Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45
by: Max Hastings
List Price: $35.00
Prices subject to change.
Price: $23.10
You Save: $11.90 (34%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Description:
Hailed in Britain as “Spectacular . . . Searingly powerful” (Andrew Roberts, The Sunday Telegraph), a riveting, impeccably informed chronicle of the final year of the Pacific war. In his critically acclaimed Armageddon, Hastings detailed the last twelve months of the struggle for Germany. Here, in what can be considered a companion volume, he covers the horrific story of the war against Japan.
By the summer of 1944 it was clear that Japan’s defeat was inevitable, but how the drive to victory would be achieved remained to be seen. The ensuing drama—that ended in Japan’s utter devastation—was acted out across the vast stage of Asia, with massive clashes of naval and air forces, fighting through jungles, and barbarities by an apparently incomprehensible foe. In recounting the saga of this time and place, Max Hastings gives us incisive portraits of the theater’s key figures—MacArthur, Nimitz, Mountbatten, Chiang Kai-shek, Mao, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. But he is equally adept in his portrayals of the ordinary soldiers and sailors—American, British, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese—caught in some of the war’s bloodiest campaigns.
With unprecedented insight, Hastings discusses Japan’s war against China, now all but forgotten in the West, MacArthur’s follies in the Philippines, the Marines at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and the Soviet blitzkrieg in Manchuria. He analyzes the decision-making process that led to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—which, he convincingly argues, ultimately saved lives. Finally, he delves into the Japanese wartime mind-set, which caused an otherwise civilized society to carry out atrocities that haunt the nation to this day.
Retribution is a brilliant telling of an epic conflict from a master military historian at the height of his powers.
Hailed in Britain as “Spectacular . . . Searingly powerful” (Andrew Roberts, The Sunday Telegraph), a riveting, impeccably informed chronicle of the final year of the Pacific war. In his critically acclaimed Armageddon, Hastings detailed the last twelve months of the struggle for Germany. Here, in what can be considered a companion volume, he covers the horrific story of the war against Japan.
By the summer of 1944 it was clear that Japan’s defeat was inevitable, but how the drive to victory would be achieved remained to be seen. The ensuing drama—that ended in Japan’s utter devastation—was acted out across the vast stage of Asia, with massive clashes of naval and air forces, fighting through jungles, and barbarities by an apparently incomprehensible foe. In recounting the saga of this time and place, Max Hastings gives us incisive portraits of the theater’s key figures—MacArthur, Nimitz, Mountbatten, Chiang Kai-shek, Mao, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. But he is equally adept in his portrayals of the ordinary soldiers and sailors—American, British, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese—caught in some of the war’s bloodiest campaigns.
With unprecedented insight, Hastings discusses Japan’s war against China, now all but forgotten in the West, MacArthur’s follies in the Philippines, the Marines at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and the Soviet blitzkrieg in Manchuria. He analyzes the decision-making process that led to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—which, he convincingly argues, ultimately saved lives. Finally, he delves into the Japanese wartime mind-set, which caused an otherwise civilized society to carry out atrocities that haunt the nation to this day.
Retribution is a brilliant telling of an epic conflict from a master military historian at the height of his powers.
Alternate Versions:
Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category:
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Ten things I learned about the War from Max Hastings
10 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MAX HASTINGS.
My dad, a navy captain, and my two uncles, fighter pilots, fought bravely in the Pacific War. I can't express how much I admired them growing up. After the War, when I was ten years old,I can remember them sitting at our kitchen table complaining bitterly about Hirohito, holding that he should have been dragged from his palace kicking and hanged publicly in 1945.Max Hastings, though not a war monger, makes it clear why they were right to complain. ... Read More
Rating: 
- Comprehensive...no stone left unturned
I have just finished reading Max Hastings' Retribution and found it an exciting read. As always, Hastings draws on inexhaustible resources from every nation involved - this book is very well researched.
I also found Hastings to be quite objective in dealing with respective armies and leaders, regardless of their nation of origin - I'm Australian and he gave them a right seeing to...and I enjoyed every word.
Hastings answered many of my questions regarding the later Pacific ... Read More
Rating: - History as You never learned it
This is an excellent history book on how the Pacific War -WWII was conducted and why.You won't put it down.it is certainly NOT the American press version.why did we get into the situations we did with China, Viet Nam, Korea and why doesn't Japan own up to their actions??
read it and find out... then lets see if we can learn from it
Rating: - Even Better Than Armageddon
Certainly, Max Hastings is one of the premier military historians of our times.So for anyone with even a slight interest in the subject, a Max Hastings book is going to be like catnip. So what thought, or useful advice can I offer anyone contemplating purchasing "Retribution"?It's only this -- it's even better than Armageddon.
Why this should be, I cannot say with any degree of certainly.Can one unspeakably horrific world conflagration be inherently more compelling than another?I ... Read More
Rating: - History from the gound - Where it should be
"Retribution" by Max Hastings is superb work that primarily focuses on the last year of the WWII conflict in the Asian theater.Making "Retribution" unique is the focus on the individuals involved, and not just on the political and military leaders.There is a lot of detail about the battles and combat situations throughout the entire Asian theater during the last year of conflict in this book.Hastings gathered original sources from interviews of soldiers & sailors, comfort girls, and by researching ... Read More
- Ten things I learned about the War from Max Hastings10 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MAX HASTINGS.
My dad, a navy captain, and my two uncles, fighter pilots, fought bravely in the Pacific War. I can't express how much I admired them growing up. After the War, when I was ten years old,I can remember them sitting at our kitchen table complaining bitterly about Hirohito, holding that he should have been dragged from his palace kicking and hanged publicly in 1945.Max Hastings, though not a war monger, makes it clear why they were right to complain. ... Read More
- Comprehensive...no stone left unturnedI have just finished reading Max Hastings' Retribution and found it an exciting read. As always, Hastings draws on inexhaustible resources from every nation involved - this book is very well researched.
I also found Hastings to be quite objective in dealing with respective armies and leaders, regardless of their nation of origin - I'm Australian and he gave them a right seeing to...and I enjoyed every word.
Hastings answered many of my questions regarding the later Pacific ... Read More
- History as You never learned itThis is an excellent history book on how the Pacific War -WWII was conducted and why.You won't put it down.it is certainly NOT the American press version.why did we get into the situations we did with China, Viet Nam, Korea and why doesn't Japan own up to their actions??
read it and find out... then lets see if we can learn from it
- Even Better Than ArmageddonCertainly, Max Hastings is one of the premier military historians of our times.So for anyone with even a slight interest in the subject, a Max Hastings book is going to be like catnip. So what thought, or useful advice can I offer anyone contemplating purchasing "Retribution"?It's only this -- it's even better than Armageddon.
Why this should be, I cannot say with any degree of certainly.Can one unspeakably horrific world conflagration be inherently more compelling than another?I ... Read More
- History from the gound - Where it should be"Retribution" by Max Hastings is superb work that primarily focuses on the last year of the WWII conflict in the Asian theater.Making "Retribution" unique is the focus on the individuals involved, and not just on the political and military leaders.There is a lot of detail about the battles and combat situations throughout the entire Asian theater during the last year of conflict in this book.Hastings gathered original sources from interviews of soldiers & sailors, comfort girls, and by researching ... Read More
