Reviews Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947 by D . M. Giangreco (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 2009, 4 16pp, illus, maps, appen, no tes, index, ISBN 978- 15911 -43 16- 1; $36.95hc) One of th e greatest "What Ifs" in histo ry concerns the end of the Seco nd W orld War and the pro posed Am erican invasion of Japan . Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of j apan, 1945-1947 is no t counter-factual history but uses primary source material to lay o ut what bo th the Japanese and Allied high commands
expected to incur with a full-fl edged invasion of the H om e Islands. The read er will be captivated by the back-and-forth between the two sides as the author plays out the invasion and compares the Allied offensive plans with Japanese defensive preparations. Giangreco's work adds to the growing literature on this topic, including Richard Frank's Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire (1999) and Tho mas Allen and Norman Polmar's Code-Name Downfall: The Secret Plan To Invade Jap an- And Why Truman D ropped the Bomb (1 995). W here Hell to Pay makes new inroads is the use of primary source m a terial from both American and Japanese sources and weaving the story of the invasion into the larger context of the global n ature of the Second World War. These insights include an in-depth analysis of American casualry figures in the year leading up to th e expected invasion, and then projected losses as a result of the invas ion . During the peak of SEA HISTORY 134, SPRING 2 011
fighting in 1944-45, the US Ar my alo ne was losing an average of 65,000 soldiers killed, wounded o r missing each m o nth, necessitating an increase in the call-up of draftees . Additionally, the war in Euro pe and the final stra tegy by the wes tern Al lies not to push o n to Berlin is seen in a new light, as the need to pull American troo ps out of Europe and shift them to the Pacific. Perhaps the most chilling revelatio n has to deal with proj ected casual ti es and losses. D. M . G iangreco details the surge in medical capaciry in the Pacific to deal with these contingencies . Ir is the attention to details that separates Hell to Pay from previous wo rks. The autho r examines the effort to tran sport the US First Army from Europe to the Pacific, drawing parallels with Japa nese efforts to successfull y redeploy the Kwantung Army from China, notwithstanding the American ae rial and submarine blockade of the Home Island. W hile the Americans planned to storm ashore on beaches nam ed for major automakers, the Japanese correctly estimated the proposed landing sites o n the islands of Kyushu (O peratio n O lympic). The image of carnage on O m aha Beach would have paled in comparison to those of Beaches Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth. The latter landing o n H o nshu (O peration Coronet) seem s even grimmer. American plans involved the use of two armored divisions, transferred from Europe, staging a breakout and surrounding the capital of Tokyo. Yet, none of the 5,000 road bridges in Japan could handle any vehicle the size or weight of not only American tanks, bur m ost trucks-an oversight by the planners that could have spelled disaster in 1946. Hell to Pay provides a unique insight into the closing days of the Second Wo rld War. W hile the focus is on the Americans and Japanese, and there is little m ention of the role of the British or Soviets, projected uses of atomic weapons and American and Japanese plans are closely examined . W ith extensive m aps, endnotes, and a detailed appendix, D. M. G iangreco provides an excellent addition to the historiography on the subject fo r both the professional and the enthusiast. SALVATORE M ERCO GL!ANO, PttD Campbell Universiry Buies C reek, No rth Carolina
Iron Ore Transport on the Great Lakes: The Development of a Delivery System to Feed American Industry by W. Bruce Bowlus (McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 2010, 272pp, photos, bi blio, notes, index, ISBN 978-0-7864-3326-1; $45pb) In merchant shi pping cargo is king, and o n the Great Lakes the most impo rtant cargo is iron o re. In this detailed academic study, Great Lakes historian W. Bruce Bowlus examines the development of the maritime tra nsportatio n system that fed the American steel industry. In particular, Bowlus is concerned with Lake Superio r and the Soo Locks that con nected this lake Historic , antique U.S. , ¡ Coast Survey maps ~ from the 180 0s Original lithographs , most American seaports and shores. Reprints, too. Unique framed , great gi fts. Catalog , $ 1.00 . Specify area .
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