Twilight of the Gods
Page 123
Truk Atoll, 106, 331–33, 346
Truman, Harry S.
and 1944 presidential election, 47–48
assumption of presidency, 601
atomic bomb orders, 684, 685
debate over accepting Japanese conditions of surrender, 727, 728
DOWNFALL command structure disputes, 648
early weeks of presidency, 641–43
first morning briefing with military aides, 641–42
and Hiroshima, 702–3
on Japanese reaction to Potsdam Declaration, 687
MacArthur’s relationship with, 13
and Manhattan Project, 670–71
and news of successful atomic bomb test, 679, 680
Oval Office meeting on strategy late in war, 674
at Potsdam, 674–75
and Potsdam Declaration wording, 683
press conference on Japanese surrender, 745
U.S. debate over USSR’s involvement in East Asian war, 674
Truman Committee, 671
T-Square 12, 546–47
Tsuchida, Shoji, 739
Tsuchikura, Hidezo, 552
Tsugaru Strait, 657
Tsushima Strait, 657–58
“Tube Alloys,” 667–68
Tully, Grace, 48, 49, 87–88
Turner, Richmond Kelly, 564
and bombardment of Iwo Jima before U.S. landing, 486
and CAUSEWAY, 91
and Iwo Jima command lineup, 486, 487
and Kerama Retto, 613
and Motoyama Plateau, 501
and Okinawa command, 565
and photos of radar picket vessels damaged by kamikazes, 596
and Yamato’s last sortie, 581
12th Cavalry Regiment, 455
Twentieth Air Force, 350, 537
and atomic bomb orders, 684
and attacks on Kyushu and Shikoku airfields, 596
and B-29 airbase development on Guam, 538
and disputes over B-29 use, 315–16
expansion of raids, 556
growth in mid-1945, 660
LeMay as leader of, 527
and precision bombardment, 522
warning leaflets dropped before bombing runs, 689
20th Bomber Command, 341–43, 527, 660
21st Bomber Command, 348
B-29 and, 315, 343–44
and firebombing, 543
Japanese fighter interceptions/suicide attacks, 524
late 1944 raids against Japan, 521
limited bomb loads when flying from Marianas, 522
21st Marines, 513
Twenty-Second Regiment (Japan), 606
Twenty-Fourth Division (Japan), 592, 625, 631
24th Division, U.S., 365–66
25th Division, 438, 440, 469
25th Marine Division, 507
Twenty-Sixth Division, Japan, 368, 388
27th Division, U.S., 602–3, 605
Twenty-Seventh Tank Regiment (Japan), 606–7
28th Marines, 493, 494, 496–97
201st Air Group, 200, 431–32
“two-platoon” command, 112–13
“two-platoon” rotation system, 307
two-theater command setup, 369
Type 1 armor-piercing projectiles, 265–66
typhoon (December 17, 1944), 394–408
typhoon (June 5, 1945), 627–29
U-235 isotope, 667, 669
U-238 isotope, 669
Ueg, King (Ulithi leader), 159–64
Ueno Park Zoo, 530
Ugaki, Matome, 181, 216–17, 596, 810n48
April 12 “floating chrysanthemums” attack, 598–99
diary, 743
on FDR’s death, 601
on kamikaze corps, 203
and kamikaze operations, 579
and Kurita’s decision not to attack U.S. transport fleet at Leyte Gulf, 297
on Kyushu, 559, 611
and Musashi’s demise, 234
overestimation of effects of April 6 Okinawa attack, 593
battle off Samar, 281–83
skirmishes during week before Okinawa invasion, 567
and state of air forces, 578
suicide of, 742–44
Ulithi Atoll, 159–62, 160m, 174
Bunker Hill at, 618
and fatigue among Third Fleet after Leyte Gulf battle, 368, 370
secrecy surrounding, 392
suicide submarine attacks on, 392
Task Force 38 at, 391–93
Task Force 58’s stay after Iwo Jima mission, 558–59
Third Fleet at, 429
“Ultra” radio intelligence, 170, 332
Umezu, Yoshijiro¯
as Army Chief of Staff, 649
final acceptance of terms of surrender, 732
and Hirohito’s loss of faith in the military, 725
and Hirohito’s Okinawa briefing, 592
