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.

Great story! Very detailed!

The narration on this story was excellent. He was easy to understand and the volume and tempo were perfect and in time with the tempo of the story. Overall, the story was told well and worth every penny or credit spent. I'm a WWII history buff and I cross referenced the events in this book to events told in other events and found they matched as close as could be expected. 5 Stars!

Incredible

EXCELLENT narration by Tom Dixon. One of the most engaging audiobooks I've ever listened to.

Very good

My Great Uncle, Sgt Francis Myers was at Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima with the 4th Marine Division, 3 Battalion, 25th Regiment, Kilo Company. I have a DVD of him discussing his experiences and he attended the 232nd Marine Corps Birthday Ball with me. He was treated very well. Hope other enjoy.

~ Semper Fidelis

Echos of My Father

My dad never talked about his time on Saipan, so books like this have to suffice. this was an excellent examination of a horrible battle. it was easy to follow, and ended with a somber reminder that even after the war is over, the battles sometimes never end.

All those names made this very personal.

Put this campaign in a prospective that made much of the Pacific more whole. Brought to me echoes of stories my father told of the issues he faced.

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.

I appreciated learning about

The sacrifice of our soldiers was very great and we shouldn’t forget how much they gave

Amazing history and personal experiences

This is one of the best war historical novels I have ever read. It presents the history from both the Japanese and American side and in the end demonstrates exactly why America had to use the atom bomb.