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.

"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!

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!

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.

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.

Highly recommended! McManus is a very good historian and writer and he does a great job describing the US Army's role in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

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.