To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945

For many of those familiar with the last months of World War II in the Pacific, the focus is often upon the legendary battles of the US Marine Corps like Iwo Jima, or the B-29 bombing campaign against Japan that concluded with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Historian John McManus evens the score and rights several gaps in historical knowledge by telling the tale of the U.S. Army’s combat during the last eight months of the Pacific war in his latest book, “To the End of the Earth: the U.S. Army and The Downfall of Japan, 1945."In this, the third book in his trilogy on the U.S. Army in the Pacific during the Second World War, McManus again masterfully combines the imperatives of the strategic and operational levels of war with a realistic vision of what it was like at the grunt’s-eye view of combat.By early 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur had succeeded in ensuring that US military efforts in the Pacific would focus on the liberation of the Philippines. The next phase of that campaign would be the invasion of Luzon. In freeing Luzon, McArthur would also be liberating the city that was the closest thing to a hometown that he ever had, Manila, the "Pearl of the Orient."It may come as a surprise to some readers to learn that MacArthur's was not the only large ego in the South Western Pacific area: his to Army commanders, Walter Krueger and Robert Eichelberger, lowest each other intensely and viewed each other do a highly negative lens. The initial invasion of Luzon proved largely successful, despite MacArthur's growing irritation with Krueger's methodical, slower manner of conducting the campaign versus Eichelberger’s more Pattonesque drive and style. Among the high points of the Luzon campaign recounted by McManus are the joyous liberations of several POW and civilian detainee camps.Yet, the effort to free Manila turned into weeks of unbridled savagery and atrocity. Its Japanese defenders not only violated orders to leave Manila an open city; they fought to the bitter end and decided to level the city and kill as many Filipino civilians as possible. McManus's recounting of the horrors of this urban battle pulls no punches.After the liberation of Manila, many more months of challenging and often savage actions remained to be fought across the Philippines. Here, McManus fills in many gaps occasionally left open by other historians of the war in the Pacific. McManus provides an eye-opening accounting of the heroism and the grittiness of combat that remained for numerous Army divisions, regiments and battalions beyond Manila and during the liberation of the Philippines’ southernmost islands.Next, McManus reviews another often-neglected theater of the Asia-Pacific war, China. With the departure of the cantankerous but skillful "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, his successor, Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, took on the role of being not only the advisor to Chiang Kai-shek's military, but of also reporting back to Washington as to the true nature and course of China's war against the Japanese. Much like Stilwell, Wedemeyer soon learned that there was not one war, but three wars, effectively taking place. McManus lays out very effectively the nature and consequences of this internecine warfare.As MacArthur's advance through the Philippines continued, his forces drew closer to linking up with the central Pacific drive so effectively managed by Navy Adm. Chester Nimitz. The Army's next critical campaign would be the invasion of the Ryukyu island group, its principal island of Okinawa. Its Japanese defenders had taken to heart the lessons learned from all prior US invasions of other islands and garrisons across the Pacific.As this was the first in the outer ring of Japan's home island group, American planners knew that Okinawa would be fought for tooth and nail. They were not mistaken. While the Marine Corps’ efforts on this island often receive greater prominence, McManus also reminds us that an entire army (U.S. X Army) was devoted to taking the island, and numerous US Army divisions participated in the lengthy campaign to secure Okinawa.Once Okinawa was finally secured, the Army now faced planning for a potential invasion of Japan in autumn 1945. McManus does a superb job in laying out what these plans entailed. Likewise, he considers the plight of the Army’s POWs trapped in Japanese custody and the travails that they suffered before their freedom with V–J Day, and MacArthur’s surrender proceedings on the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.As in his previous books, McManus amply provides a highly readable, fast-paced, well-rounded and deeply researched look at all aspects of what it took for the U.S. Army to fight throughout the course of the Pacific theater. From a review of the incredible logistical needs and preparations necessary to wage war thousands of miles away from the United States; to the characters and personalities of the Army's leaders in the Pacific; to the perspectives of the average “dogface soldier,” "To the End of the Earth" is a tour de force performance. It is a superlative ending to McManus’s trilogy, and it should not be missed by readers of military history or by those wishing to learn more about the hard realities of World War II in the Pacific.

I am an unabashed John McManus fan. For me he represents the very best of what WWII scholarship can be here in the 21st century. This trilogy is absolutely brilliant! Though his research is impeccable, I especially like what John does because of the incredibly insightful context he gives his stories. The scope of his books, and especially this one, goes FAR beyond who fought where and when. I think John's books hold a special appeal to younger readers who may not be so aware of the conditions surrounding this war. For me it is essential that I understand what else was happening when these actions were being taken. Every page here is a gem.

"To the end of the Earth" is the concluding volume of John MacManus' superb trilogy on the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II. It goes a long way towards balancing the historical accounts in giving the U.S. Army fair credit for doing the majority of the fighting, and the dying, in the Pacific. Along the way, the author provides a fascinating portrait of Army leaders and soldiers in action in the Philippines and Okinawa.The author has a pungent writing style. He has also a gift for humanizing leaders now remote from memory. Thus, MacArthur and his generals get a firm but fair evaluation under difficult circumstances. At the same time, the author demonstrates, again, that wartime does not pause the blood sport of Army general officer politics.Perhaps the most moving portion of the book is a look at the fates of the principal leaders after the war. Like their troops, many struggled to adjust to post-war lives, and some enjoyed only a small portion of the peace. Very well recommended to students of the Second World War in the Pacific.

In this volume John McManus wraps up his history of the US Army in the Asia-Pacific War. I was initially disappointed that the focus was less tactical than in the previous volumes, but realized that, given the subject matter included the Luzon/Manila Campaign, the Okinawa Campaign, clearing the smaller Philippine Islands, and activities in Burma/China, the tighter focus would be impossible for a single volume. I feel the Battle of Manila still requires fuller study by someone. McManus does develop, in more detail than I have previously seen, the pros, cons, and involved personalities of the proposed second amphibious invasion of Okinawa to turn/weaken the Shuri Line. Great attention is paid to the personalities and actions of the General Officers on both sides. Liberation of Allied POWs and preparations for the surrender/occupation are also treated. The book is well worth the cost,

Never realized what a major campaign the invasion of the Philippines amounted to. Glad Truman removed MacArther during the Korean War. The author had a nice touch discussing the post war lives of the commanding officers

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A fitting end to a trilogy masterpiece. Well researched and written. Able to bridge the gap from high-level strategy to ground level suffering and heroism.

Undoubtedly the best book on US Army involvement in the Pacific War in WW2. Author John McManus doesn’t disappoint in providing this masterpiece. He deals in great details of facts that other books just mention in passing. All students of WW2 should enjoy this book I know I did.

Less detailed and expansive than preceding volumes in the trilogy. Written as if he just wanted to get it over with.