"EAGLE AGAINST THE SUN" (RONALD SPECTOR).   Term Paper ID:21465 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Critical review of work on war between Japan & U.S., costs, reasons for Amer. victory.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Critical review of work on war between Japan & U.S., costs, reasons for Amer. victory. Paper Introduction: Ronald H. Spector, in Eagle Against the Sun, provides a concise historical overview of the war between the United States and Japan in World War II. Spector is an American historian, teaching at the University of Alabama, and a major in the Marine Reserves, having served on active duty as a military historian during the invasion of Grenada. It is not surprising, then, to find that he takes a decidedly American perspective on the war with Japan: So the United States had done the impossible. It had waged war simultaneously on two fronts, separated by thousands of miles, and had prevailed. . . . In the end, it was superior American industrial power and organizational ability which had succeeded (560). After all, the United States did win the war, so it is Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. . 'It has been a long time'" (294). had madean error in destroying the military power of Japan" (56 ). Theforty-four month war which would follow was marked, from the American side,by strong emotional forces which led to the abovementioned abandonment ofprinciples, the bombing of civilian targets, the dropping of the atomicbombs on two cities, etc. The picture painted by Spector is hardly one in which the UnitedStates overpowered the Japanese from the start of the war, that is, afterthe attack on Pearl Harbor. . . Still, this is no propagandistic account of the war. The author's style is straightforward and unadorned. The Japanese,Spector makes clear, were ultimately worn down rather than overwhelmed.They showed no inclination to give up a fight, even in the face of certaindefeat, and this tenacious aspect of their military certainly played a partin the American decision to drop the atomic bombs rather than launch aninvasion. Intelligence in the Pacific War was an immense and complicated undertaking, ranging from arcane feats of cryptography to dramatic commando raids; yet whatever their nature, these projects were most successful where bureaucratic and political rivalries were held to a minimum---and least successful where they were given free rein (472). Spector, in Eagle Against the Sun, provides a concisehistorical overview of the war between the United States and Japan in WorldWar II. A nation which had entered the First World War . . Still, when it comes time to present a conclusion to such anobjective survey of views on the bombing of Japan, the author quotesChurchill calling the bombing a "miracle of deliverance" (559), andincludes an extended passage from a former American soldier grateful thatthe bombs were dropped and the planned invasion of Japan was called off.The clear implication on the part of Spector is that he agrees with thedecision to drop both bombs on Japan. . Certainly part of the reason for this abandonment of principles byAmericans in the war with Japan was the nature of the beginning of the war---the "sneak" attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor. chose to wage such warfare from the opening day of World War II. The United States was central in thevictory over Japan, but other Allies were involved as well, necessitatingand even greater need for cooperation: Intelligence had political as well as technical and military dimensions. For example, in discussing thevarious historical views on the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan toend the war, Spector presents an entire spectrum of opinions, includingthose which take into considerations the psychology of the Japaneseleaders. It had waged war simultaneously on two fronts, separated by thousands of miles, and had prevailed. New York: Vintage, 1985.----------------------- 7 How successful these officers were in modifying, or in some cases transcending, their service outlook and careerism would, in large measure, determine their success in the Pacific War (28). The day of the attack wasmemorialized by President Roosevelt's description---"a date which will livein infamy" (7). After all, the United States did win the war, so it is inevitablethat an American author such as Spector---as both historian and Marinereserve---would focus on the major elementsof that victory, and corresponding elements of the Japanese defeat. [The Americans] had needlessly divided their forces in the Pacific, so that the weaker half could be menaced by a relatively small enemy force. . At the same time, Spector recognizes that the war was a horribleexperience for both sides in terms of the costs of dehumanization. . . To the contrary, the victory of the UnitedStates came to be in agonizingly slow fits and starts. Eagle Against the Sun. Some ofthese victories, as well, are shown by the author to have been moreavoidances of catastrophe. Inaddition, the author is clearly interested primarily in producing a work inwhich almost every reference