To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945

Pacific War Trilogy #3

by John C. McManus

From the liberation of the Philippines to the Japanese surrender, the final volume of John C. McManus's trilogy on the US Army in the Pacific War

The dawn of 1945 finds a US Army at its peak in the Pacific. Allied victory over Japan is all but assured. The only question is how many more months—or years—of fight does the enemy have left. John C. McManus’s magisterial series, described by the Wall Street Journal as being “as vast and splendid as Rick Atkinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Liberation Trilogy,” returns with this brilliant final volume. On the island of Luzon, a months-long stand-off between US and Japanese troops finally breaks open, as American soldiers push into Manila, while paratroopers capture nearby Corregidor. The Philippines are soon liberated, and Allied warlords turn their eyes to Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Japanese home islands themselves. Readers will walk in the boots of American soldiers and officers, braving intense heat, rampant disease, and a by-now suicidal enemy, determined to kill as many opponents as possible before defeat. At the same time, this outstanding narrative lays bare the titanic ego and ambition of the Pacific War’s greatest general, Douglas MacArthur, and the complex challenges he faced in Japan’s unconditional surrender and America’s lengthy occupation.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, World War II, Military Fiction, American History, War

436 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2023

About the author

John C. McManus is an author, military historian and award-winning professor of military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He is one of America’s leading experts on the history of modern American soldiers in combat.

Reviews

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weakest of the trilogy. Unsure what happened but there seemed to be quite a few more Marine combat quotes about Iwo and Oki than Army sources? A disappointing end to what's been an excellent series in the first two volumes.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To the end of the Earth" is the final volume of John MacManus' ground-breaking trilogy on the U.S. Army during World War II in the Pacific. MacManus's work gives the U.S. Army fair credit for doing the majority of the hard fighting in the Pacific. The author provides a fascinating portrait of Army leaders and soldiers in action, giving fair balance between GIs and high-ranking generals. Readers accustomed to books focusing on the valor of the US Marines in their fights for Iwo Jima and other islands will enjoy this story of the US Army as well. A fine work of historical scholarship written in a totally accessible style. Highly recommended!

[Richard Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book

Undoubtedly the best book on US Army involvement in the Pacific War in WW2. Author John McManus doesn’t disappoint in providing this masterpiece. He deals in great details of facts that other books just mention in passing. All students of WW2 should enjoy this book I know I did.

[David Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished John McManus’ trilogy , To The End of the Earth: The U.S. Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945. A tremendously well researched book that strives and succeeds in giving both high level view with leaders of the significance of Admiral Chester Nimitz, General Douglas MacArthur, General Robert Eichelberg and General Walter Krueger, General Albert Wedemeyer, down to the individual experience of foot soldiers, a well ad U.S. POW’s. McManus also goes into great detail of Japanese leadership and the experience of the common soldier, Filipino’s, and other indigenous people.

The focus of of the trilogy and the book is the war of the U.as. Army in the Pacific largely but not completely under Douglas MacArthur in the SWPA.

The book starts with the invasion of Luzon in the Philippines and the hard fought battle for Manila, describing in great building to building and block to block urban warfare and the continuing battle of attrition to take and begin pacification of the Philippines.

McManus then continues with the ongoing war in the Chinese and Burmese theaters, the completion of the Ledo Road which allowed for land based supplying of China and the war between the Japanese, China Kai Shek and the Nationalist forces and the Chinese Communists under Mao Tse Tung and the U.S. General Albert Wedemeyer.

The final major offensive on the SWPA is the the taking of Okinawa and the surrounding land in preparation for what is projected to be the invasion of Japan under Operation Olympic and Coronet. A invasion largely begun under General Simon Bolivar Buckner until his death and replacement by General Joe Still recently the leader of the CBI Theater until replaced by General Albert Wedemeyer. The invasion of Okinawa was largely a defensive battle by the Japanese added by the coral geographic features added to by the digging of the Japanese to make this a slow slogging, costly, ridge to ridge and cave to cave fight by infantrymen, tanks, flamethrowers and explosives. This cost.y battle added to the psychology which made the dropping of the atomic bomb all but guaranteed.

The book concludes with the signing of the instruments of peace on the Battleship Missouri followed by an epilogue dealing with the postwar for the common soldiers and the leading generals of the Pacific.

