Product Description

Never before available in English, the diary of Admiral Ugaki is a candid and personal account of World War II by a major Japanese military leader. Revealing of the Japanese military mind and analytical about Japan's conduct of the war, Ugaki's diary begins in October 1941 and includes detailed entries covering virtually every day of the war in the Pacific. A career naval officer, Ugaki was appointed chief of staff of the Combined Fleet on 10 August 1941. On 19 February 1945, Ugaki was entrusted with command of the Fifth Air Fleet on Kyushu. The diary gives the reader intimate glimpses of the Imperial Navy at war and of the mind-set of a ranking Japanese admiral. We follow Ugaki to a staff conference of the Combined Fleet and stand beside him aboard the flagship Yamato when he describes the sinking of her sister ship Musashi in the battle of Leyte Gulf. We overhear him plan the last-ditch kamikaze attacks against U.S. forces on Okinawa from a bunker on Kyushu. Not only is the diary full of strategy, tactics, combat operations, and domestic politics, it also contains critcal and historically valuable postmortems of Japan's conduct of the war and is suggestive about the role of Emperor Hirohito. Its appraisals of the Americans - their methods, decisions, weaknesses, and strengths - are revealing and intelligent. From February 1945, as commander, Fifth Air Fleet, Ugaki lived through the terrible days of the B-29 raids, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the atom bomb. The loss of the war was the end of his world. On 15 August 1945, he decided on a suicide mission against US forces on Okinawa. Taking with him only his binoculars and the small sword Yamamoto had given him, Ugaki boarded the dive bomber Comet for his final flight.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #698899 in Books
• Published on: 1991-11
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 688 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Matome Ugaki was chief of staff of the Combined Fleet under admiral Isoroku Yamamoto until both were shot down over Bougainville on April 18, 1943, resulting in Yamamoto's death. Following his recovery from injuries sustained in the incident, Ugaki commanded a battleship division and later directed the kamikaze attacks against U.S. forces off Okinawa. His diary, augmented by clarifying editorial commentary, is historically invaluable because it provides intimate day-to-day glimpses of the Imperial Navy at war, along with then-admiral Ugaki's running appraisal of the fighting. The journal ends abruptly on August 15, 1945, when Ugaki, staggered by news of Japan's surrender, departed on an airborne suicide attack against the Americans and was lost at sea. Goldstein and Dillon coauthored with Gordon Prange At Dawn We Slept . Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Ugaki served as Admiral Yamamoto's chief of staff (he was wounded in the air attack that killed Yamamoto), and commanded major naval and air units. His diary provides useful insight into Japanese strategy and tactics, and into the mind of a military leader who always maintained his belief in his emperor and in victory--he died leading a kamikaze attack the day Japan surrendered. The introduction by the late Gordon W. Prange and the editors' comments provide important contextual information, correct damage reports, and identify Allied forces; the editors and Prange wrote At Dawn We Slept ( LJ 11/1/81), Miracle at Midway ( LJ 11/1/82), and December 7, 1941 ( LJ 10/15/87). Highly recommended.
- Kenneth W. Berger, Duke Univ. Lib., Durham, N.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

Customer Reviews

A unique account of the Pacific War
Anyone who calls themselves a true historian of the Pacific War should read this book. There are a variety of things that make this "Fading Victory" unique and important. First and foremost, Ugaki was one of Japan's leading military men and he was privy to the Japanese planning of much of the Pacific War. His mistakes, conceptions of the wartime situation, and commentary on the Allied victories and defeats create a new dimension to the Pacific War that standard histories do not provide. Furthermore, the account, unlike other wartime accounts, was not doctored or recalled years after the event. This means that what Ugaki wrote in, say June 4, 1942, is how Ugaki perceived the situation as it happened. Finally, "Fading Victories" also details the gradual defeat of Japan and how a Japanese patriot perceived it. It is almost sad to hear Ugaki in 1945 speak of countering raids by hundreds of American planes with a mere handful of Jpanese aircraft. If this were not enough, Ugaki also writes extremely well and the editors did a fantastic job of correcting him and presenting what really happened. The net result is that Ugaki's own biases become readily apparent. Do not pass this one up!

Excellent war journal written by Admiral Ugaki.
I wondered whether this was going to be a boring self-serving narrative, but once I started reading it, it was so interesting that I couldn't stop. Ugaki details his day to day activities and lets you know his opinions and insights as he goes along. You get to like the guy, even though you know, in some cases, he's trying to fool himself about who's going to win the war. He is involved in just about everything in the Pacific War, and he narrates nicely. One of the best parts that you look forward to is where he and Yamamoto are shot down by U.S. planes. (Yamamoto is killed, but Chief of Staff Ugagki survives miraculously.) - The editor of this book every now and then corrects Ugaki (in italics) when Ugaki makes claims, such as ships sunk and planes shot down. This is extremely helpful, else you might think like Ugaki. This way you can sort of analyze Ugaki and where he's coming from. - Ugaki, the consumate samurai ends the book by demanding a kamakazi plane so he can die gloriously by sinking an enemy ship. He is unsuccessful. In the end, you sort of like and admire the guy. Very good reading if you are into the Japanese version of the Pacific War.

Not for beginners
The central issue in an autobiography is the character of its author. Ugaki's is replete with what he calls "Navy fighting spirit." He's sentimental, about family, lost friends and Nature. He's positive, in the worst circumstances. He's the quintissential naval officer; but, like Halsey, his strengths are also weaknesses. He understands his enemy, but underestimates him. He attacks when he should consolidate or retreat. He divides forces in the face of an enemy of unknown strength. He always "takes the bait." He never questions the logic of serving a government that has no more steering than a barge. Because his book reveals what he knew and when he knew it, it corrects misappreciations on both sides. It also exculpates Truman for dropping the Bomb, as it describes Japan's reserves hoarded against invasion and records fanatical desire to use them to the last man. Why did Ugaki commit suicide?--to take responsibility, obliged to atone for failing. He says his death will help keep alive naval spirit until Japan can rise again. Like other fascists, he blames men, not their ideology, for defeat, while looking forward to the next war. Despite his penchant for poetry, Ugaki is not a complicated man. He deserves the respect due to all those who live by a code not of their own making. His book is a study of one such man. I found it difficult to read, because of the form imposed on it as a diary and the ubiquitous feeling that Ugaki is writing for History. Read this book after you've read others about the Pacific War; it pulls missing pieces together--for example, that the Japanese were reading Allied codes, too. For a first-hand look at the consequences of decisions Ugaki made in abstraction, read Tamaichi Hara's "Japanese Destroyer Captain."