What do you think?
Rate this book
Okinawa: The Last Battle
As the war in the Pacific progressed, the United States and Allied troops fought the Japanese in places like New Guinea and the Marshall Islands, as they made their way closer to Japan’s mainland. Okinawa was the intended base for the planned invasion of Japan. The Japanese, however, were entrenched, and the U.S. and Allied forces found themselves in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Over 100,000 Japanese soldiers, 50,000 U.S. and Allied troops, and more than 100,000 civilians lost their lives during this epic eighty-two-day battle.
From Operation ICEBERG (the invasion of Okinawa) and the invasion of the Ryukyus to the fall of Shuri, The Last Battle offers eyewitness accounts by four U.S. Army combat historians. From their stories, faithfully reported here, learn how American soldiers softened up the Japanese targets before invading the Ryukyus. Read how supply operations, evacuations, and base developments were established. And, learn what it was like to be in battle. With over 200 black-and-white photos, charts, and maps, The Last Battle is the book for anyone who wants to know what the war in the Pacific was really like.
From Operation ICEBERG (the invasion of Okinawa) and the invasion of the Ryukyus to the fall of Shuri, The Last Battle offers eyewitness accounts by four U.S. Army combat historians. From their stories, faithfully reported here, learn how American soldiers softened up the Japanese targets before invading the Ryukyus. Read how supply operations, evacuations, and base developments were established. And, learn what it was like to be in battle. With over 200 black-and-white photos, charts, and maps, The Last Battle is the book for anyone who wants to know what the war in the Pacific was really like.
530 pages, Paperback
Published March 16, 2011
577 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Roy Edgar Appleman
17 books6 followersA graduate of Ohio State University, Roy Edgar Appleman earned an A.M. at Columbia University in 1935. In 1936, he began a career as a historian with the National Park Service, retiring as chief, Branch of Park History Studies, Washington Office in 1970.
During World War II, Appleman served as an Army officer and combat historian with the Tenth Army on Okinawa. He was a lieutenant colonel with the X Corp during the Korean War. He wrote the volume on the Okinawa campaign for the Army Green Book series on World War II, and the first volume in the U.S. Army's official history of the Korean War.
During World War II, Appleman served as an Army officer and combat historian with the Tenth Army on Okinawa. He was a lieutenant colonel with the X Corp during the Korean War. He wrote the volume on the Okinawa campaign for the Army Green Book series on World War II, and the first volume in the U.S. Army's official history of the Korean War.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 24, 2021
Published in 1948 "Okinawa: The Last Battle" was actually the first book of the U.S. Army's official history of world War II. The reason is simple and logical. By the final year of WWII (1945) the U.S. Army (as well as the other branches) had it's history section up and running. Historians were assigned to all the various commands and were busy observing and documenting.
Planning for the invasion of Okinawa began in the Fall of 1944 and ,unlike earlier operations, the Army's historians were there at the beginning. As the memos and staff briefs were printed and disseminated the historians were provided their copies. There was no catching up, looking for rumored briefs and misplaced command memos. When the physical invasion began on April 1, 1945 the historians were there as well; conducting interviews days (sometimes mere hours) after an action was complete, walking the ground (relatively) soon after an action ended, attending mission briefs, staff meetings and listening to officers give operation orders. As a result there was a mountain of information that had to be sorted and culled when the campaign ended, but there wasn't as much to do in the way of research (i.e. investigating). The result was that the last major land battle of World War II was the subject of the first book; a scant couple years after the war ended.
Though Roy Appleman is credited as the author of this substantial work it is stated in the introduction that he functioned as an editor-in-chief and that several U.S. Army historians (to include Mr. Appleman) contributed to the history. If one cares to know who those other historians were I advise looking at the book's details.
