The Ultimate Battle

  • Author Bill Sloan
  • Narrator Robertson Dean
  • Publisher Blackstone Publishing
  • Run Time 14 hours and 8 minutes
  • Format Audio
  • Genre Second World War.
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What to expect

Respected historian Bill Sloan tells the full story of the Battle of Okinawa as it has never been told before, through the eyes of the men in battle.

Using the same grunt’s-eye-view narrative style of Sloan’s acclaimed Brotherhood of Heroes, The Ultimate Battle is the full story of the largest land-sea-air battle ever waged by the United States, a battle whose staggering casualties and take-no-prisoners ferocity led Truman to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. From April through June 1945, more than 250,000 American and Japanese lives were lost, including those of nearly 150,000 civilians who either committed suicide or were caught in the crossfire. This book tells a gripping story of heroism, sacrifice, and death.

Critics Review

  • “Gripping. Authoritative. Masterfully told. I cannot praise this book highly enough.”

    Alex Kershaw, author of The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter

  • “Bill Sloan has a real feel for the human side of this horrific drama. He suggests there can never be such a battle again, and by the time you’ve finished reading, you will pray he’s right. A powerful, moving book.”

    Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign, 1941–1945

  • “A compelling, immensely evocative story…the defining battle of the Pacific War, seen primarily through the experiences of the sailors, soldiers, and airmen who suffered through it. This is a terrific work.”

    Donald L. Miller, author of Masters of the Air and D-Days in the Pacific

  • “Memory of an epic battle that altered history has begun to fade. Yet, the fighting for Okinawa was so ferocious that it influenced America’s decision to use the atomic bomb. If Japan would fight so furiously for an island outpost, what would an invasion of the mainland cost? Bill Sloan answers that question in this close up, you-are-there account of the Pacific war’s ultimate struggle. Battle reportage at its finest.”

    Joseph E. Persico, author of Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleven Hour: Armistice Day 1918

  • “Narrator Robertson Dean takes advantage of the chaos created by kamikaze attacks and bonsai charges to convey the desperation of the Japanese. His emotional level varies from almost shouting in battle to low whispers as men discuss the wounds of dying buddies while near them.”

    AudioFile

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