McManus continues the trend of presenting both big picture and small unit histories which are incredibly detailed and readable. A 5 star history of the army in the South West Pacific Area Theatre.

[Marshall Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third volume of a brilliant trilogy on the U.S. Army’s war in the Pacific in WW II. Their role in the island hopping Pacific campaigns is often overshadowed by that of the Marines (and I am a Marine), but the Army made more amphibious landings and suffered far more casualties than did my service. Although the Army-Marine Corps rivalry continues to this day, it is worthwhile to note that soldiers and Marines fought shoulder to shoulder in both the first and last ground battles of the war - Guadalcanal and Okinawa!

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was all set to give this (fairly recent) book four stars. It’s well written, though it covers the same ground as dozens of other books, with puzzling omissions (such as not mentioning the Atomic Bombs).

It does have some interesting quotes, such as from the diary of a Japanese soldier: “When shall I see those American beasts? If I expend all my ammunition, I shall attack and kill them by my Japanese spirit alone. If my bayonet breaks, I’ll assault and kill them anyhow. If my rifle breaks, I will bite them in the throat.” Which leads to an American soldier, hearing a Japanese soldier surrendering saying “I know the Geneva Convention. You are required to care for all the wounded,” responding, “Piss on you, Shithead,” and shooting the Japanese to death.

But then the book mentions a case where the wife of an occupation soldier (a full Colonel) stabbed and killed her husband, was convicted of premeditated murder by a military court, and sentenced to life at hard labor. The book says the Supreme Court in Kinsella v. Krueger, 351 U.S. 470 (1956), declared that civilians could not be subject to military justice. It’s been 45 years since I read that case. But it says the opposite: it affirmed the conviction of the dependent spouse under military trial. Id., at 477-80.

If the book gets one thing that I vaguely remember but can check, wrong, what else is erroneous?

[SCOTT and karen geller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

A fitting end to a trilogy masterpiece. Well researched and written. Able to bridge the gap from high-level strategy to ground level suffering and heroism.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book. The author is knowledgeable and the detail in this book was amazing. My favorite part of the book was the human side presented of Gen. Douglas Macarthur, who's and what he went through during this time. The one drawback in this work is that the chapters are EXTREMELY long, and sometimes I felt like I was getting a bit lost as it was sometimes difficult to find a pausing point in my reading. It also made me hesitant to pick it up and restart due to the lack of stopping points.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested on this time during WWII.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and interesting novel of the US Army’s actions in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. The book contains great first hand accounts and discusses both the military and politics behind the scenes. The description of the action was discussed from both the US and Japanese viewpoints which provided a unique insight to the various campaigns. A great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you want to read a book about the US Army’s effort in fighting World War Two in Asia and the Pacific? This is written by a capable military historian; the author John McManus is the professor of military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. I actually did not realize that this is the final volume in a three volume trilogy and I supposed this shows how the volume is meaningful even if it is a stand alone reading. I think this is a must-read for those who love World War Two history and the Pacific theatre; and the author’s point is right on with how there’s a need for more of the US Army account of their efforts in the Pacific since often general readers know about the Pacific theatre more with the effort of the Marines and the Navy. Some can have the wrong idea to think that the Pacific was largely won by these two services when the reality is the US Army played a big role with the fight and victory in the Pacific.
This is such a large topic and went from the Myanmar/Burma road building project, the Philippines, China and Okinawa, Japan. I found it fascinating with how the author is able to weave in stories of individual soldiers fighting the war as grunts, to prisoners of war in the Philippines and also the account of military leadership of officers and generals. Interesting to me is the account of the surrender of the Japanese and the Japanese surprised at how merciful the Americans were to them. The details are fascinating of how the surrender ceremony took place in USS Missouri.
There’s so much details in the book that I can’t capture it all in this review. I can only recommend this to others. It led me, a Marine veteran, to appreciate the enormous contribution of the US Army in the Pacific. I plan now to read the other two earlier volume in this trilogy.

[Checkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion to John McManus's Pacific War trilogy. Well written and supplied with numerous photos and maps. However, it is approximately 100 pages shorter than its predecessors and doesn't have all the details about units and less well-known operations. Perhaps that is because the last nine months of WWII in the Pacific (I'm speaking about the U.S. Army) involved massive operations in relatively more compact locations (Okinawa and Philippines) instead of dozens of operations covering thousands of miles from Burma to the Aleutian Islands. The Battle of Okinawa and the Liberation of the Philippines involved U.S. Army field armies and dozens of infantry divisions. Those two operations have also been very well documented over the past eighty years so there really isn't any new ground for Mr. McManus to break.