at Japanese surrender ceremony on Missouri, 758, 759, 761
objections to surrender terms, 730–31
response to coup proposal, 733
signing of “one-condition” response to Potsdam Declaration, 724
and SWDC debate over Potsdam Declaration, 722
and Takeshita’s coup proposal, 730
“Umi Yukaba” (song), 197–98, 201
unconditional surrender
debate among U.S. leadership over Japanese conditions of surrender, 727–28
discussion in press conference at end of Honolulu conference, 82–86
and Potsdam Declaration, 673
and Potsdam Declaration wording, 683
and Zacharias broadcasts, 666–67
Underwater Demolition Teams, 208
underway replenishment, 105
unemployment, 405
unified command, 305–6
United States
domestic reaction to Japanese surrender announcement, 738
economic growth during WWII, 405–6
fear of economic slump after end of WWII, 413–15
home economy in 1945, 404–5
Japan’s misunderstanding of, 769
public celebration of Japanese surrender, 745–47
racial conflict and rioting, 408–10
social changes as result of WWII, 784–88
trade sanctions against Japan, 311
U.S. Naval Academy, 17
U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (USBSS), 296, 529, 689, 768
Urakami Cathedral, 718
Urakami River, 717
Urakami Valley, 716, 718
uranium, 667, 669, 692
uranium bomb, 691; See also “Little Boy”
uranium enrichment, 669
Urmurbrogal Mountain, Peleliu, 143–44, 148–49, 151, 153, 155–57; See also Bloody Nose Ridge
USAAF (Army Air Forces), 35–36, 205
USBSS, See U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (USBSS)
Ushijima, Mitsuru
cancellation of Kakazu Ridge operation, 593
death of, 636
decision to retreat to southern Okinawa, 625
last days of, 635–36
May 4 Japanese counterattack, 606–7
and Okinawa defense, 640
Okinawa defense strategy, 573–74
Okinawa headquarters, 575–76
Okinawa May 4 counterattack, 606
Okinawa strategy, 592
retreat to southern Okinawa, 625
revision to Japanese operational plans for Okinawa, 575
on Shuri defense, 624
Ushio (Japanese destroyer), 258
utilization rate during war years, 312
VAC (Fifth Amphibious Corps), 54, 486–87, 497, 500, 504
Vandenberg, Arthur H., 38–41
Vasilevsky, Aleksandr, 706
V-E Day, 619
venereal disease, 424
Vernon, James W., 424
veterans, 404–5, 778–79, 782–88
Victory Riot (San Francisco), 747
Victory ships, 780–81
Victory Through A
ir Power (Seversky), 96
Vieweg, Walter V. R., 284–85
VII Fighter Command, 505
Vinson, Carl, 39
Volcano Islands, 118, 802n35
Vollinger, John, 639, 781
VT (variable time) fuse, 101, 598
Vultee SNV “Vibrator,” 421
Wagner, Sam, 349–50
Wahoo, USS, 316–22, 325–30, 326m–327m
Wainwright, Jonathan M., 755, 757, 758, 761
Wallace, Henry, 47
Wallace, Robert, 598, 600
Walled City, See Intramuros
Wana Draw, Okinawa, 621
Wang Jingwei, 184
Wanishi Ironworks, 662
war correspondents, 10, 18–21, 23, 33–34, 81, 104, 108–9, 133, 202, 210, 316, 348, 374, 435, 441, 443, 455, 463, 518, 663, 754–56, 780; See also Chickering, William Henry; Clapper, Raymond; Dos Passos, John; Dunn, William J.; Jones, George; Lardner, John; Laurence, William; Lea, Tom; Mydans, Carl; Pyle, Ernie; Sherrod, Bob
war crimes, 119, 447, 455–60, 462, 465–467, 542, 686, 721, 725, 742, 768, 775
Ward, USS, 391
War Department, 18, 337
war fatigue, 110, 205–06, 242, 294, 368, 424, 507, 525, 594, 614, 616, 639
war industries, 408, 788
warning leaflets, 689
war production, Japanese, 313–317, 486–87, 523, 557–59, 652–53, 655–56, 659, 662, 664, 690, 718, 770–72
War Shipping Administration, 780–81
Wasatch, USS, 237, 271
Washington, D.C., 726 Many more references.
