Saul David Interview - Crucible of Hell

 

My interview with Saul David from 2020, in regards to his CRUCIBLE OF HELL book about the last great battle of WW2, Okinawa.

• What was the genesis for you to cover this vital battleground and portion of WW2? It actually came out of my last book, The Force, about an American/Canadian special operations unit that carries out its first mission in the Aleutian Islands against the Japanese. It reminded me how little I knew about the Pacific War, and it sparked my interest. At around the same time I read an excellent book about Truman’s first year as president, which begins with Roosevelt’s death a few days after the invasion of Okinawa and climaxes with the decision to use atomic bombs to end the war against the Japanese. Quite a baptism of fire, for which Truman has not received the credit he deserves.

• Do you feel as a historian, is the Pacific part of the war somewhat overlooked in terms of importance? Yes, certainly in the UK. We tend to think the war ended with Germany’s surrender, and the attention we give to VE Day (as opposed to VJ Day) is proof of that. Actually, there was no guarantee the war was going to end in 1945: most experts assumed it would carry on until late 1946, at the earliest, but Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed all that. There was a lot of very brutal fighting in the Pacific, and a number of hinge moments (Midway, Guadalcanal and the Battle of the Philippine Sea all come to mind), and it was far from a foregone conclusion.

• What amount of research did you do to gain the parts about each individual story where you go into such detail as mentioned? Research took me to archives in the UK, the US and Japan. I was very luck to find a lot of first-hand material that hadn’t been used before at the US Marine Corps archives in Quantico. It’s not an easy archive to gain access to: I had to get special dispensation from the British Foreign Office. But it was worth it. I also got wonderful material from the Truman and Eisenhower Presidential Libraries, including the diaires of the US commander Simon B. Buckner, and found some heart-breaking first-hand accounts of civilians in archives and museums in Okinawa.

• How long did it take to get the structure/draft right moving from American/Japanese perspectives? I was determined from the start to tell the story from all perspectives: American, Japanese and Okinawan, and also from ordinary people and soldiers up to generals, presidents and emperors. The best way to do this, I thought, was to keep shifting perspective in short, dramatic chapters. Most are 2,000-3,000 words long, which are quite short for a history book, but they give the reader a sense that the story is moving at pace.

• Have you always enjoyed history from an early age? Yes. I blame my father. He’s a great reader of military history and often discussed battles and generals over dinner with friends. I guess I wanted to contribute, because I started reading books about Victorian warfare by George MacDonald Fraser (the historical novelist and creator of Flashman), the biographer and historian Christopher Hibbert (author of The Great Mutiny), and others. I then moved on to books about the classical world: Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, that sort of thing.

• What is your lasting impression of the WW2 in the Pacific? The savagery of the fighting, which took me by surprise. It’s as bad as anything you see on the Eastern Front, which is usually the benchmark for barbarity in war. This can make some chapters of Crucible of Hell difficult to read – they were certainly difficult to research – but it’s important for historians to record the unvarnished facts, and for the public to read them.

• Was dropping the bomb on Hiroshima the only course of action left for Truman and the USA? Yes, in many ways I think it was. Of course, he had options. But all of these had been discussed by his senior political, military and scientific advisors, and rejected. They were united in their belief that if he didn’t drop the bomb, and demonstrate to the Japanese its terrible destructive power, the war would have continued for up to another year, and cost both sides millions of casualties. Other possibilities have been suggested: starving the Japanese out, waiting for the Russians to make a military contribution to Japanese defeat, using a demonstration explosion. None of them would have been enough to convince the militarists at the heart of the Japanese government to agree to unconditional surrender.  

• How long do you think the war would have carried on for before an eventual surrender by Japan? Up to another year.

• What has your life been like in this Covid-19 world? Being a writer has it been okay or have you missed researching extensively? Actually, I hate to admit this, but lockdown has been good to me because it’s enabled me to write without distractions. I was incredibly fortunate in terms of timing in that, when the first lockdown began, I was part of the way through one book – the authorized World War II history of the Special Boat Service – so was able to finish that in June. Normally you’d need to spend up to a year researching the next book. But I’d already done that research the year before – at the same time that I was working on Crucible of Hell – and was ready to move seamlessly from writing the SBS book to the new one, Devil Dogs, the story of a company of US Marines fighting its way through the Pacific. I’m already 75,000 words in and should finish it in early 2021.

• Can you talk about your relationship with your publisher William Collins? I’ve been published by a lot of the great names in British publishing, and some excellent non-fiction editors: Richard Beswick at Little, Brown, Eleo Gordon at Viking Penguin and Rupert Lancaster at Hodder & Stoughton. My current publisher, Arabella Pike at William Collins, is the perfect fit: hugely-experienced, much admired in the business, and from a military background. Her father, Hew Pike, commanded 3 Para in the Falklands. She understands the military mindset, and has publishes some wonderful military history by authors like Max Hastings and Patrick Bishop. I’m delighted to have joined her stable.