This is a substantial and highly detailed account. It is an official Army history and not a popular history. It's aimed at officers; the individuals who are tasked with not only leading, but managing combat operations. As a result this is not a book which delves into the psychological and spiritual damage that war can inflict. It focuses on the technical aspects of warfare: logistics, tactics, strategy and so forth. There is mention of small units and individual soldiers of course, but more to show how the leadership interacted with the troops. This is large history intended to teach and enlighten the men (it was still men going into war in the late Forties) who lead troops into battle. The amazing thing is that this a very readable official history that has been printed for casual (non-military) readers many times over the years.
I've read some of the official U.S. Army histories and I must admit that more than a few are as interesting as watching paint dry. However, there are some excellent works and this is one of them. Though written over seventy years ago it flows, educates and held my interest. It has numerous photos and maps and also provides detailed information as to what the Japanese were doing as well. Decades later historians have possession of information that was unknown (or at least yet to be discovered) to the men whose various contributions make up this account, but regardless of that it's very readable.
Planning for the invasion of Okinawa began in the Fall of 1944 and ,unlike earlier operations, the Army's historians were there at the beginning. As the memos and staff briefs were printed and disseminated the historians were provided their copies. There was no catching up, looking for rumored briefs and misplaced command memos. When the physical invasion began on April 1, 1945 the historians were there as well; conducting interviews days (sometimes mere hours) after an action was complete, walking the ground (relatively) soon after an action ended, attending mission briefs, staff meetings and listening to officers give operation orders. As a result there was a mountain of information that had to be sorted and culled when the campaign ended, but there wasn't as much to do in the way of research (i.e. investigating). The result was that the last major land battle of World War II was the subject of the first book; a scant couple years after the war ended.
Though Roy Appleman is credited as the author of this substantial work it is stated in the introduction that he functioned as an editor-in-chief and that several U.S. Army historians (to include Mr. Appleman) contributed to the history. If one cares to know who those other historians were I advise looking at the book's details.
This is a substantial and highly detailed account. It is an official Army history and not a popular history. It's aimed at officers; the individuals who are tasked with not only leading, but managing combat operations. As a result this is not a book which delves into the psychological and spiritual damage that war can inflict. It focuses on the technical aspects of warfare: logistics, tactics, strategy and so forth. There is mention of small units and individual soldiers of course, but more to show how the leadership interacted with the troops. This is large history intended to teach and enlighten the men (it was still men going into war in the late Forties) who lead troops into battle. The amazing thing is that this a very readable official history that has been printed for casual (non-military) readers many times over the years.
I've read some of the official U.S. Army histories and I must admit that more than a few are as interesting as watching paint dry. However, there are some excellent works and this is one of them. Though written over seventy years ago it flows, educates and held my interest. It has numerous photos and maps and also provides detailed information as to what the Japanese were doing as well. Decades later historians have possession of information that was unknown (or at least yet to be discovered) to the men whose various contributions make up this account, but regardless of that it's very readable.
February 28, 2018
Truly a great historical account of this devastatingly, bloody battle.
I’ve always wondered why Iwo Jima receives all the accolades when Okinawa was anything but a sideshow to the War in the Pacific. This was the most horrific three month campaign the Army, Navy and Marines were thrust into.
When we read about the Pacific theater, we think about the Marines and that’s about it. I am not trying denigrate this excellent branch of our military by any means. But it if weren’t for the army, the capture of this island would not have been possible. The army troops fought side by side with their comrades in arms and bled just as much. They showed courage, cunning, valor and honor all through this terrible battle.
For anyone who doesn’t believe we should have dropped the bomb on Nagasaki or Hiroshima, you must read this book. Okinawa is roughly 600 hundred square miles. We killed 110,000 troops at a loss of 49,000 casualties. Lost over 700 hundred planes and had almost 400 ships sunk and damaged. The battle took three months. Can you imagine the casualties we would have sustained going in the islands of Japan? Okinawa, but European standards had been blown off the face of the Earth by naval, air and artillery fire and still, the Japanese were not defeated. Or men had to dig them out yard by yard. The accounts in this book show exactly how fanatical and determined the enemy and civilians were to not giving up.
