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Tower of Skulls: From the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to the Fall of Corregidor, July 1937-May 1942

Tower of Skulls: From the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to the Fall of Corregidor, July 1937-May 1942

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  • Create Date：2021-05-06 10:51:20
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Richard B. Frank
  • ISBN：0393541363
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Summary

In 1937， the swath of the globe east from India to the Pacific Ocean enclosed half the world’s population。 Japan’s onslaught into China that year unleashed a tidal wave of events that fundamentally transformed this region and killed about twenty-five million people。 This extraordinary World War II narrative vividly portrays the battles across this entire region and links those struggles on many levels with their profound twenty-first-century legacies。 In this first volume of a trilogy， award-winning historian Richard B。 Frank draws on rich archival research and recently discovered documentary evidence to tell an epic story that gave birth to the world we live in now。

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Reviews

Maduck831 ，

Indeed， it is the Marco Polo Bridge Incident that immediately initiated a train of events ending with the dissolution of the Asian empires of Britain。 （6） The struggle would be known as "Kangri Zhanzheng": The War of Resistance Against Japan。 （36） 。。。but many Chinese believed the random pattern of survival reflected "fate （yuanfen）， the mysterious force that many Chinese believed guided their lives。" （92）Stalin immediately grasped the importance of China to prevent the Japanese from opening a po Indeed， it is the Marco Polo Bridge Incident that immediately initiated a train of events ending with the dissolution of the Asian empires of Britain。 （6） The struggle would be known as "Kangri Zhanzheng": The War of Resistance Against Japan。 （36） 。。。but many Chinese believed the random pattern of survival reflected "fate （yuanfen）， the mysterious force that many Chinese believed guided their lives。" （92）Stalin immediately grasped the importance of China to prevent the Japanese from opening a potentially fatal second front in the Far East。 （177）Inevitably that meant that American oil largely powered the Japanese war machine that by now was ultimately responsible for approximately 7。5 million dead Chinese。 （194）By leaving behind normal carrier radio operations， the Japanese cleverly created the impression that the carriers remained in home waters。。。（235）Thus， local decisions on the execution of the proposed redeployment of air units to Wake and Midway， not direct Washington orders， would ultimately result in the fact that Pearl Harbor held no carriers on the morning of 7 December。 （247）Dorn Report。 With his own hand， he scratched out the last two words and replaced them with one that would make the phrase immortal。 （297）Rayburn ignored her while a voice from another congressman shouted "Sit Down， Sister！" （299） The eight army officers who accompanied him from Corregidor became known as "The Bataan Gang。" （453） Slim sought out a Changsha veteran Chinese general and listened attentively as this officer explained that the great Japanese weakness rested in their very thin logistical margins。 （473） In a macabre touch， the clouds of gorgeous butterflies， said to be the most beautiful ever in Assam， swarmed down on the dying and dead。 （483） But the critical triggers for the mass internment order emanated fundamentally not from broad forces but from the acts of specific men。 This list starts with Maj。 Gen。 Allen W。 Gullion。。。（490）Roberts Commission。 For his performance， one of the greatest individual feats of the war， O'Hare was awarded the Medal of Honor。 （502）Not only should the British offer all their material possessions to the dictators but also "you will allow yourself， every man， woman and child， to be slaughtered。" （510）As the sun set on 6 May 1942， approximately 12，800 men and some nurses of the Corregidor garrison entered effective， if not yet official， captivity。 This arguably marked the moment when the Imperial Japanese Empire reached its zenith。 （521）The Nimitz Museum。 。。。more

Greg ，

This is the best general history of the Pacific/Asian half of WW2 that I have yet read。 The author is pretty even handed in his criticism and praise of all the participants。 He also is careful in giving the Chinese a fair treatment and emphasizing how important their contributions were to the overall Allied war effort。 This last fact alone is reason enough to read it。

Milo Adkison ，

My buddy Pat recommended this as not just another Pacific theater history， but one that emphasizes the Asian land component and the Asian peoples’ and governments ‘ perspectives。 Very thorough scholarship and novel approach。

