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Title: MacArthur's War: A Novel of the Invasion of Japan |
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Review of MacArthur's War: A Novel of the Invasion of Japan
- Just as Fox on the Rhine and Fox at the Front showed readers an alternate Europe in which Hitler had been killed, thereby radically changing the course of World War II, Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson bring us the Battle of Midway with a very different outcome.ÂThe Allies are wildly out maneuvered and sent home in disgrace. Back in the States things are looking rather grim as the ultra-secret Manhattan Project runs into snafus that greatly delay the final production of the atomic bomb.ÂPresident Rooseveltâs approval ratings drop dramatically. Congress is desperate and the country cries out for a hero.Â
That hero might just be Douglas MacArthur, who vowed that he would return to his beloved Philippines. He plans to do so with the backing of the entire US Armed Forces.
MacArthurâs plan of action is simple: take the war back to the Japanese, island by bloody island, until standing on the shores of Japan, he can proclaim victory.ÂAnd possibly gain the leadership of the United States as well.
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Comments for MacArthur's War: A Novel of the Invasion of Japan
- Posted on 2008-09-24
Fair to good
Not bad, but most combat scenes are US Army vs Navy infighting instead of war with Japan.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2008-09-08
A Wargame After Action Report
This is a what-if re-telling of the War in the Pacific. Three young men, two brothers and a best friend, are the principal narrators and have distinct points of view. One is a young army officer captured on Corregidor, another is a pilot, the third is a Marine enlisted man. Some corresponding Japanese characters provide counterpoint: Admiral Yamamoto, a young army officer, and a young Japanese woman from Hiroshima. The point of historical departure is the Battle of Midway. The Japanese win but fail to knock the USA from the war. MacArthur manipulates the aftermath to get more influence relative to Nimitz, but the path of eventual victory at Tokyo Bay is merely a different route to virtually the same end. The characters are ok but I felt like I was reading a bit of adventure pulp (and indeed E. E. "Doc" Smith's Skylark series is a bit of common reference for all three of young Americans). The combat is realistic, but I had the feeling I was reading a fictionalized account of a wargame like Matrix's War in the Pacific or something similar. All in all, a light piece of entertainment.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2008-08-31
Who Would Be the "Conqueror of Japan"
In this alternate history of the Pacific Theater of World War 2, Dobson/ Niles speculate that MacArthur would have been the primary mover. In his own mind MacArthur always was...but such is the man. (My Dad and many of his fellow veterans, never forgave MacArthur for leaving General Wainwright on Corregidor to surrender to the Japanese. What galled them the most was that he not only took his son's Amah (nanny) but also his Fillopino 'house boy', when he could have taken two more military men.)
Many Vets have said that the reason that MacArthur stayed in the Pacific was because there wasn't room for his ego in Europe along with Paton and Montgomery. It's odd but true that MacArthur thought of himself as being infallible and spoke of himself in the 'third person'.
Though the first 200 pages are truly a recap of the beginning of the war, after Midway there really aren't that many changes. The biggest was the by-passing of the Mariana and Caroline Island, Iwo Jima and the capture of only half of Okinawa. This would have saved an enormous amount of casualties. What is missing is that troops from the European Theater were being prepared to be sent to the Pacific by way of the Suez Canal or that the Russians attacked directly after the Potsdam Conference.
For anyone who has seen the pictures of the Japanese Kamikaze attacks during Iwo and Okinawa, it is unthinkable that the reaction to the invasion of one of the 'Home Islands' wouldn't have been worse. They would have made the 'suicide bombers' of Iraq look like amateurs. The use of the two nuclear weapons on Japan, probably saved hundreds of thousands if not millions of civilian casualties among the Japanese.
Zeb Kantrowitz
Score: 3 - Posted on 2008-08-24
Interesting alternate take on the war in the Pacific
WWII has proven to be fertile territory for a multitude of alternate history novels, and this is Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson's second take on the war, following their entertaining take on the European front with "Fox on the Front" and its sequel. If you enjoyed those books, you'll likely enjoy these, as well.
The authors' alternate take on how the war turns out seems plausible, holds my interest, and is supplemented with the personal stories of some interesting characters.
Score: 4 - Posted on 2008-07-16
An Exciting Alternative History Novel
Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson have written an exciting and thought-provoking book about how World War II in the Pacific might have turned out if a few things went differently than they did originally.
As the book begins, the United states Navy is reeling from its defeat at the battle of Midway. Two American carriers were sunk and the third was damaged, while the Japanese only lost one carrier. However, the Japanese fleet is turned back due to the highly effective skip-bombing of the Japanese transports, led by Ellis Halverson. Ellis' older brother Johnny was captured in the Philippines and is now a POW.
Staying true to actual history, the book then proceeds to the invasion of Guadalcanal. However, a major sea battle called the battle of the Solomon Sea takes place, and it is here where the Japanese carrier force is virtually destroyed. But, the great American Admiral Bill Halsey is killed in the battle. The Americans manage to win at Guadalcanal and soon are on the offensive.
On the Japanese side, Admiral Yamamoto doesn't get shot down and killed. Instead, he returns to Japan to become the Emperor's Minister of War; a position he would hold until the end of the war. The kamikaze attacks against the American fleet are just as savage as they were in real life. Plus, the treatment of American POWs is just as savage and brutal.
As the Americans move inexorably toward Japan, Macarthur and his planners prepare for the invasion itself. The Manhattan Project turned out to be a massive failure, so there will be no atomic bombs. Instead, the only way to defeat the Japanese is to invade the islands themselves. Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, is first, followed by Operation Coronet, the invasion of Honshu. To MacArthur's chagrin, General George Patton is sent from Europe to join in the invasion. Also inhibiting the invasion is the presence of a massive typhoon, which has virtually halted troop and ship movement. All except for Patton's armored divisions, who are threatening to reach Tokyo before MacArthur can even get ashore.
The Japanese decide to surrender, but Hirohito is accidentally killed by radicals who wish to continue the war. Ultimately it is Yamamoto, who presents his sword to Patton as a symbol of Japan's surrender. MacArthur could only watch as Patton received all the glory of a conquering hero. However, Patton meets his own tragic demise as the book ends. As a last footnote, Truman defeated MacArthur in the Presidential election of 1948.
This is a fantastic story. I am greatly impressed with the story the authors have told. The development of the many characters, both American and Japanese, is outstanding. The true historical facts are neatly interwoven into the fictional narrative to give the book a very believable story. Plus, MacArthur's character is developed perfectly to fit the way he actually was. The authors did a great deal of actual research of the actual events in the Pacific war, and the fruits of their research show in this fine story.
I give this book my highest recommendation. Niles and Dobson have written a thrilling alternative history of the war in the Pacific that World War II fans won't want to miss.
Score: 5
