Publication date UK format 6/9/22 audio time 12h 58m book 514 pages
I would like to thank the author, publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to pick this to read and review all my reviews are honest.
Synopsis
Seven minutes past midnight on March 10, 1945, nearly 300 American B-29s thundered into the skies over Tokyo. Their payloads of incendiaries ignited a firestorm that reached up to 2,800 degrees, liquefying asphalt and vaporizing thousands; sixteen square miles of the city were flattened and more than 100,000 men, women, and children were killed. Black Snow is the story of this devastating operation, orchestrated by Major General Curtis LeMay, who famously remarked: “If we lose the war, we’ll be tried as war criminals.” James M. Scott reconstructs in granular detail that horrific night, and describes the development of the B-29, the capture of the Marianas for use as airfields, and the change in strategy from high-altitude daylight “precision” bombing to low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing. Most importantly, the raid represented a significant moral shift for America, marking the first time commanders deliberately targeted civilians which helped pave the way for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki five months later. Drawing on first-person interviews with American pilots and bombardiers and Japanese survivors, air force archives, and oral histories never before published in English, Scott delivers a harrowing and gripping account, and his most important and compelling work to date.
My Review
This was a great read. I really learnt so much from reading this book. It was a well wrote history book following the lead up to and during the 10th of March 1945 attack on Japan. It was a fascinating account of this event in history that used lost of different accounts to tell. It was a very shocking read. It definitely opened my eyes to the horror of war. Also how bad these events effected the people living there. I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator his voice was perfect to the book genre. This book is rated at 3.5 rounded up as it is better than a average rating. This book seemed a little long winded although it did use plenty of sources to tell the story. I think it would of been better if it was more concise and to the point. The books main focus is surrounded fire bombing residential areas of Tokyo which to me was more horrific than the dropping of the atomic bomb. It might seem hard but at least it would of been fast death with that atomic bomb rather than fire. I'm just thankful all this is in the past and not today. I do recommend reading this as it's very eye opening.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for bringing us this history book so people know just how bad war was.
Where you can buy this book
Amazon US K $14.43, AUDIBLE, HC $28.99
Waterstones HC £25.99
B&N HC $35.00 EBOOK $23.49, AUDIO
Kobo audio £19.99, ebook £18.99
Amazon UK K £8.75, AUDIBLE, HC £25.57
All prices are subject to change at any time. Please remember to review all books you finish reading so others can find these amazing books. All reviews help just remember not to tell people what the book is about as everyone has already read the synopsis. Just include what you liked and felt when reading the book.
HAPPY READING