is documented. . . He doesnot whitewash the effect that the war had on the traditional ideals ofAmericans: Americans came to abandon some of the principles which they had long upheld. Each service was led by officers committed to these organizational views. However, it isunrealistic to seriously consider that the American military would haveallowed the Japanese military to remain intact to any significant degree,considering the length and viciousness of the war, and the fact that it hadbegun with a "sneak" attack on Pearl Harbor. . In fact, because of the rise ofCommunist China, "more than a few writers suggested that the U.S. . . Of course, the branches of the military in the United States wereable to modify and transcend their independent views and goals, and thecooperative effort which resulted led to victory over Japan. Spector describes one such fortunate example: Had the Japanese handled their forces more skillfully or had Sherman been less lucky, the result might well have been a disaster for the Allies. 'They are waiting for me there,' he said. These facts preclude excursionsby Spector into the emotional or personal aspects of the war. For example, "If the [Japanese] army and navy could not agree on ajoint undertaking, the operation had to be postponed or even abandoned"(49). The destruction of themilitary forces of Japan was an inevitable result of that war, whatever itsimpact on the rise of China. So brutal was the Japanese attack that war was declared byCongress the next day, less than an hour after Roosevelt's speech. . out of opposition to unrestricted submarine warfare . . BibliographySpector, Ronald H. Ronald H. Spector also makes clear that some victories on the part of theAmericans were as much good luck as good planning and execution. He is intent onpresenting the facts of the war more than creating a dramatic portrait. Such apro-American bias is perhaps inevitable, particularly with respect to a warwhich began with an attack such as the one delivered by Japan upon PearlHarbor. . Still, at moments, Spector is able to give the reader some of theemotional background of the war and of the major personalities on bothsides. . Heapparently believes that the war itself was dramatic enough withoutauthorial embellishment. Themoment is significant because it symbolizes American determination to carryon the fight as long as it took in order to avenge the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor. Spector in one such interlude describes the personal involvement ofUnited States General Douglas MacArthur: MacArthur arrived to look over his most advanced outpost. Of course, it is important to remember thatSpector has set himself the difficult task of covering the war in onevolume, so that there is little room for much embellishment of any kind. Spector concludes that the war did not deliver the United States therewards it might have anticipated. Ironically,before the war started, the Japanese military was organized morecooperatively, but there were obstacles to effective military executionamong Japanese leaders which were not overcome through the course of thewar. . In the end, it was superior American industrial power and organizational ability which had succeeded (56 ). Spector analyzes not only the broad historical issues of the war, butalso focuses on such specific elements as the states of mind of themilitary organizations on both sides. Spector is an American historian, teaching at the University ofAlabama, and a major in the Marine Reserves, having served on active dutyas a military historian during the invasion of Grenada. "He gazed out to the northwest," one aide recalls, "almost as though he could already see through the mist the rugged lines of Bataan and Corregidor. It was not the last time that the two-pronged advance would lead the Allies close to disaster (246). Certainly one of the most important facts covered by Spector withrespect to the victory of the United States in the war against Japan is theneed for cooperation among the various branches of the military and suchsupport factions as intelligence. Spector makes clear that the outcomeof the war depended on the flexibility of the American military and itsability to alter traditional military thinking to fit the contingencies ofthe war: The United States entered the war with four more-or-less independent armed services, each with its own organizational goals, interested, and dogmas. It is notsurprising, then, to find that he takes a decidedly American perspective onthe war with Japan: So the United States had done the impossible. . Of course, MacArthur there is referring to the promise he made toreturn to the Philippines after having been driven out by the Japanese. American opposition to the Japanese conquest of China rested largely on revulsion against the Japanese use of air power on civilian targets, yet the United States itself initiated an unprecedented campaign of aerial bombardment against Japan (xvi). Spector doesmanage to present both sides of the war in as objective and enlightening amanner as possible from such a perspective. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.