If you haven’t figured out by now, this is a great story written by the Army right after the battle. The only drawback is the editing. I don’t understand what the hell is going on with the publishing houses! This book is packed with them. But I’ll be damned if I was going to let that get in the way of this great story.
Who will like this? Any and all World War Two historians and novices.
Four Stars
I’ve always wondered why Iwo Jima receives all the accolades when Okinawa was anything but a sideshow to the War in the Pacific. This was the most horrific three month campaign the Army, Navy and Marines were thrust into.
When we read about the Pacific theater, we think about the Marines and that’s about it. I am not trying denigrate this excellent branch of our military by any means. But it if weren’t for the army, the capture of this island would not have been possible. The army troops fought side by side with their comrades in arms and bled just as much. They showed courage, cunning, valor and honor all through this terrible battle.
For anyone who doesn’t believe we should have dropped the bomb on Nagasaki or Hiroshima, you must read this book. Okinawa is roughly 600 hundred square miles. We killed 110,000 troops at a loss of 49,000 casualties. Lost over 700 hundred planes and had almost 400 ships sunk and damaged. The battle took three months. Can you imagine the casualties we would have sustained going in the islands of Japan? Okinawa, but European standards had been blown off the face of the Earth by naval, air and artillery fire and still, the Japanese were not defeated. Or men had to dig them out yard by yard. The accounts in this book show exactly how fanatical and determined the enemy and civilians were to not giving up.
If you haven’t figured out by now, this is a great story written by the Army right after the battle. The only drawback is the editing. I don’t understand what the hell is going on with the publishing houses! This book is packed with them. But I’ll be damned if I was going to let that get in the way of this great story.
Who will like this? Any and all World War Two historians and novices.
Four Stars
June 30, 2018
Five stars because all that detail was readable
Post Wwii I was stationed on okinawa four years. Discovered the natives to be likeable thru a game one the very oldest I encountered allowed me to observe he and a friend spent playing. I understood it to be called "go". Simple enough that even I understood how to play, but it took me many hours of watching to begin to understand the logic involved and before I was invited to play a game. I did not learn the language, just the rules of the game. It was a fascinating experience. I was truly honored after I finally won a game. After reading "the last battle" it became obvious that the old men I was hanging out with were likely very Active participants in the Last battle. The natives today once again ,live under the Japanese flag. It is too bad because as a people they could teach us a great deal, especially about eating a diet largely of rice, fish, and vegetables.
Post Wwii I was stationed on okinawa four years. Discovered the natives to be likeable thru a game one the very oldest I encountered allowed me to observe he and a friend spent playing. I understood it to be called "go". Simple enough that even I understood how to play, but it took me many hours of watching to begin to understand the logic involved and before I was invited to play a game. I did not learn the language, just the rules of the game. It was a fascinating experience. I was truly honored after I finally won a game. After reading "the last battle" it became obvious that the old men I was hanging out with were likely very Active participants in the Last battle. The natives today once again ,live under the Japanese flag. It is too bad because as a people they could teach us a great deal, especially about eating a diet largely of rice, fish, and vegetables.
December 18, 2017
World War II Story
This the best, the most organized of any relating a battle I have read. Unfortunately, there are many errors in the text. It describes the terrain, the battles, along with individual actions and the actions of those who won the Congressional Medal of Honor. I did not know that t the battle of Okinawa was so hard fought
This the best, the most organized of any relating a battle I have read. Unfortunately, there are many errors in the text. It describes the terrain, the battles, along with individual actions and the actions of those who won the Congressional Medal of Honor. I did not know that t the battle of Okinawa was so hard fought
January 26, 2019
This history of the World War II battle for Okinawa is mainly written by US Army historians although the US Marines' role is discussed. It deals mostly with the higher level of command but does add another perspective of the battle to take the island.