Bill V ，

This was an amazing read。 Frank presents many of the prominent figures and ideas and often provides a new and unique perspective on them。 Chiang Kai-shek is a perfect example。 I've always read that in short he was inept and was more preoccupied with the Chinese communists than with the Japanese。 While， he may have been concerned about the communists， Frank portrays him as quite adept at accurately viewing the course of events， whether on a global scale or on mainland Asia。 Another such character This was an amazing read。 Frank presents many of the prominent figures and ideas and often provides a new and unique perspective on them。 Chiang Kai-shek is a perfect example。 I've always read that in short he was inept and was more preoccupied with the Chinese communists than with the Japanese。 While， he may have been concerned about the communists， Frank portrays him as quite adept at accurately viewing the course of events， whether on a global scale or on mainland Asia。 Another such character is Joseph Stilwell。 Frank is not kind in his depiction of him， which generally runs counter to what I had previously read about him。Frank provides coverage on the actual fighting in China， something that is generally difficult on find in most books。 The level of treatment is not exhaustive， compared to what one can read， in the campaigns in Europe but specific offensives， battles and their aftermath get treatment here。 This alone makes the book worth reading and buying。 。。。more

Matt ，

“As the Japanese company commenced the first part of the exercise…roughly a dozen small arms rounds went whizzing past them。 It was the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of the decade…Although who fired these shots remains unresolved， the most likely source was a soldier of the Chinese Twenty-Ninth Route Army – quite understandably on hair-trigger alert after years of repeated Japanese encroachments on China’s sovereignty。 The Japanese returned fire， and then roll call was con “As the Japanese company commenced the first part of the exercise…roughly a dozen small arms rounds went whizzing past them。 It was the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of the decade…Although who fired these shots remains unresolved， the most likely source was a soldier of the Chinese Twenty-Ninth Route Army – quite understandably on hair-trigger alert after years of repeated Japanese encroachments on China’s sovereignty。 The Japanese returned fire， and then roll call was conducted。 Private Kikujiro Shimura from Tokyo initially failed to answer – though he showed up soon after （popular history has enshrined the possibility that Shimura had gone off to relieve himself）。 The report of the ‘missing’ soldier reached higher commands， but not word of his return。 [Maj。 Kiyonao] Ikki mustered the main body of his battalion for a search。 Near dawn， more shots were fired at the milling Japanese soldiers。 Although [Col。 Renya] Mutaguchi initially endorsed Ikki’s proposal to negotiate， not fight， Mutaguchi ordered Ikki to respond to the renewed firing with an attack and rejected Ikki’s protest that they should avoid escalating the episode into an international incident。 Notwithstanding the prompt mutual apologies by Japanese and Chinese liaison officers over the incident， Mutaguchi declared his refusal to back down with artillery fire…”-tRichard B。 Frank， Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War， July 1937-May1942 Conventional histories of World War II pinpoint its opening act as occurring on September 1， 1939。 That’s the date that Adolf Hitler’s German forces lunged across the Polish border， beginning a nightmarish cascade of events for the countries of Europe。 According to Richard B。 Frank， however， we should move that marker back to July 7， 1937， when Chinese and Japanese forces exchanged gunfire at the Marco Polo Bridge， located eight miles south of Beijing。 Tensions in the area had been high since 1931， when the Japanese had invaded Manchuria and set up a puppet state。 Following the small-scale skirmish， a full-scale war erupted between Japan and China。 This war has been known to history as the Second Sino-Japanese War。 In Tower of Skulls， however， Frank connects it to the larger conflict that embroiled much of the earth until 1945， causing tens of millions of deaths worldwide。 Many of those deaths occurred in Asia， specifically China。 The only nation to suffer more – in terms of total fatalities – was the Soviet Union。 Unlike the Soviet Union， which is given the lion’s share of the credit for ultimate victory （even though it participated in the invasion of Poland with Hitler）， China’s contributions are often either ignored or deprecated。 Frank is here to set the record straight。 Tower of Skulls is the first of a proposed trilogy covering the Pacific Theater of World War II。 It begins in 1937， at the Marco Polo Bridge， and ends in May 1942， with the fall of Corregidor in the Philippines。 In between， Frank covers Japan’s dramatic， bloody bid for Asian hegemony。 Aside from capturing swaths of the Chinese mainland， Japan also invaded Burma （Myanmar）， French Indochina （Vietnam）， the Dutch East Indies （Indonesia）， and the Philippines。 Along the way， they threatened both India and Australia as well。 When the book ends – with the Battle of the Coral Sea looming just over the horizon – Japan has reached the zenith of her empire。 For me， the best part of Tower of Skulls is the early going， when Frank is dealing solely with the conflict between China and Japan。 Despite having read Rana Mitter’s Forgotten Ally， I’m still mostly ignorant of China’s desperate fight， and Frank does a good job of summarizing a massive struggle。 In doing so， he adds his name to the list of historians who are reappraising Chiang Kai-shek， and raising his posthumous reputation。 