatical Japanese defense and resistance. A turning point of the Pacific War. James Hallas reconstructs the full panorama of Saipan in a way that no recent chronicler of the battle has done. In its comprehensiveness, attention to detail, scope of research, and ultimate focus on the men who fought and won the battle on the beaches and at and above the sea, it rivals Richard Frank's modern classic Guadalcanal. This is the definitive military history of the Battle of Saipan.

©2019 Rowman & Littlefield (P)2019 Rowman & Littlefield

Outstanding!

I have read several books that cover the campaign for Saipan. This book was by far the best. It blended both Japanese and American perspectives and everything from the individual soldier or sailor to the admiral/ general concerned with grand strategy. Strong recommendation

An absolute masterfully account of battle

Impossible to stop listening to. Relentless in its retelling of a battle just as relentless in its cacophony of horror, bloodshed, valiant heroism, and absolute confusion of the U.S. marines who withstood the Japanese onslaught and dooming the Empire of the Sun. The narrator ratio is very easy to listen to with a tone that holds your attention to the end. Highly recommended.

The beginning of the end

The battle of Saipan was a crucial battle in many ways. The destruction of the last great attempt of the Japanese navy and the hard but doomed stand of their men on the ground would help lead to the final defeat of japan, though many bloody battles would come. The author does a great job and his narrative is good. I really enjoyed this one. But also the focus on the tragic ends of many civilians and soldiers in both sides was sobering and I’m glad I know of it.

Overall great book and great narration

Incredible

Easily one of the best purchases I've ever made on Audible. the narrator was great, the writing was exemplary, and the story was riveting, informative, and horrifying

Like Being in the Thick of Battle

Amazingly detailed account of how the US Army, Navy, and Marines wrested control of one small island from Japan, with war-altering results. You are there, grinding yard by yard through murderous gun and mortar fire, or plummeting down on enemy ships as air bursts riddle your dive bomber. On the island comes a final convulsive Japanese armor and infantry attack when heads literally roll and thousands choose suicide over surrender, all told foxhole to foxhole. This is among the best histories of the Pacific war ever written.

"How It's Made" Guy Tells You About Saipan

While long and sometimes muddled by the sheer numbers and statistics of the battle for Saipan, this book is a sobering reminder of why war is so terrible, and why we should all be a little more compassionate with one another.

This was a really good book

This book was very good with rich detail about a WW II battle that, while not fogotten, gets overshadowed by other events. its full of personal stories of everyday people caught up in the battle. if I had one criticism (and it would be slight) it would be that so many of the Americans were portrayed almost as movie star heros. the type of heroic actions you'd see in an John Wayne movie. "They found him after the battle out of ammunition with 25 dead Japanese arrayed aound him" type of stories. while this was undoubtedly the case in many instances the book seems to have too many. other than that its a great listen that helps fill some detail for a little understood WW II battle.

Great story

The story is well written and detailed. Unfortunately the detail, such as nick names, while adding color sometimes slows down the narrative. Overall, my vote is to keep them in bbut be prepared to enjoy the story slowly but in depth.

An eye-opening book

I have read a great deal about World War II and World War I and spent most of my time on the European theater probably 20% on the Pacific theater. This was an absolutely eye-opening revelation of the true horrors of war



I’ve had a couple relatives who served in new European theater in Korea and Vietnam the difference in what they thought was a war war the other side cared for life enough to recognize losing more serve no purpose.

Do you understand an enemy or an opposition that embraces death similar to what we’re seeing now in Afghanistan and Iraq is the fight an enemy that in no way values life the way you do in this book was the most eye-opening book of the inversion meant of HAL you might think you’ve seen it but you know that even in your mind you cannot see the horror of people coming at you with bamboo sticks sharpen anything and just overwhelming you to the point where machine gun fire is not effective,

My stepfather was at the chosen reservoir and him and his comrade a brick in the royal Marines instead of two men shooting it was a passing of a rifle so they can lay more continuous fire down and those weapons got so hot that the wood lit on fire and even with two or three machine guns going at one time on either side of them they still got overwhelmed and went hand to hand most people could never understand how are human wave can overrun the best of weapons there’s no stopping it when they come at you in the hundreds and thousands

This book illustrates that type of combat where there is absolutely no stopping the wave of bodies and they will overrun you and they will kill you God bless every man and woman who served in the Pacific theater and let us recognize them more than what we do with those who served in the European theater

Outstanding

One of the finest narratives I have come across about the war in the pacific.

Narrator is excellent

Historical information and military strategies is woven into incredibly personal stories and recollections of veterans of the pivotal battle of Pacific war.

Brilliant

Finished it in two days as I could not bring myself to put it down. This is a must read for anyone interested in the War in the Pacific. Harrowing and sad but a superb rendering of what happened on Saipan in 1944. Excellent narration.