• What advice do you have for budding young historians? Don’t get bogged down in detail, however fascinating you might think it is. Add plenty of colour, keep the story moving at pace, and place people at the front and centre of your narrative. Readers like to imagine what it might have been like to be present at a dramatic moment in history. Help them to realize that.

• What are your hopes moving forward? To publish my next book in ‘normal’ times, so I can give it the publicity push – talks, interviews, events – that it deserves. I’m bursting with ideas for new books, so watch this space.

• What are you working upon now? Devil Dogs (see above). I’m also editing my history of the SBS. I was the first historian to be given access to the secret SBS archives in Poole. The book – provisionally titled ‘SBS: Silent Warriors – The Authorized Wartime History’ – will be published in September 2021.  A donation from the sale of each book will be made to the SBS Regimental Association, which looks after former and serving SBS operators and their families.

My thanks to Saul David for his time in this interview, and I can only apologise for not posting it sooner. 

Crucible of Hell is one of the best books I have read in recent years and is available still on all formats.

Venting Post - These Times of Ours

Working in the customer service industry as I do can be somewhat frustrating - the customers are always right they say, even when they are wrong; is the oldest adage in the world, but come on you cannot come to a bar and complain that the beer is too gassy as one customer did the other weekend.  That customer was female which made the complaint both depressing and mortifying at the same time.  Have a wine dear next time.

Yet the other galling thing is having to work with people of very different generations.  You are aware that the generational gap is getting larger, and the gaps more apparent than before.  When I was growing up, my parents were very aware of who was Top of the Pops mainly due to there only being four channels and the more mainstream artists being more clear cut.

Nowadays, tastes and genres change from week to week rather than year to year as it did in the mid 1990s with Britpop.  How long did Britpop last for, it seemed since the release of Oasis' second album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? until the release of their disappointing third album, Be Here Now.

Yet I worry about the youth of today and what they are actually taught in their schools.  Apart from the necessary times table and algebra which is rendered redundant by the time they leave school for the final time.  The lack of mental arithmetic ability is bewildering in the youth, I continue to watch darts not because I think they are great sportsmen, but the numbers game is playing in my head.

Yesterday, I went for lunch at Langan's Brasserie in London, this restaurant was once owned by Michael Caine.  When I told my staff members of this fact, two of them were mute to that nugget of knowledge - the pair of them both under 20 did not know who Sir Michael Caine, one of our finest actors ever who has starred in Zulu, Alfie, The Italian Job and most recently as Batman's butler, Alfred.

This incident reminded me of the time another girl years ago had never heard of Bob Dylan, if Mr.Dylan had kept his birth name of Robert Zimmermann I could understand this oversight, but my God one of the greatest wordsmiths and musicians of the 20th century has been forgotten about by a new generation.  Even I am up to date and able to tell the difference between Labrinth and Tinie Tempah, although I still get Ant and Dec mixed up.

Later that same night the bewilderment rained down, when we watched BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and the vignette for Seb Coe was playing with his IOC colleague The Princess Royal appeared on screen to speak laudly of Lord Coe.  The other worker on this evening said, 'She looks like the Queen'.

I replied, 'That's the Queen's daughter'.

'The Queen has a daughter!'

It quickly came apparent that all of the staff did not know that our Queen of 60 years had been rather busy in the bedroom and had children other than Charles.  They did not even know that she had four children in total, and then the really good question was, 'So who was Diana's Mum?'

So members of the viral generation, thought Diana was born into the royal family, I had to remind them that Diana married into royalty much like Catherine Middleton has done.  Hence why it is called a Cinderella story/romance/plot device.

The fact about the Queen's motherhood was reinforced today when two more members did not know again about her four children, and they could not name either Andrew or Edward when prompted.  Apparently, the lineage of our Queen is not taught in our schools, as is nothing of our domestic history post World War II.  Millions of children are not learning about rationing, the Suez canal crisis, the troubles in Northern Ireland and the Falklands.

More and more of these incidents and accidents, the hints and allegations (sorry I've started quoting Paul Simon's 'You Can Call Me Al' - the beauty of stream of consciousness), will become more and more often so longs as children of this viral mE generation get their head out of the phones and into some more books.

Now if only they did not keep shutting down the libraries we used to know.

Green Bay v Tebow: When the Story Isn't the Story

This year in the NFL there have been an amazing set of storylines - the coming out party of rookie QBs (Newton, Dalton, Yates); the continued indiscipline of James Harrison; the implosion at Detroit after a great start (more down to the lose of Jahvid Best than their own indiscipline); the reinvention of the 49ers under the stewardship of Jon Harbaugh.

Yet there appears to be two stories that far outweigh all of these storylines; one involves a team heading for glory and the other is a man who is playing with glory in his heart.  The Green Bay Packers v Tim Tebow. One is playing for immortality, the other plays for an immortal.