One of the more complex figures in history， Chiang made his share of mistakes， and took his share of ruthlessly pragmatic actions （such as destroying the Yellow River dikes， killing innumerable civilians）。 Despite the mistakes， the ruthlessness， there was an indomitability to him， to such an extent that today， China is reembracing the former capitalist “stooge” for his nationalism。 Frank’s portrayal of Chiang， given the enormity of the challenges he faced， is generally sympathetic。 My only criticism of Frank’s handling of the beginning stages of the conflict is that he only deals with the battles at the strategic and operational levels。 Unlike later engagements， such as Pearl Harbor， Singapore， and the invasion of Java， Frank does not provide any real tactical detail of the clashes on the Chinese mainland。 I would have liked to have known more about how the ground-level combat unfolded at Shanghai and other places。 I’m not sure why Frank chooses the wider view， though it may be due to space considerations。 Otherwise， Frank does an excellent job covering many different topics。 For instance， he brings a dispassionate eye to the Rape of Nanking， carefully sorting through all the different proposed casualty estimates。 He also discusses the mass refugee crisis in China， and proposes that it was this dislocation that led to the centralization of Chinese power， and the concept of Chinese nationhood。 There is also a powerful evocation of the Japanese bombing of Chongqing， which has left posterity with some of the most shockingly unforgettable photographs of war ever taken。 （Ever sensitive to the ways that historiography has favored west over east， Frank astutely points out that the bombing of Guernica in 1937 – immortalized by Picasso – was small potatoes when compared to Chongqing in 1938）。 Even in 1941， as the narrative begins to leave its China-centric focus in order to relate Japan’s decision to widen the war， Frank does a very good job of reminding the reader of China’s undiminished importance to events。 One example of this is Tower of Skull’s handling of Pearl Harbor。 Frankly， I started to get a little antsy as the book approached this much-discussed historical turning point。 After all， I’ve read literally dozens of books on Pearl Harbor， and didn’t feel the need for another iteration。 Yet Frank – though he provides a standard account of December 7 – finds a new way to present this material。 In particular， he makes a forceful counterpoint to modern historians who find that America brought the attack on herself by curtailing Japanese oil imports。 Essentially， it is a blame-the-victim argument， in which Japan was given no other choice than to show up uninvited on a Sunday morning in Hawaii。 Frank fires back by noting that Japan got most of their oil from America， and was using it to wage vicious， unrelenting warfare on China， warfare that encompassed poison gas attacks， sexual assaults， and industrial scale death that – by the time the Arizona exploded – had already killed close to eight million Chinese men， women， and children。 I found this moral dimension to be bracing。 （Frank’s discussion of codebreaking and diplomacy leading up to the surprise attack are also excellent）。 This is the second book of Frank’s I have read， the first being Downfall， a volume that essentially argued for the necessity of the atomic bombings。 With that in mind， I was expecting that Tower of Skulls might be polemical。 It is not。 I found Frank to be scrupulously objective and fair to all the participants。 He tries to see events through the eyes of the people living them， rather than assessing them only in hindsight， with all available information。 Though there are plenty of atrocities， he does not wallow in them。 I found it striking that Frank spent far more time discussing the U。S。 internment of Japanese-Americans – a stain on America’s reputation that seems to grow only darker with time – than he does on Japan’s post-Doolittle Raid reprisals （in which 250，000 Chinese deaths are dealt with in a paragraph） or the Bataan Death March （an already well-covered tale which gets about a page-and-a-half）。 There are plenty of good books about the Asia-Pacific War。 Heck， there are plenty of great books on the subject。 Ian Toll just finished a magisterial trilogy that brilliantly captures the tide of war as it swept from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay。Honestly， Frank doesn’t write as well as Toll， or James Hornfischer， or any number of other author-historians who have chronicled this period。 He does fine with set-pieces， but is mostly lacking in artistry。 （His repeated and idiosyncratic use of the term “mooted” also stands out）。 Still， what he lacks in literary panache he makes up for with methodical organization， extremely deep research， and clearly-presented propositions。 Frank has opinions， but he backs them up。 More than that – and unlike most other books I’ve read – Frank gives the Pacific Theater a new center of gravity。 He persuasively demonstrates how Chiang’s ability to simply hold on， to keep going even when a collapse seemed inevitable， turned the tide of the war。 By miring Japan in a costly stalemate， China kept the Japanese from invading the Soviet Union， which allowed the Soviet Union to stave off Hitler。 Likewise， by diverting the attention of huge numbers of Japanese troops， the U。S。 was able to island hop across the Pacific。 When you start doing the math， China’s role becomes indispensable， her sacrifices criminally ignored。 Modern China’s emergence as a global force shows no signs of slowing。 Indeed， the 21st Century is shaping up to belong to her。 This book interested me because I knew only the barest outlines of how this came to pass。 In a relatively short period， China has transformed from a fractious land bullied by Western colonizers to a mighty nation casting a long shadow。 In a way， Tower of Skulls is the first entry of the origin story of a superpower。 。。。more