The end product is a well written big picture historical account that will hold one's attention but is akin to watching a favorite movie for the tenth time. Basically "To the End of the Earth" is comfort food for the history buff though somebody who knows little about the role of the U.S. Army in the Pacific and Asia during World War II will find it educational as well as engrossing.

Despite my relatively minor grievances it's a well-done account and Mr. McManus' Pacific War Trilogy is sitting on the same shelf with Rick Atkinsons Liberation Trilogy.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrow.

The third in the series ends how the first started: a little weaker, and overshadowed by the excellent second in the series.

Always a little short to warrant its own entire book, this is mainly the story of Okinawa and a long long long epilogue.

[Jeremy Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final volume of McManus' U.S. Army Pacific Odyssey. A majority of this covers the liberation of the Philippines and the final ground campaign of Okinawa. Towards the end of this book, McManus covers indepth the planning for a mainland invasion of Japan, the surrender of Japan, and Post-War Asia.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending to a great trilogy

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

In January 1945, no one knew what would happen. There was no notion that the war would finally be over. Instead there was a resolve to continue the grind of the war until victory could be obtained. In To the End of the Earth, John McManus finishes the tale of the U.S. Army in the Pacific that he started in Fire and Fortitude.

McManus opens with General McArthur's invasion Luzon in the Philippines and the march across the island to liberate Manila and the POWs on the island while keeping Japanese forces pinned in the mountains. Next up is changes in China with General Wedemeyer replacing General Stilwell and the completion of the Burma Road that provided a narrow land route for supplies to reach China from India. The third major front was Okinawa where the U.S. Army and Marines faced a determined enemy who had a plan to bleed American forces as much as they possibly could. The final act has McManus taking a last look at American POWs located in Japan, Korea, and elsewhere as Truman takes over and decides to use weapons rather than blood to end the war. McManus closes the book by following some of the well-known names into their lives after the end of the war.

In To the End of the Earth, John McManus brings his trilogy to a fitting close. Throughout these three books, McManus provides the broad scope of the battles while using individual stories to highlight often overlooked details. All too often, the U.S. Marines get the glory when talking about World War II in the Pacific. But the Marines could never have succeeded without the help of the U.S. Army. In this trilogy, the U.S. Army gets its due!

[William Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon completion of John C. McManus' "To the End of the Earth: The U.S. Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945" (provided me in the form of an ARC by the publisher, the PENGUIN GROUP of Dutton Publishing), I am pleased to report that my initial response to this rather engrossing text is quite favorable. As the title makes clear, the focus is on the U.S, Army and its role in the final battles against the Japanese Empire (as opposed to the Navy or the Marines). What I found most entertaining is that while I am familiar with many of the events and personalities described, the author's view is balanced and nuanced in a way that sets this book apart. My best example is in his approach to the singular figure of Douglas MacArthur. The author does not downplay MacArthur's hubris or any of his other well documented shortcomings, but he nonetheless evinces an understanding of some of the core values that drove MacArthur, for example in his insistence on returning to the Philippines. The book begins with the Liberation of the Philippines, with a close focus on the tragic devastation of Manila in a battle that may not have even been necessary.. Here, the author's empathy with MacArthur's position as he fought to seize a city he loved and knew intimately even as his assault triggered a holocaust reminiscent of Japanese behavior in China, is clearly in evidence. Later, we see another side of MacArthur in his perhaps harsh prosecution of General Yamashita, overall commander on the ground of Imperial forces in the Philippines (again, the author's balance can be seen in his clear understanding that this man was not responsible directly for many of the things he was blamed for, indeed he clearly attempted, unsuccessfully, to rein in the Japanese admiral directly responsible for the bloodbath in Manila where Naval Infantry made up the great bulk of the defenders/perpetrators). The book follows the intense struggle for the Philippine capital city with an almost anti-climactic narrative of the U.S. Army's role in the remaining island assaults setting the stage for the final collapse of Japan. Interestingly, the Epilogue is one of the most fascinating parts of the book as we look at long term consequences in South East Asia and China as things played out following Japan's occupation. The book's strengths include considerable time looking at logistical and medical factors in play as well as a lot of tabulated data reflecting the massive disproportion between the attacking American forces and their Japanese enemies. All in all, this book probably belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the final months of the war against Japan and its long term consequences.

