To the End of the Earth, John C. McManus
To the End of the Earth, John C. McManus
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To the End of the Earth
The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945

Author: John C. McManus

Narrator: Walter Dixon

Unabridged: 15 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 05/02/2023

Synopsis

From the liberation of the Philippines to the Japanese surrender, the final volume of John C. McManus's trilogy on the US Army in the Pacific War

The dawn of 1945 finds a US Army at its peak in the Pacific. Allied victory over Japan is all but assured. The only question is how many more months—or years—of fight does the enemy have left. John C. McManus’s magisterial series, described by the Wall Street Journal as being “as vast and splendid as Rick Atkinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Liberation Trilogy,” returns with this brilliant final volume. On the island of Luzon, a months-long stand-off between US and Japanese troops finally breaks open, as American soldiers push into Manila, while paratroopers and amphibious invaders capture nearby Corregidor. The Philippines are soon liberated, and Allied strategists turn their eyes to China, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Japanese home islands themselves. Readers will walk in the boots of American soldiers and officers, braving intense heat, rampant disease, and a by-now suicidal enemy, determined to kill as many opponents as possible before defeat, and they will encounter Japanese soldiers faced with the terrible choice between capitulation or doom. At the same time, this outstanding narrative lays bare the titanic ego and ambition of the Pacific War’s most prominent general, Douglas MacArthur, and the complex challenges he faced in Japan’s unconditional surrender and America’s lengthy occupation.

Photo courtesy of the National World War II Museum, accession number 2013.495.1300.

About The Author

John C. McManus, PhD, is Curators’ Distinguished Professor of US military history at Missouri University of Science and Technology and a leading historian of World War II. His critically acclaimed books include September Hope, The Dead and Those About to Die, Island Infernos, and Fire and Fortitude, recipient of the Gilder Lehrman Prize for Military History.

Reviews

Goodreads review by James on June 22, 2023

"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......more

Goodreads review by Nooilforpacifists on February 23, 2025

I was all set to give this (fairly recent) book four stars. It’s well written, though it covers the same ground as dozens of other books, with puzzling omissions (such as not mentioning the Atomic Bombs). It does have some interesting quotes, such as from the diary of a Japanese soldier: “When shall......more

Goodreads review by David on June 11, 2023

I finished John McManus’ trilogy , To The End of the Earth: The U.S. Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945. A tremendously well researched book that strives and succeeds in giving both high level view with leaders of the significance of Admiral Chester Nimitz, General Douglas MacArthur, General Rober......more

Goodreads review by Marshall on August 08, 2023

The third volume of a brilliant trilogy on the U.S. Army’s war in the Pacific in WW II. Their role in the island hopping Pacific campaigns is often overshadowed by that of the Marines (and I am a Marine), but the Army made more amphibious landings and suffered far more casualties than did my service......more

Goodreads review by SCOTT and karen geller on May 27, 2023

Outstanding A fitting end to a trilogy masterpiece. Well researched and written. Able to bridge the gap from high-level strategy to ground level suffering and heroism.......more

Quotes

“To the End of the Earth is, like the campaign it describes, a solid mix of strategic insight, tactical analysis and ground-level fighting in which the American soldier’s deprivation and self-sacrifice claim their due credit. In the final installment of his trilogy, Mr. McManus renders an eloquent salute to soldiers who fought their way across two island chains to reach Japan’s doorstep and set the stage for the war’s end.”—The Wall Street Journal

“McManus is one of the best--if not the best--World War II historians working today.”—WWII Magazine

“A brilliant, riveting final volume in John McManus’s extraordinary trilogy on the war in the Pacific. To the End of the Earth paints vivid portraits of generals and foot soldiers alike and provides a wealth of important new detail on the campaign to liberate the Philippines and the other ‘stepping-stone’ battles that brought about Japan’s defeat. It also solidifies John McManus’ reputation as one of the great historians of our times. This is a truly great book!”—General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan and former Director of the CIA

“In this triumphant, compelling conclusion of his trilogy on the US Army in the Pacific in World War II, John McManus wins new laurels. This sweeping narrative ranges from finely crafted depictions of generals and admirals, gritty glimpses into the sharp end of combat, the physically and mentally wounded, logistics, race, and everything else. If you are at any level a practitioner of military history, I would urge you to read this as a pole star for excellence in the craft.”—Richard Frank, author of Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942

“An invaluable contribution to our understanding of the Army’s role in the Pacific War. McManus’s narrative style, and his ability to interweave first-person accounts with his chronology of events, is something to behold.”—Military Review

“McManus masterfully integrates a wide array of primary sources and weaves together accounts from generals to those fighting in the mud.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Wide-ranging yet granular, it’s a fitting capstone to the series.”—Publishers Weekly

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