Eric J。 Hartsfield ，

Excellent overview of the Asian WarGreat view of the war in Asia from 1937 onwards。 What I particularly enjoyed was the recognition that the war had been going on for four years prior to December 1941。 Frank's analysis of Japan's ongoing efforts in China from the early 30's onwards I found very illuminating。 Excellent overview of the Asian WarGreat view of the war in Asia from 1937 onwards。 What I particularly enjoyed was the recognition that the war had been going on for four years prior to December 1941。 Frank's analysis of Japan's ongoing efforts in China from the early 30's onwards I found very illuminating。 。。。more

Doug ，

Very well-written history of the Pacific War， starting with the attack on China in 1937 up to the peak of the Japanese Empire in 1942， intended to be the first of a trilogy。 Compared to another multi-volume history on the same subject， "The Rising Sun" by John Toland， this is more China-centric （and sympathetic）， whereas Toland was more charitable towards Japan's reasoning for starting the war。 For example， when talking about the negotiations with the US， Toland cites misunderstandings through f Very well-written history of the Pacific War， starting with the attack on China in 1937 up to the peak of the Japanese Empire in 1942， intended to be the first of a trilogy。 Compared to another multi-volume history on the same subject， "The Rising Sun" by John Toland， this is more China-centric （and sympathetic）， whereas Toland was more charitable towards Japan's reasoning for starting the war。 For example， when talking about the negotiations with the US， Toland cites misunderstandings through faulty translations of intercepted Japanese messages， Secretary of State Hull's intransigence， and too much sympathy towards China。 In contrast， Richard Frank asserts that all Japanese proposals required stopping military aid to China， thus ensuring its defeat， in exchange for vague promises of withdrawal sometime in the future。 In short， that the two sides were too far apart。 It remains a question if China was really a vital interest of the US， but surely we were not obligated to power the Japanese military machine through our oil。 Good maps， excellent descriptions and anecdotes。 I wouldn't think I needed to read anything else on this subject， but I'm looking forward to the next volumes。 。。。more