June 13, 2018
I am rating the Kindle version, otherwise it would have been a 5 star. Probably the best Kindle military history book I have purchased. Got this one for .99 too. Contrary to my last review of a Kindle book for military history, this one was outstanding. The only downgrade was because there were no pictures. The maps were good, you could blow them up to see them well, and they were still readable. As far as the book itself goes, well it is outstanding. It is an operational history, so while there is a good amount of detail, and a few anecdotes, it focuses on the larger view of the battle. It was compiled by the armed forces and is pretty complete, including operations against the outlying islands, supply issues, and tactics. I would highly recommend this book in any form.
March 12, 2018
Wow. I did not know that this battle was so very gruesome. There may have been too much detail, but when I came to the parts I was most interested, the detail was appropriate. I was also under the impression that the Marines had more success. In this instance, the Japanese fought both the Army and the Marines to almost daily failures. The good news is the perseverance shown by our troops. These men make me proud to be an American. The Japanese also showed their worth as a foe. I think that the decision to use the atomic bomb was appropriate considering how the battles would have been if we had to invade Japan. Excellent book based on the content.
April 17, 2025
This is probably the best book I've read on the Battle of Okinawa. The narrative does a great job of balancing the views of the leadership of both sides as well as providing insight and perspectives of the common soldiers. A flaw with my pdf copy of the book is that there are a lot of unit and spelling errors. I wonder if a printed copy has these issues. The maps were also quite hard to read and follow.
On the other hand, this book mentions many towns and villages that other titles never did. They always gave the impression that the island was basically the city of Naha and little else. One aspect that is quite interesting is that this was written in 1948 and hasn't been qualitatively surpassed since by other authors who undoubtedly had access to this very title.
On the other hand, this book mentions many towns and villages that other titles never did. They always gave the impression that the island was basically the city of Naha and little else. One aspect that is quite interesting is that this was written in 1948 and hasn't been qualitatively surpassed since by other authors who undoubtedly had access to this very title.
December 19, 2019
It was an ok read. It probably would be more interesting for someone who is familiar with all of the military ordnance and equipment. The first 50 pages were a brutal read and I almost stopped. It did become better after that, but even then, it was just ok. To me, the largest reason was that the authors were from the government military and not ones who write for a living. It was very matter of fact.
May 31, 2024
Okinawa, the Last Battleground
Very thorough report of the Okinawa Campaign by the American Marines, Army, and Navy! The fanatical resistance by the Japanese forces was very tragic and futile. The invasion of the Home Island would lijkely be very costly of Allied Lives! Thank goodness the Japanese Emperor surrendered and saved so many lives. The Samurai Code doomed so many to death for no logical purpose!
Very thorough report of the Okinawa Campaign by the American Marines, Army, and Navy! The fanatical resistance by the Japanese forces was very tragic and futile. The invasion of the Home Island would lijkely be very costly of Allied Lives! Thank goodness the Japanese Emperor surrendered and saved so many lives. The Samurai Code doomed so many to death for no logical purpose!
October 21, 2018
Because the book was written in such detail, It took about the same time to read as the battle took the US forces to tale Okinawa. It might be valuable to Command and Staff students to study, but for just casual readers to learn what happened, it was tedious reading. It was almost as boring as Chernow's book, Grant, but thankfully not as long.
July 11, 2019
Colonel Appleman Knows His Military Like No Other Author!
This book tells the story of the bloody Okinawa campaign like no other. I was a Marine on “Okie” in 1959 and locals were still dying form unexplored ordnance. We were nearly killed on White Beach by an 8” shell in the surf that started smoking when disturbed...
This book tells the story of the bloody Okinawa campaign like no other. I was a Marine on “Okie” in 1959 and locals were still dying form unexplored ordnance. We were nearly killed on White Beach by an 8” shell in the surf that started smoking when disturbed...
April 6, 2018
Technical and yet personal.
Technical and personal.
The people on both sides were fairly described, in their capabilities and supply abilities: man power and ammunitions.