The current Super Bowl champions from Wisconsin, who had a 7 game unbeaten run to win in Dallas this February over the favoured Pittsburgh Steelers, have continued currently 13-0. One more win this week at Kansas City will guarantee home field advantage throughout the playoffs at the formidabel Lambeau Field - a place that is so cold and hostile, it gives the Packers an added advantage as if they need one.

They do not need any extra help, as right now Aaron Rodgers is playing the QB position better than anyone else right now, in spite of it being a good year for his peers Drew Brees and Tom Brady.  All three are on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season passing record; as was Matt Schaub before his season-ending shoulder injury.

Rodgers is a beast - he throws it so accurately, so precisely with such poise and confidence he has made it look very easy.  He shakes off pressure that breaks the pocket due to his ability to run outside of it, he takes hit when necessary which is seldom, so maybe credit should go to his O-line for giving him time but he has an abundance of weapons downfield in Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings; coupled with the useful return of Ryan Grant who missed last year due to injury.

These Packers score for fun, when in a shootout they outscore the Chargers easily because the other QB will no doubt make a mistake either incompleting or being intercepted, and only once have they been run close which was at the Giants two weeks ago when with the game tied at 34; Rodgers with less than a minute marched down the field again with relevant ease to create a game winning field goal from reliable Mason Crosby.  The Giants were favoured to give the Pack a tough time, they did but in the end the result was never in doubt.

After the Chiefs (who fired Todd Haley this week, Romeo Crenel is interim) they have two divisional games remaining against the Bears (who are nothing without Cutler) and the Lions who may well need to win to sneak into the playoffs.  A lot of talk is being spoken about whether the Packers should aim for a 16-0 record to finish the season with or if they should rest key players (incl. Rodgers) once home field is secured. 

Now arguments may be made that the last team who went 16-0, the Patriots in 2007 did not win the Super Bowl as they lost to the Giants in Arizona - so maybe the search for perfection comes at a price and the need to have rest is paramount, although they would argue that the Packers will get two weeks to rest once the regular season concludes.  The Packers give the impression of not being overawed by the persuasive powers of history, of taking it one game at a time and they know that this is the only chance they get at perfection for this group of players.

And yet this search for perfection is being overshadowed by the performances of one man.  Tim Tebow.  Tebow the second string QB of the Denver Broncos who is metaphorically become their saviour of sorts as he has taken them from 1-4 to a 8-5 record atop the AFC West ahead of the Oakland Raiders and with a chance of making the playoffs and a home game at that,as they will be ranked fourth as a division winner.

Tebow-mania started in Miami, the same weekend as the NFL game at Wembley between Tampa and Chicago.  15-0 down with three minutes on the clock, somehow they managed to recover an onside kick and lead a charge to tie to force OT where Matt Prater converted the game winning, defying field goal.

The next week they were hammered at home by a rampant Detroit, but since then they have won 6 on the bounce each win more amazing than the last.  From Tebow's 20 yard rushing TD in the last two minutes against the Jets, to last week's 10 point comeback against the Bears with Prater again nailing an OT winning field goal.

Tebow is a conflicting figure in sports and culture at the moment, Tebow is a practising Christian with strong beliefs and values.  The use of faith in the workplace is always a strong point of conflict in a mutli-faith nation like America - some people do not like religion thrust in their face, yet Tebow is only the extreme version of every athlete who thanks God for every victory.  Tebow does not hide behind his fatih and instead embraces it.  What I think really upsets people about Tebow - is that he is a limited player in terms of technique and skill level, in comparison to Rodgers there is no comparison.  Tebow is proving to be a better running back, a young man of 260lbs who cannot be knocked out of his steps by 270lbs linebackers. 

And yet despite his mechanical defaults he is winning games, surely teams would rather win ugly than lose beautifully,  he is a phenonmenon granted and yet in the same season that a team is winning beautifully and playing football from a different planet they are not being exalted or praised, and overlooked by a savage media who always look for a hero amongst the muck - it has happened in America for decades (Iwo Jima, Miracle on Ice, Hoosiers) - the Packers are led by the MVP in Aaron Rodgers yet their accomplishments are being overshadowed by one young man.

Tebow is a game changer, a clutch player, a man who can inspire in ranks that were down and out; Tebow changed college football and his position, when colleges looked for his duplicate, hence why Cam Newton (13 TD's each thrown and run) was the No.1 pick and why Robert Griffin III won the Heisman this year and will be a top 5 pick in the draft in April.  There is still a place for in the pocket passers like Andy Dalton and Andrew Luck, but Tebow's influence is having a trickling effect from the professional to the college to the high school games thanks in part to the (over)exposure of his performances this season.

It is yet to be determined if Tebow will be a part of Canton's Hall of Fame, he still has 10-12 seasons at the top table and his sheer will and determination coupled with a fine work ethic will insure of employment; yet Green Bay are in the midst of a historical run it is rare thay you get the opportunity to witness history taking place at the moment it happens.  And if I had a choice between a team and one man; I will take the 53 man roster.