| 82 Days on Okinawa: One American's Unforgettable Firsthand Account of the Pacific War's Greatest Battle Contributor(s): Shaw, Art (Author), Wise, Robert L. (Author) |
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ISBN: 006297887X ISBN-13: 9780062978875 Publisher: Harper Large Print OUR PRICE: $27.89 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2020 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Military - Biography & Autobiography | Personal Memoirs |
| Dewey: 940.542 |
| Physical Information: 1.1" H x 5.9" W x 9" (0.90 lbs) 448 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1940's |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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 amphib-ious 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. |
Contributor Bio(s): Shaw, Art: - COLONEL ARTHUR "ART" SHAW (RET.) was a Field Artillery Unit Commander for the 361st Artillery Battalion of the 96th Division during the battles for Leyte and Okinawa. His numerous medals include the Bronze Star. He reached the rank of Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army and was appointed full Colonel as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. His wife, Jean, passed away in 2002 after sixty years of marriage. Now ninety-nine years old, Colonel Shaw lives in Oklahoma City. Wise, Robert L.: -ROBERT L. WISE is the author of 34 books, including five which cover the World War II period. |