'Manila 1945-Aftermath- By Paul F. Whitman
Aug 25, 2021 11:21:04 GMT 8
Karl Welteke, rickthelibrarian, and 2 more like this
Post by beirutvet on Aug 25, 2021 11:21:04 GMT 8
Manila 1945-Aftermath- By Paul F. Whitman
I have never quite seen a book like this before. Its scope, depth, scholarship and personal touch combined make it something that must be read to fully appreciate. This book, although finely written, is too visual for a mere review here.
The photographs (and there must be hundreds) mesmerize the reader, especially one who has been to Manila, and bring to light the utter destruction that the Japanese intentionally and barbarically inflicted on this great city. The level to which it was razed is only equaled by that of Tokyo, Dresden, Hiroshima and the like. Some of the photographs are old and not well preserved, which must be expected. But most of them pop with a crystal clarity that makes you marvel that they are all over 76 years old.
I was so glad to see that Mr. Whitman included the reasons that the Japanese did not declare Manila an open city in 1945, as the Americans did to spare innocent lives in 1942. The Japanese were not the slightest bit interested in saving innocent lives, in fact their actions indicate just the opposite. They murdered uncountable men, women and children with their hands bound behind them, but not before these women were repeatedly raped before they were executed. Among these reasons were the facts, know to Japan at the highest levels, that they were losing this war. They had an idea to try and negotiate a cease fire through a country that they were not at war with: Russia. And they needed time. The battle of Manila would give them some time and as well as show the Americans what an invasion of Japan would hold in store for the invaders. And they did not care a bit about the 100,000 civilians that they had already deemed "guerrillas anyhow". The ruse that Yamashita had declared this city open is just that, a ruse. All clearly categorized and enumerated by Mr. Whitman. "Atrocities followed Yamashita like night followed day", Paul wrote. This man can surely turn a phrase.
So much of the revisionism we see today is a direct result of Guantanamo Bay. I consider it thoroughly shameless to try to polish the reputation of a despicable human being such as Yamashita for todays political expediency. It was clear that they had no intentions of declaring Manila an open city. Why else would Yamashita re-enforce the troops left behind? This and much more proof is all laid out for you in the pages of this great work.
I am not a big fan of MacArthur. But Paul makes many good points about how easy it is to pick apart the man and what he did or did not do. MacArthur must be given his due here. It was not MacArthur's fault what happened in Manila or all of the Philippines, for that matter. The Philippine Islands were a U.S. commonwealth and thus its defense and recapture were a moral obligation to America. Paul Whitman lays this out in the book far better than I can do here. MacArthur did everything he could to limit non combatant casualties, facts that go ignored by the generals of the armchair variety. He forbade the use of aerial (and rather inaccurate by todays standards) bombing as an example. Mr. Whitman quite clearly points out it was the Japanese who wrought the most heinous destruction by, among other means, staging sound gear in front of the largest hospital that would replicate the sound and concussion of artillery being fired to mask where their artillery really was and to inflict harm to those in the hospital by drawing counter-battery fire from the allies. And to make it worse, if this is possible, posted guards outside the hospital with orders to shoot anyone who tried to escape. I was not aware of any of that before I picked up this book.
Another example of this authors scholarship is he does not just use American evidence into these atrocities but uses the words of the very Japanese who committed these crimes. You will find here an entire section of excerpts from the diaries of the very barbarians who were torturing, raping and murdering indiscriminately. Do not take the victors word for it, read what these vile men were doing in their own words.
And when talking of the revisionists, I felt like standing up and applauding when Paul wrote; "My aversion to smoke blowers would not be complete without mentioning those ever vocal members of the American self-criticism industry who just cannot allow anything positive be said about America, particularly in context of its conduct in the war when the shooting started, and of its ending over Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Well said, Paul!
So many times I was looking at these photographs and was orienting my minds eye to places in Manila that I had been to and knew well. There were just enough 'too tough to totally destroy' landmarks left standing that you were able to reconstruct where many things are now standing.
I mentioned the personal touch to this book. Paul's father was attached to MacArthur's staff and wrote home consistently. Those letters have all survived to this day giving us a glimpse into what someone would be seeing on the ground during this time. I could not help but feel a fondness for this man I had never met. I am so glad he had a typewriter and a will to use it so often in his travels. It makes this story more personal to all who read the words he wrote so long ago.
