I just read on a blog I follow that Ian Toll (finally!) announced the third volume of his Pacific war trilogy.

It's entitled 'Twilight of the Gods", but won't be released until July 2020.

Intelligent & superb writer & author. His Six Frigates is one of my all time favorite reads.

Just finished volume 3; excellent author.

Good to hear. I have it but have not had a chance to start it yet. (In fact, I'm currently reading James Hornfischer's "Neptune's Inferno")

Just started Vol III, it's 900+ pages and will take a few days.

I've always been a military history nut and I enjoy visiting historic sites. I'm lucky to have been to Hawaii, Australia, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. Even better, I lived in Japan (Kure, 15 miles from Hiroshima) four years as an Army civilian.

Finished it a few days ago. Remarkable book. I thought I knew a lot about the end of Pacific campaign -- I was sorely mistaken. Never knew the Nagasaki mission was almost scrubbed because the three B-29's could not find each other (one was at the wrong altitude, but they were under radio silence) or that they had to make an emergency landing due to running out of fuel before they could get back to Tinian (had 6 gallons of fuel left!). Lots of details like these throughout the book. It is well worth reading.

His book Six Frigates (about the ship program that resulted in USS Constitution, and the War of 1812) was OUTSTANDING! I bought the first two books, but haven't had a chance to read them yet. I will most definitely get this one, as well.

quote:

Originally posted by tartan427:
...that they had to make an emergency landing due to running out of fuel before they could get back to Tinian (had 6 gallons of fuel left!)...

IIRC Bockscar diverted to Okinawa's Yomitan Field. For more on both missions you should read "Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World" by Chris Wallace.

https://www.amazon.com/Countdo...39595&s=books&sr=1-1

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sigmund,

I have them but haven't begun to read them yet. Taking a long time to get through 'War and Remembrance' by Herman Wouk. Another great book focusing on WW2 in Europe and the Pacific.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
For more on both missions you should read "Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World" by Chris Wallace.

Yes, another excellent book that approaches the history from a somewhat different perspective, i.e., what happened each day for the countdown. It contained many details I had never read before.

And also yes, the Nagasaki mission was a near disaster because of problems created by the weather, but also due to screw-ups. As I recall it, one of the monitoring aircraft that accompanied the Bockscar was at the wrong latitude, not just the altitude. I believe that the Nagasaki bomb was also the one that hadn’t been armed properly and that was discovered only in flight. It’s almost unbelievable that such mistakes would have been made at that stage of the atomic bomb program.

There were other issues that Tibbets roundly criticized the pilot of the Nagasaki bomber for (whom he personally selected because he was supposedly one of the best of the best), and reportedly weren’t revealed until decades later. We can only wonder what the consequences would have been if the Bockscar had had to scrub the drop and had crashed into the ocean on the way back. A big fear all along was that a single use of the bomb would have not convinced Japan that more were on the way. More would have been, ultimately, but not nearly as soon.

I'm just starting book 3. I loved the first two! One thing I really like about his writing is how he takes some obscure aspect of the war and shines a light on it. For example, in book 2, talking about the development of the Essex-class carriers, and in book 3, talking about the President's armored train car.

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Originally posted by 4x5:

...in book 2, talking about the development of the Essex-class carriers...

Slight thread drift: This is a great book about the USS Franklin, CV-13.

https://www.amazon.com/Inferno...760329826/ref=sr_1_5