Washington Times-Herald, 6
Wasp, USS (CV-7), 27
Wasp, USS, (CV-18), 115
at Formosa, 169
Japanese airstrike off Shikoku, 561
and Task Force 38 leadership transition, 116
and Task Group 58.1, 115
and typhoon (December 17, 1944), 396
waterline defense strategy, 474–75
Watson, Edwin Martin “Pa,” 15, 49
weather planes, 693, 697
Wedemeyer, Albert C., 644
Weil, Edwin John, 272
Weller, Donald M., 486
Wendover Army Airfield, Utah, 691
West Coast, U.S., 406–7
West Field, Tinian, 539, 660
West Virginia, USS, 250, 254, 383, 486
Wewak, New Guinea, 317
Weyler, George, 432
Whitaker, Reuben, 333
White Beaches, Luzon, 435
White Plains, USS, 263–66, 283, 289
WHITEWASH, Operation, 57
Whitney, Courtney, 77, 754
“Why I Am for MacArthur” (Vandenberg), 40
Wichita, USS, 125, 169, 170, 173
Wiley, Herbert V., 254
Willcutts, David, 613
Williams, Esther, 728
Williams, Robert H., 494
Willkie, Wendell, 6, 13, 38–39, 41
Willow Run manufacturing complex (Ypsilanti, Michigan), 407
Wilson, Ralph, 172
Wilson, Woodrow, 7
wolfpacks, 331
women
evolving U.S. role during and after WWII, 784–85
in Japan during WWII, 176–178
in U.S. workforce, 406
Wood, Robert E., 39
Woodward, C. Vann, 294
World War I, 7
Wright Duplex-Cyclone engine, 520
Wright R-3350 radial engine, 337–39, 660
WXLI radio, 536
Wylie, J.C., Jr., 310
X Corps, 365, 389
XI Corps, 442, 468, 469, 762–63
XIV Corps
at Intramuros, 461
on Luzon, 433, 443, 445, 446, 448, 450, 452, 469
in Manila, 449
XXIV Corps, 565–66, 589, 592, 606, 619
Yaeju-Dake ridge system, 630, 632
Yahagi (Japanese cruiser), 285–86, 583, 585, 586, 588
Yahara, Hiromichi, 575, 592, 606, 607, 623–25
Yalta Conference, 655
Yamagumo (Japanese destroyer), 252, 253, 297, 298
Yamamoto, Isoroku, 199, 234, 663, 771
Yamaoka, Michiko, 698, 699
Yamashiro (Japanese battleship)
attacked in Sulu Sea, 220–21
crew’s resistance to Sho plans, 298
sinking of, 257
at Surigao Strait, 246, 247, 249, 252–55, 257
Yamashita, Tomoyuki, 451
conviction for war crimes, 466
on the fight for Luzon, 468
Japanese strategy debates, 367
and Leyte, 394
at Lingayen Gulf, 436
at Luzon, 439–40
Manila evacuation orders, 450–51
Philippines defense, 366
Yamata, Japan, 767
Yamato (Japanese battleship), 191, 217, 291, 579
Kurita’s decision not to attack U.S. transport fleet at Leyte Gulf, 296
last sortie, 581–89, 587m
and Musashi’s demise, 233–34
battle off Samar, 261, 263, 265–66, 281–83, 285
at San Bernardino Strait, 231–32
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, 222
“Yamato spirit,” 202, 203
Yap Island, 121
Yasukuni Shrine, 179, 299, 374
Yawata, 713
Yellow Beach, Okinawa, 572
“Yellow Peril” (Boeing–Stearman N2S), 420–21
Yellow Sea, 318–22, 331
Yoder, Robert M., 415–16, 784
Yokohama, 754–55
Yokoi, Toshiyuki, 608, 610
Yokosuka, Japan, 751–53, 780
Yokosuka D4Y Suisei dive bomber, 561
Yokosuka Naval Base, 352, 353, 663, 748–50, 765–66
Yokosuka P1Y “Galaxy” bomber (Allied codename “Frances”), 431, 558–59
Yokoyama, Shizuo, 451, 460
Yomiuri Shinbun, 687
Yonai, Mitsumasa, 183
on foreordained outcome of Pacific War, 769
on hopelessness of war’s success, 768
and leadership objections to surrender terms, 731
and mutiny at Atsugi after surrender, 749
as navy minister, 649
and “one-condition” response to Potsdam Declaration, 720–21
and Potsdam Declaration, 687, 709
response to coup proposal, 733
and SWDC, 601, 650
and SWDC debate over Potsdam Declaration, 722
and U.S. reply to Japanese conditions of surrender, 729
Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, 572, 592, 615, 638, 719
Yorktown, USS (CV-10)
and Bonin Islands raids, 118
and Franklin explosion during Japanese airstrike off Shikoku, 562
Japanese air strike against Task Force 58, 579–80
at Kyushu, 560–61
reaction of crew to Japanese peace offer, 728–29
release to Leyte for repairs, 629
speed of, 101
Yamato’s last sortie, 584, 587
Yoshida, Mitsuru, 583, 586–88
Yoskizawa, Hisako, 739
Yung-Chang, Hsu, 758
Yuza-Dake ridge system, 630, 632
Zacharias, Ellis, 666–67
Zacharias broadcasts, 666–67
Zahm, John C., 389
Zambales, 442
Zellars, USS, 599
Zen, as justification for kamikaze missions, 195–96
Zigzag Pass, Luzon, 442
“Zoo plan,” 314–15, 316
Zuiho¯ (Japanese carrier), 272
Zuikaku (Japanese carrier), 272, 274, 291
ALSO BY IAN W. TOLL
The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942–1944
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942
Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy
Copyright © 2020 by Ian W. Toll
All rights reserved
First Ed
ition
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Names: Toll, Ian W., author.
Title: Twilight of the Gods : War in the Western Pacific, 1944–1945 / Ian W. Toll.
Other titles: War in the Western Pacific, 1944–1945
Description: First edition. | New York : W. W. Norton & Company, [2020] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020009619| ISBN 9780393080650 (hardcover) |
ISBN 9780393651812 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: World War, 1939–1945—Campaigns—Pacific Area. |
World War, 1939–1945—Naval operations, American. |
World War, 1939–1945—Naval operations, Japanese.
Classification: LCC D767 .T653 2020 | DDC 940.54/26—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020009619
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