The Fall of Japan

This book chronicles, in great detail, the last month of the War. The first few chapters are about the fire bombing of Tokyo and the Atomic bombs. The majority of the book about the officers coup, that attempted to prevent a surrender. It also details the treatment of prisoners by Japan. I liked it enough that I will probably read his book on Stalingrad. One small problem: the book has many print errors.

Insightful, in depth look of the Japanese government during it's last days of WW11. Not only does it give you an inside look of it's leadership, it also uncovers for the reader the psychological make-up of it's people and it's old world traditions, especially it's view of life and sucide. I first read this book 33 years ago, when I was in my early twentys. Today, the journey through it's pages are just as exciting.

William Craig is an excellent and in my view underappreciated military historian. His book "Enemy at the Gates," is an appalling account of the battle of Stalingrad that captures the abject horror of that campaign. In "The Fall of Japan," he gives us the end of World War Two from the perspective of both the Japanese and American belligerants. The writing is crisp and he brings the story alive through the eyes of those who lived it. Particularly well described is effect of the Atomic bombs and the decision by the Japanese emperor to overrule custom and insist that the war be ended. With this book, Craig deserves a place alongside such excellent military historians as John Toland and Stephen Ambrose.

You can't tell a book by its cover nor its prologue. I almost did not read this book due to the poor prologue. Pages, or at least paragraphs, were missing between xi and xii, xiii and xix, and paragraps were repeated on xii and xiii. That said, Mr. Craig did a masterful job of describing the end of the Japanese war machine. Having spent four years in Japan and touring many of the cities discussed, including the Nagasaki peace park, I beleive Craig captured the the true complexity of the Jananese.