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... yours to count on 42
Okinawa 1945: Final Assault on the Empire, by Simon Foster (Arms and Armour Press, London ENG, 1994, l 92pp, 84 photos, charts , notes, biblio, index, ISBN 1-85409- 195-6; £ 17.99hc) Di stributed by Sterling Publi shing Co ., Inc., New York NY; $24.95 hc. The invasion of Okinawa in April 1945 was a large and highl y comp lex amphibious operation. To succeed, the sea and air arms of the United States and Royal Navies had to obtain and retain command of the seas around Okinawa and the thousands-of-mi les-long logistical chain supporting it. Planes from the navy's portabl e airfie lds, the fast carriers of Task Force 58, had to estab li sh and maintain air support for the gro und forces ashore until sufficie nt airfields could be captured to take over with land-based aircraft. The cost in lives and materiel was dear. Okinawa 1945, a scholarly and readable battle monograph by the British author Simon Foster, concentrates o n the naval aspects of the battle for Okinawa, the last stop o n the Americans' three-year-long is land hopping Pacific attack track before invading Japan itself. "The gro und war-bitter though it was-was a foregone conclu sion ," Foster argues, hypothesizing that " it was at sea that the outcome of the in vasion would be decided ." He then guides his readers through twelve data-charged chapters that flow effortless ly toward his conclusion . While maintaining a blessed minimum of notes , Foster' s content validates hi s extensive research into American, British, Japanese, and other repositories. "The air war over Okinawa soon developed into a g rim battle of attrition ," he evaluates, si nce "the Kikusui attacks were very difficult to counter. Any pilot who had decided to kill himself cou ld hit a ship unless shot down. " These suicide attacks were indisputably the most seriou s problem facing the A llied carriers: "Eighteen ships were damaged by suicide weapons, although the Americans gradua ll y maste red the threat." Foster points out that " instances of damage by more conventional means were few ," and then outli nes an often unconsidered factor in carrieroperations-the shortage ofmanpowerotherthan air c rew. During the entire month of April , Hornet operated 175 men short of complement, " a serious problem for a ship engaged in twenty-four-hour flying operations. " The exp loits of the carrier force were
incredible. " Operating thousand s of miles from their base, they had provided an umbrella over the landing force . .. and had reached out and struck the Japanese in their homeland. " Foster cone!udes: "The operations of these carri ers are a potent illu stration of the flexibility and strikin g power of carrier Tas k Groups. " The destruction of the world ' s largest battlesh ip, the Yamato , was a significant s idebar to the Okinawa invasion story. Postwar observations have established h er wreckage in 200 fa th oms at I 28 °04'W, 30°43'N . The importance of he r sink ing-she was the last battleship to go to the bottom in combat-l ies in the fact that she was a victim of air power, "the weapon which had supplanted the capital ship as the dominant naval force. " After detailing the logistical operation that provided the foundation for "Operation Iceberg" the invasion 's code name, in Chapter 10, the author tips his hat to the British carrier force. Under all but in su rmountable logistical shortages and inadequate repair fac ilities, the Royal Navy Pacific fl eet successfu ll y g uarded the left flank of the invas ion. The British Prime Minister provided the ultimate accolade for the battle of Okinawa: The strength and w illpower, devotion a nd technical resources applied by the United States to this task , joined with the death strugg le of the enemy . .. place thi s battle among the most inte nse and famou s in military hi story. We make o ur sa lute to a ll your troops and their commande rs e ngaged. But Churchill, despite hi s way with words, is outdone by Foster. Very seldom has a battle monograph provided so much detailed information whil e maintaining such a captivating story-line. W. M. P. DUNNE, PHO Suffolk Community College Riverhead , New York Conversations with Cannibals: The End of the Old South Pacific, by Michael Krieger (Ecco Press/WW Norton, New York NY, 1994, 291 pp, illus, appen, index, ISBN 0-88001-360-5 ; $23hc) The vast stretches of the Pacific harbor an a m azing variety of people, is landers seared and blasted by bomb and she ll in World War II, and by the sudden, artifi cial riches dumped on them and snatched away by intruders from a SEA HISTORY 73 , SPRING 1995