Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45

by: Max Hastings

Published by: Vintage

Reviewed by Jeff Foster

I have read a lot, I mean a lot, about World War II. I absorb history like a dry sponge in a shallow pond. I must qualify this review by saying that Max Hastings is one of my favorites, his ability to lay out events chronologically with finite detail and just the right amount of personal opinion has made him one of the premier authors of historical fact in the last fifty years.

Hastings’ Retribution details the final year and a half of the struggle in the Pacific by mainly forces of the United States to remove Japan from its conquests and gain the strategic bases that were needed to bring the war to the Japanese home islands and pummel the country into submission.

As the first months of 1944 ran on, the thought that the end was in sight was still a far-flung goal that could only be attained by perseverance and the dogged determination of the United States Army and Navy fighting a ruthless and highly motivated enemy that gave ground grudgingly and made the Allies pay with blood for every advance.

The book details every theater in the campaign areas of the Pacific. Hastings brings to light the trials that American Allies (Britain, Australia, New Zealand) faced as they tried in vain to support American efforts in operations in China and New Guinea. Leave it to say, the Allies in the Pacific were not of the same mind fighting Japan as they were in fighting Germany. American forces held all the cards in the Pacific and playing them very close to the vest. Pearl Harbor was ours to seek vengeance and ours alone.

Hastings also devotes many chapters to the Burma, Chinese, and Manchurian campaigns as well as the rise of Mao in China and the persistent inaction of Nationalist forces under Chiang Hai Shek. He details the prison camps for military and civilians alike, from
the Philippines to Burma. The final chapter deals of course with the atomic bombs, the thoughts and reasoning behind the operations and the results of their use.

Retribution is absolutely the de-facto resource for studying this trying time in our world’s history. I discovered things within its pages I never knew happened, and had details explained about events that I had only known the politically correct answers for.

Armchair Interviews says: If you’re a history buff, WWII in particular, this 5-star read is your book!