Did I mention the photographs yet? Page after page of them, some colorized, and all of them as it was then. This is what this city looked like after the Japanese were done with her. If it ever fades from modern memory, just open this book. Read here and get a true feel for the 'Aftermath'.
* * * * *
Highly Recommended
I have never quite seen a book like this before. Its scope, depth, scholarship and personal touch combined make it something that must be read to fully appreciate. This book, although finely written, is too visual for a mere review here.
The photographs (and there must be hundreds) mesmerize the reader, especially one who has been to Manila, and bring to light the utter destruction that the Japanese intentionally and barbarically inflicted on this great city. The level to which it was razed is only equaled by that of Tokyo, Dresden, Hiroshima and the like. Some of the photographs are old and not well preserved, which must be expected. But most of them pop with a crystal clarity that makes you marvel that they are all over 76 years old.
I was so glad to see that Mr. Whitman included the reasons that the Japanese did not declare Manila an open city in 1945, as the Americans did to spare innocent lives in 1942. The Japanese were not the slightest bit interested in saving innocent lives, in fact their actions indicate just the opposite. They murdered uncountable men, women and children with their hands bound behind them, but not before these women were repeatedly raped before they were executed. Among these reasons were the facts, know to Japan at the highest levels, that they were losing this war. They had an idea to try and negotiate a cease fire through a country that they were not at war with: Russia. And they needed time. The battle of Manila would give them some time and as well as show the Americans what an invasion of Japan would hold in store for the invaders. And they did not care a bit about the 100,000 civilians that they had already deemed "guerrillas anyhow". The ruse that Yamashita had declared this city open is just that, a ruse. All clearly categorized and enumerated by Mr. Whitman. "Atrocities followed Yamashita like night followed day", Paul wrote. This man can surely turn a phrase.
So much of the revisionism we see today is a direct result of Guantanamo Bay. I consider it thoroughly shameless to try to polish the reputation of a despicable human being such as Yamashita for todays political expediency. It was clear that they had no intentions of declaring Manila an open city. Why else would Yamashita re-enforce the troops left behind? This and much more proof is all laid out for you in the pages of this great work.
I am not a big fan of MacArthur. But Paul makes many good points about how easy it is to pick apart the man and what he did or did not do. MacArthur must be given his due here. It was not MacArthur's fault what happened in Manila or all of the Philippines, for that matter. The Philippine Islands were a U.S. commonwealth and thus its defense and recapture were a moral obligation to America. Paul Whitman lays this out in the book far better than I can do here. MacArthur did everything he could to limit non combatant casualties, facts that go ignored by the generals of the armchair variety. He forbade the use of aerial (and rather inaccurate by todays standards) bombing as an example. Mr. Whitman quite clearly points out it was the Japanese who wrought the most heinous destruction by, among other means, staging sound gear in front of the largest hospital that would replicate the sound and concussion of artillery being fired to mask where their artillery really was and to inflict harm to those in the hospital by drawing counter-battery fire from the allies. And to make it worse, if this is possible, posted guards outside the hospital with orders to shoot anyone who tried to escape. I was not aware of any of that before I picked up this book.
Another example of this authors scholarship is he does not just use American evidence into these atrocities but uses the words of the very Japanese who committed these crimes. You will find here an entire section of excerpts from the diaries of the very barbarians who were torturing, raping and murdering indiscriminately. Do not take the victors word for it, read what these vile men were doing in their own words.
And when talking of the revisionists, I felt like standing up and applauding when Paul wrote; "My aversion to smoke blowers would not be complete without mentioning those ever vocal members of the American self-criticism industry who just cannot allow anything positive be said about America, particularly in context of its conduct in the war when the shooting started, and of its ending over Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Well said, Paul!
So many times I was looking at these photographs and was orienting my minds eye to places in Manila that I had been to and knew well. There were just enough 'too tough to totally destroy' landmarks left standing that you were able to reconstruct where many things are now standing.
I mentioned the personal touch to this book. Paul's father was attached to MacArthur's staff and wrote home consistently. Those letters have all survived to this day giving us a glimpse into what someone would be seeing on the ground during this time. I could not help but feel a fondness for this man I had never met. I am so glad he had a typewriter and a will to use it so often in his travels. It makes this story more personal to all who read the words he wrote so long ago.
Did I mention the photographs yet? Page after page of them, some colorized, and all of them as it was then. This is what this city looked like after the Japanese were done with her. If it ever fades from modern memory, just open this book. Read here and get a true feel for the 'Aftermath'.
* * * * *
Highly Recommended