[Jack H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many of those familiar with the last months of World War II in the Pacific, the focus is often upon the legendary battles of the US Marine Corps like Iwo Jima, or the B-29 bombing campaign against Japan that concluded with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Historian John McManus evens the score and rights several gaps in historical knowledge by telling the tale of the U.S. Army’s combat during the last eight months of the Pacific war in his latest book, “To the End of the Earth: the U.S. Army and The Downfall of Japan, 1945."

In this, the third book in his trilogy on the U.S. Army in the Pacific during the Second World War, McManus again masterfully combines the imperatives of the strategic and operational levels of war with a realistic vision of what it was like at the grunt’s-eye view of combat.

By early 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur had succeeded in ensuring that US military efforts in the Pacific would focus on the liberation of the Philippines, and not a drive towards Formosa (today's Taiwan). The next phase of that campaign would be the invasion of Luzon. In freeing Luzon, MacArthur would also be liberating the city that was the closest thing to a hometown that he ever had: Manila, the "Pearl of the Orient."

It may surprise some readers to learn that MacArthur's was not the only large ego in the South Western Pacific area: his two Army commanders, Walter Krueger and Robert Eichelberger, loathed each other intensely and viewed each other through a highly negative lens. The initial invasion of Luzon proved largely successful, despite MacArthur's growing irritation with Krueger's methodical, slower manner of conducting the campaign versus Eichelberger’s more Pattonesque drive and style. Among the high points of the Luzon campaign recounted by McManus are the joyous liberations of several POW and civilian detainee camps.

Yet, the effort to free Manila turned into weeks of unbridled savagery and atrocity. Its Japanese defenders not only violated orders to leave Manila an open city; they fought to the bitter end and decided to level the city and kill as many Filipino civilians as possible. McManus's recounting of the horrors of this urban battle pulls no punches.

After the liberation of Manila, many more months of challenging and often savage actions remained to be fought across the Philippines. Here, McManus fills in many gaps occasionally left open by other historians of the war in the Pacific. McManus provides an eye-opening accounting of the heroism and the grittiness of combat that remained for numerous Army divisions, regiments and battalions beyond Manila and during the liberation of the Philippines’ southernmost islands.

Next, McManus reviews another often-neglected theater of the Asia-Pacific war, China. With the departure of the cantankerous but skillful "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, his successor, Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, took on the role of being not only the advisor to Chiang Kai-shek's military, but of also reporting back to Washington as to the true nature and course of China's war against the Japanese. Much like Stilwell, Wedemeyer soon learned that there was not one war, but three wars, effectively taking place. McManus lays out very effectively the nature and consequences of this internecine warfare.

As MacArthur's advance through the Philippines continued, his forces drew closer to linking up with the central Pacific drive so effectively managed by Navy Adm. Chester Nimitz. The Army's next critical campaign would be the invasion of the Ryukyu island group, its principal island of Okinawa. Its Japanese defenders had taken to heart the lessons learned from all prior US invasions of other islands and garrisons across the Pacific.

As this was the first in the outer ring of Japan's home island group, American planners knew that Okinawa would be fought for tooth and nail. They were not mistaken. While the Marine Corps’ efforts on this island often receive greater prominence, McManus also reminds us that an entire army (U.S. X Army) was devoted to taking the island, and numerous US Army divisions participated in the lengthy campaign to secure Okinawa.

Once Okinawa was finally secured, the Army now faced planning for a potential invasion of Japan in autumn 1945. McManus does a superb job in laying out what these plans entailed. Likewise, he considers the plight of the Army’s POWs trapped in Japanese custody and the travails that they suffered before their freedom with V–J Day, and MacArthur’s surrender proceedings on the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.

As in his previous books, McManus amply provides a highly readable, fast-paced, well-rounded and deeply researched look at all aspects of what it took for the U.S. Army to fight throughout the course of the Pacific theater.

From a review of the incredible logistical needs and preparations necessary to wage war thousands of miles away from the United States; to the characters and personalities of the Army's leaders in the Pacific; to the perspectives of the average “dogface soldier,” "To the End of the Earth" is a tour de force performance. It is a superlative ending to McManus’s trilogy, and it should not be missed by readers of military history or by those wishing to learn more about the hard realities of World War II in the Pacific.

[Urey Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third volume of McManus’ trilogy relating the history of the US Army in the Pacific during WWII, and the “slimmest” of the three since there were really only two US Army battles of note in 1945 – the invasions of Luzon and Okinawa. Iwo Jima was a Marine Corps affair and thus mentioned in contextual passing, albeit with admiration and respect. There is a ‘sameness’ that characterizes McManus’ battle narratives across all three volumes. He writes with perception and a comprehensive knowledge of the sequences of a battle, the predicate conditions leading up to it and the strategic and tactical issues involving it. He is excellent describing and assessing the leadership on both sides, US and Japanese, in terms of personalities, character strengths and weaknesses, and performance under pressure – and for several, under fire. That is compelling and absorbing history.

Then he fleshes out each battle or campaign with extensive description of what it was like there, on the ground, for the combat soldier himself... and that is where the ‘sameness’ comes in, a dejà vu reading experience. He goes on at length describing the heat, the rain, the jungle (or the coral rock as the battles moved north of the equator), the diseases, the lack of sanitation, the mud, the malnutrition, the fatigue, death and decay, the stench of decomposition, the proliferation of corpses and the existential horror, the deaths and wounds and dismemberments... and in this segment of the telling, each battle or campaign is indistinguishable from any other one. What becomes patently apparent is that combat in the Pacific was horrific, and the scale of suffering and sacrifice was immense.

Of course, in this book focused on 1945, there are fewer battles to write about – only Luzon and Okinawa, really. The Luzon campaign is notable for the immensity of the US forces employed, but the narrative of the campaign is more of the “same” – it is interesting, but somewhat pedestrian in the telling, as perhaps could be said of the actual campaign. McManus’ narrative of Okinawa is stellar – you could argue it alone makes the book worth buying, especially when coupled with his chapter on the Japanese surrender and its implementation – also stellar, engrossing, fascinating. Of course, about halfway through the Okinawa chapter he again expounds on the experience of combat in the battle, and he again descends into that aura of ‘sameness’... a horrific experience, but indistinguishable in the narrative from all previous battles in the descriptions and accounts.

As mentioned above, McManus has a superb ability to examine and assess the various generals, admirals and support officers (both staff and combat leaders) that is exceptional, and exceptionally good reading. However, in the 1945 campaigns that are the focus of this book, the primary characters are unchanged from previous books – MacArthur, Nimitz (in passing – this is an Army book~!), Krueger, Eichelberger, Sutherland – leaving little new ground to plow for the reader. In fact, whereas McManus was rightly and severely critical of MacArthur’s enormous flaws of character, vanity, personal motivation and egocentric motivations, subordination of the larger war to his individual megalomaniacal ambitions, in this book he mentions those criticisms relatively briefly while going to greater lengths to applaud MacArthur as a gifted and effective leader. I am not sure that squares with reality – MacArthur was blessed with talented, effective and dedicated combat leaders in Krueger and Eichelberger (although he took personal credit for their successes), and he isolated himself from his troops and surrounded himself with sycophantic toadies who gratified his ego. Just like before. However, I do agree that MacArthur deserves enormous credit for his handling and implementation of the Japanese surrender, and subsequently for his handling of conquered Japan as Supreme Leader of the occupation. MacArthur deserves credit for the emergence of a modern Japan characterized by representative government, economic success and staunch alliance with the US. No small achievement, that.

One other aspect of the book bears mention – McManus goes off on flights of narrative impulse in between campaigns. He describes at length the immense logistical prowess of the US, trailing combat operations with vast stores of ammo, supplies, food, and conveniences building bases replete with recreational facilities, ice cream plants, PX stores and all the small luxuries and conveniences of American largess. Then he details at length life in liberated Manila – bars, prostitutes, black market economies – and a lengthy exposition on venereal disease rates and countermeasures - not sure how that augments the larger purpose of the book. He offers a lengthy and moving discussion of the POW experience as endured by Allied personnel at the hands of the Japanese. The death rate ran to 37%... terrible, outrageous and barbaric. And then finally, he offers an Epilog that relates the post-war histories of many of the principles of the Pacific War years. It is moving, interesting and a fitting end to this overall superb work of history.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

McManus details the efforts of the US Army in the Phillippines, Okinawa and the preparation to invade Japan's home islands. Bloody, costly, and personal this is the story of the American grunt.

Why I started this book: Convinced that I had read the other books in the series, I eagerly downloaded this one from the library.

Why I finished it: Even without reading the first two books, this is a fascinating history of U.S. Army in the Pacific. Great compliment to Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 trilogy about the Navy or The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945. McManus was more sympathetic to MacArthur than I had read recently... good to have a balance but also because of the Army sources he pulled from. And I thought that it was a touching and unique way to end the volume with the War Department's decision to offer families repatriation of fallen military members. By 1951, when the program ended more than 171,000 bodies had returned home and those remaining were reinterred in permanent overseas cemeteries like the one in Manilla. I had no idea about that program, and it's why I keep reading history books. There is always something more to learn.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book in John C. McManus’ masterful history of the US Army’s campaign in the Pacific in WW2 against the Japanese Imperial Empire is superb.
Informative, clear writing, precise statistics when called for, incisive evaluation of strategy and the generals who formed that strategy are to be expected in any history ( but not always present) . But in this book, and all that I have read by this author, he shows what that strategy and tactics meant to the GIs who fought in the mud and blood, and of the cost they paid. From the strain felt on the officers who put the plans into effect and saw the casualty count, to the private soldier who witnessed the horror of relentless warfare, there are times when this reader could only wonder at the courage and endurance of the GIs.
Beginning with the invasion of the Philippines major island , through the horrifying bloodbath on Okinawa, the the book delivers an epic picture of the final battle of that War. Okinawa, where the dug in IJA fought with suicidal determination presaged what an invasion of the home islands of Japan would cost to both sides in a final no- quarter battle. It answers all that one needs to know about using the atomic bombs.
This book and the entire series, are an absolute must for readers of world history

[James Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

John C. McManus' "To the End of the Earth: The U.S. Army and the Downfall of Japan" examines the U.S. Army's experiences in the Pacific War. In 1945, Allied victory over Japan was all but assured. The Imperial Japanese armed forces are diminished but capable of determined combat. The battle for the Philippines begins on January 9 with the invasion of Luzon. Capturing Manila, the Philippines' capital, is the desired goal. The fighting is bitter and bloody, but the Army prevails, and the battle ends on February 4. Completing the Stilwell Road construction in the China-Burma-India theater enables overland shipments from Ledo, India, to Kunming, China, complimenting aerial supply runs. The April 1 southern Okinawa invasion is an effort to gain control of the island as a stepping stone for a possible Japanese archipelago invasion. Fighting is incredibly vicious and brutal, concluding on June 30. The Japanese government accepted Allied surrender terms on August 15, with September 2 marking the formal surrender document signing ceremony. Professor McManus does a masterful job describing the U.S. Army's efforts to end the Pacific War. "To the End of the Earth" is a powerful conclusion to an excellent history trilogy.

[Bob Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I pick up a history book, I’m always looking to discover something new. My knowledge of the Pacific wars was limited to the Navy and Marines, but John McManus’s work broadened my understanding of the Army’s extensive role in the Pacific. His thorough research and objective evaluation of commanders and strategies were impressive, but what truly made the reading experience enjoyable was his engaging and entertaining writing style. It kept me engrossed in the narrative, making the historical details come alive. 

It’s with a tinge of regret that I bid farewell to John McManus’s comprehensive three-part work on the American Army in the Pacific. His final volume, “To the End of the Earth,” is a fitting conclusion to his prior two, leaving readers with a sense of satisfaction and a complete understanding of the Army’s role in the Pacific.

In this, the third book in his trilogy on the US Army in the Pacific during the Second World War, McManus again masterfully combines the imperatives of the strategic and operational levels of war with a realistic vision of what it was like at the grunt’s-eye view of combat.

[Elgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in McManus outstanding series on the Pacific War during WWII. Many themes laid out in the first two volumes continue here, including conflict between MacArthur's commanders, the toll on soldiers and sailors in landing and subdueing one island after another, and the horrific lives of POWs. McManus' descriptions of battlefield conditions (Manilla, Okinawa,etc.) really bring home the horrors of war for the GIs: poor food, inadequate water supplies, knee deep mud, the overwhelming stench of dead bodies rotting in the heat, maggots, rats, etc., not to mention the psychological toll and terror in fighting an enemy, all of whom are determine to fight to the death and take as many American lives as they can with them.

I also appreciated the pages in the epilogue describing the post-war lives of many of the soldiers and especially the moving descriptions of the project to retrieve dead servicemen's bodies from overseas graves and bring them home to give grieving families some closure.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final book in this author's retelling of the Army and its fight throughout the Pacific. The author does a good job and like the first one, he explains that so many books have been written about the Marines that it was time to acknowledge the Army as well. He goes through the battles the fighting behind the scenes between staff, and even how each branch of service needed to navigate around each other. This opened my eyes to other Marine Generals whom I had always held in high regard and how they had no regard for the Army whatsoever. I still cannot wrap my head around that since the men on the ground were all American boys not all went to college, but whatever, I still have issues with Macgarther as well. This still shows you that even towards the end the U.S. would still think it would be easy to overtake an island and time and time again thousands of lives would be lost before the island would fall. The top brass were whatever. This was a good book and should be read. I received this book from Netgalley.com

[Tristan Kraatz · Rating 3 out of 5]

"To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945" offers a captivating and sympathetic portrayal of Japan's perspective during World War II. Authored by John McManus, the book provides valuable insights into Japan's cultural and historical context, fostering empathy for their experience amidst the conflict.

Through meticulous research, the author highlights Japan's internal struggles and resilience in the face of defeat. Additionally, the book offers a balanced assessment of the US Army's role in the Pacific theater, encouraging readers to consider the broader context of the conflict.

In conclusion, "To the End of the Earth" is a compelling exploration of World War II from Japan's viewpoint, providing valuable insights into the complexities of war and the human experience. Recommended for those seeking a deeper understanding of this transformative period in history.

[Mike Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concluding volume in his epic trilogy of the Army in the Pacific in WWII. As in the previous volumes, McManus has an eye for the telling statistic or anecdote to support his point. His narrative focus ranges from the strategic to the personal and he looks at both Allied and Japanese strategy and performance critically. I was impressed with his even-handed approach to McArthur; he acknowledges his brilliance and eloquence while not ignoring the less admirable aspects of his character. he gives a good bit of attention to logistics, certainly the biggest challenge the Army faced in fighting a war thousands of miles away from its home base.
While his narrative is generally very detailed, except to question their necessity, he chose not to expend much ink on operations in the Philippines after the fall of Manila or to the ill-fated Japanese counteroffensive on Okinawa.

[Patrick Pillow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent final volume of the “Army in the Pacific War” trilogy. McManus places a fitting bow on the central characters of his works; generals, privates and the prisoners of war.

As excellent as the trilogy has been, I found his final chapter of this final volume to be the best of the lot. I knew next to nothing about the “Return of the World War Two dead” and the massive planning, cost and intentionality that went into it. As someone who recently lost their Pacific War veteran grandfather after 98 wonderful years, I found those closing pages to be eloquent and fitting for thousands of families that continue to mourn today.

“In 1951…the repatriation program officially ended. The mourning never really did.”

[Bryan Fichter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stellar final installment in John C. McManus's trilogy about the U.S. Army and the war in the Pacific. Once again McManus does a terrific job of presenting the war from both the level of the generals who were charged with overall strategy and the privates and sergeants who did the fighting and dying. He also highlights the important roles played by Americans who were left out of this history in previous generations, such as Army nurses and African-American truck drivers. The reader will share the average GI's puzzlement at the Japanese soldier's almost universal refusal to surrender even when hopelessly outnumbered and trapped.

[Jim Benton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy makes it clear that the US Army fought two very different wars in Europe and Asia, with very different leaders, enemy cultures,battlefield topography, strategy, tactics and weapons. Results of the war in the Pacific from a distance of 70 years are much more difficult to quantify also, save that the war in the Pacific has been constant since 1941.

I am a big fan of McManus' approach of combining the recollections of common soldiers with the more traditional focus on the generals. It makes for a very relatable history.

[Craig Elderkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

John McManus wrote a compelling book on the final chapters of the Pacific theater of World War II. He relies on contemporaneous government documents and personal diaries, from both sides, to paint a detailed description of strategies and tactics - planned and actual outcomes. I learned a lot about the second tier leadership who have faded from memory (almost 80 years have passed!).

After reading this book, there is no doubt in my mind that the two atomic bombs ended up saving hundreds of thousands of lives - on all sides - American, Soviet, Australian, British, and Japanese.