Not my era, but educational.
Technical and personal.
The people on both sides were fairly described, in their capabilities and supply abilities: man power and ammunitions.
Not my era, but educational.
August 24, 2018
Exhaustively detailed chronicle of Army action during the Battle of Okinawa. A must read for scholars of American military history. On
e drawback, however. Photos are of poor quality, often too faded or puffy to make sense of. Still, I would recommend it just as it is.
e drawback, however. Photos are of poor quality, often too faded or puffy to make sense of. Still, I would recommend it just as it is.
May 9, 2020
Way too many typos. In addition, I could not get the links to the footnotes and maps to work. The maps failure led to lots of Google searches so I could figure out where they were.
This is a slow read and extremely detailed.
This is a slow read and extremely detailed.
Read
June 4, 2020I served part of my mission on this beautiful island
I wish this book was available while I was there for the six months...to be able to learn facts from accurate historical sources would have enhanced my observations of an island I learned to love.
I wish this book was available while I was there for the six months...to be able to learn facts from accurate historical sources would have enhanced my observations of an island I learned to love.
November 16, 2020
First time reading about this battle.
Chose this rating as I had never read much about Okinawa or true battle for it. So much lost of life and so many wounded seems a shame that wars have to happen and so many young men have to give up everything to end out.
Chose this rating as I had never read much about Okinawa or true battle for it. So much lost of life and so many wounded seems a shame that wars have to happen and so many young men have to give up everything to end out.
December 25, 2023
Like most of the Green Books, the book tends towards dryness. However, there is no better book for understanding the how, what, when, where, and why of the campaign at both operational and tactical levels.
January 23, 2024
The detail in this first Army History, published in 1948 is extraordinary. My father served with the 1st Marine division, 7th Marine regiment and later served in China following the end of the war. The maps and detail allow one to follow each of the units throughout the battle of Okinawa.
January 30, 2018
Good book!
I felt that it was too detailed when naming each and every company and squad in each conflict. Good book.
I felt that it was too detailed when naming each and every company and squad in each conflict. Good book.
February 11, 2018
Very detailed account of the battle. The vicious nature of the day to day combat very evident in this account. The spirit and courage of the troops on both side is remarkable.
March 4, 2018
Excellent well written account of the last Battle with Japan in the second world war,what a traumatic story for America & Japan and the young lives lost for the Greed of a few .
May 22, 2018
Excellent
Excellent book for those who wants the facts and tactics with a few stories mixed in. I recommend this book.
Excellent book for those who wants the facts and tactics with a few stories mixed in. I recommend this book.
March 1, 2019
Great book
This is a very good book. As a lover of WWI history O truly enjoy this book. It told an indept
This is a very good book. As a lover of WWI history O truly enjoy this book. It told an indept
March 18, 2019
Fascinating! He was there, he dodged the bullets. If your question about Okinawa is "What was it like?" — this is the book you should read.
March 24, 2020
Excellent story was well written and kept me coming back to continue the book, it was fairly long but the material keep meeting my desire to continue. Would like to read more of this author’s work
January 4, 2021
Great history of the battle
Very detailed history of the battle from every service perspective. I enjoyed it very much. My father in law was there.
Very detailed history of the battle from every service perspective. I enjoyed it very much. My father in law was there.
November 29, 2021
Excessive Boring Minutia
I found this book a bit of a bore as it contained an overload of minutia and redundant, boring info. There are better books on this battr.
I found this book a bit of a bore as it contained an overload of minutia and redundant, boring info. There are better books on this battr.
stopped-reading-didn-t-finish
April 28, 2023This was too technical and dry for me, at least as an audiobook. Stopped listening 1/4 in.
February 15, 2018
The book is very interesting and difficult to sit down once started reading has a lot of interesting facts concerning geography and history a strong book for information. The only thing I didn’t care for was the maps were to small and light to be ale to see.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews