Perhaps the most amazing & thought-provoking book I've ever read

[John Kettler]

Curious? It's James Bradley's FLYBOYS, and not even chiefly because of what I'll call unusual Japanese dietary practices detailed therein. It is a deep look at people, their governments, and the oft vast chasm between what's proclaimed and what's done, and the scope is vast, going clear back to when this country, now the U.S., was being "settled."

I've read plenty of disturbing, appalling things over the years, but this is in its own separate realm, all the more so because of the effortless, if not always technically correct writing. Last I checked, for example, the chief material in WW II American carrier aircraft was aluminum, not steel, but that really doesn't change the main story, which starts out with a tiny island, Chichi Jima, and some aviators in trouble, yet winds up portraying the best and the worst in all of us, regardless of race, creed, religion, etc., over a panorama of centuries and continents. Truly epic!

I got into the book while helping brother Ed work up its nature and defenses (AAA gunners transferred from protecting the Imperial Palace!) for "Steel Typhoon," the follow on game to Clash of Arms' "The Red Sun Rising," which covered the Pacific War through November 1943. The new game for miniatures picks up where the other one left off, but there's much yet to be done. When it's finally out, recommend naval grogs have incontinence garb at the ready! The discoveries we've made have been simply amazing at times, for we're digging into areas previously unexplored, learning that ships long though unarmed weren't, teasing out defenses at one obscure location after another, even finding evidence of strange weapons being used in battle--photographic evidence and more. Quite an adventure on days when my brain works!

Moon, it's been so long since I last posted, that I hope this conforms to the Forum Rules. I think by not putting in any links to the secondary to the discussion game project, that I'm all right, but if not, my apologies in advance!

Regards,

John Kettler

[dieseltaylor]

http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/0316159433.asp

http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Review.ASP?bookid=2707

James Bradley quotes Charles Lindberg at the beginning of Chapter Ten ('Yellow Devils, White Devils') with the following: 'We hold his examples of atrocity screaming to the heavens while we cover up our own and condone them as just retribution for his acts. We claim to be fighting for civilization, but the more I see of this war in the Pacific the less right I think we have to claim to be civilized. In fact, I am not sure that our record in this respect stands so very much higher than the Japanese.'

Seems to be selling well at Amazon

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #54,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)#22 in Books > History > Military > Aviation#15 in Books > History > Military > World War II > Asia#12 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Japanese

[gunnergoz]

The war in the Pacific was fought in an uncivilized manner - as was the whole of WW2. Fight fire with fire? Worked back then.

Revisionism is alive and well. Its always nice to look back and point fingers at how it could have been done a bit neater and less nasty. Fewer vets around than ever to refute the claims being made. Yes, the Allies did their share of atrocious things. It was a time when humanity went mad. Then just think about the Marshall Plan and what would have happened in its place if the Allies had not prevailed over the Axis.

When the time for madness went away, we again began listening to our better angels. Modern Europe and Japan are testimonials to that. Overall, the Allies have little to apologize for, and much to be thanked for. We'll do it different next time? If you're in a knife fight in a corner, I doubt that much kindness and consideration is going to be shown.

Of course, there is such a thing as picking the right fights...