82 Days on Okinawa - by Art Shaw & Robert L Wise (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"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.

Review Quotes

"A comprehensive and action-packed memoir of the Battle of Okinawa...This dual perspective gives the book a wide-angled view that's unusual in a soldier's battle memoir...a satisfying presentation of the bloodiest battle in the Pacific Theater of WWII." - Publishers Weekly
"A vivid re-creation of a campaign so vicious that the soldiers involved rejoiced when they heard about Hiroshima." - Kirkus Reviews
"A gritty, first-person account remembered from the vantage point of 75 years later. One can hear Shaw's voice as if he were sitting beside you reminiscing through misty eyes about the defining moments of his youth." - Wall Street Journal
"World War II aficionados will love this book." - Library Journal
"82 Days on Okinawa is a personal view of war that is heartfelt and poignant. Col. Shaw's account of the day-to-day grind brings new life to the historical record. His reflections of home and his longing to return, interspersed with the upcoming engagements, make for an impactful narrative. A fine autobiography/history book for all to enjoy." - Portland Book Review