Wan Peter ，

Unfinished

Andrew Carr ，

An outstanding history of the war in the pacific。 While engagingly written and based on very strong research， three elements stand out1。 It returns China front and centre in the story。 The Pacific War began in 1937， not 1939 like the European war。 And it was for a long time determined by the fighting between China and Japan， and the role and importance of China （with significant implications for Soviet ability to focus on the West， the role of Burma， the resource needs and capacity of Japan in s An outstanding history of the war in the pacific。 While engagingly written and based on very strong research， three elements stand out1。 It returns China front and centre in the story。 The Pacific War began in 1937， not 1939 like the European war。 And it was for a long time determined by the fighting between China and Japan， and the role and importance of China （with significant implications for Soviet ability to focus on the West， the role of Burma， the resource needs and capacity of Japan in south east asia etc）2。 It makes the war about Japan and not the US。 Too many of these books would begin with Pearl Harbour and then work back。 And the choices of US leaders would determine the order of the book。 This one pays attention to US views and includes lots of coverage of US actions， but it is not the centre。3。 There are compelling portraits of some of the Generals and military leaders。 Frank does well to sum up and capture the key figures。 He also is willing to provide quotes and details and leave the reader to draw some of the more scandalous interpretations。If you're interested in a fresh take on the war， this is a very good choice。 。。。more

S。 ，

I don't know， Frank just doesn't do it for me。。。。 the rare military history I'm not really keen on。 his other book "Downfall" is also a 3/5。 I don't know， Frank just doesn't do it for me。。。。 the rare military history I'm not really keen on。 his other book "Downfall" is also a 3/5。 。。。more

Rich Bussom ，

A really good overview of a rarely covered topic。

Lloyd ，

This is an excellent and interesting history of World War II in the Asian-Pacific Theater from July 1937 to May 1942。 This is the first volume in a planned trilogy that will cover the entire World War II period。 The author， Richard B。 Frank， has clearly created a thoroughly and extensively researched book。 By beginning in 1937， the author provides insight into the importance of the impact Japan’s war with China had on the course and direction of the entire war。 That conflict was not a backwater This is an excellent and interesting history of World War II in the Asian-Pacific Theater from July 1937 to May 1942。 This is the first volume in a planned trilogy that will cover the entire World War II period。 The author， Richard B。 Frank， has clearly created a thoroughly and extensively researched book。 By beginning in 1937， the author provides insight into the importance of the impact Japan’s war with China had on the course and direction of the entire war。 That conflict was not a backwater sideshow underserving of critical examination as most previous histories of the War with Japan have done because of their American focused look at the Pacific Theater of War。 Reading this book will reveal how the war in China directly impacted Japan’s decisions （i。） to attack the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor， （ii） expand of their Empire by force of arms into the South Pacific and （iii） not to aid their ally Germany’s invasion of Russia。 You’ll also learn how Mao Zedong’s Red Chinese Army somewhat cooperated with Chiang Kai-Shek’s Chinese Nationalist Army in fighting their common enemy Japan during those years。 Also revealed are the intrigues between Mao and Stalin that wanted China to remain in the War against the Axis Powers but not be too successful so as to diminish Chiang’s appeal in China once the war was over。 Plus， China’s ongoing battles with Japan tied down a huge amount of Japan’s resources that could not then be used against the Americans， Brits and Australians。 So， insights into the ultimate strategies and course of the war with Japan can be discovered here， along with insights into such controversial and historic figures of World War II such as MacArthur， Stillwell， Nimitz， Yamamoto， Churchill， Roosevelt， Chiang Kai-Shek and many， many more。 The only reason I gave this book a five-star rating was because the system doesn’t allow for six or more stars。 。。。more

Craig Fiebig ，

Excellent， deeply detailed deep dive on the units and leaders of the early Asian and Pacific theaters。 I wish the author’s second volume was available as an audio book！ His book on Guadalcanal was also excellent！

Larry Roberts ，

Very well done and a pleasure to read！ I'm looking forward to volume 2！ Very well done and a pleasure to read！ I'm looking forward to volume 2！ 。。。more

Simon ，

"You are building your conception of an Asia which would be raised on a tower of skulls。"Rabindranath Tagore， the Bengali polymath responding to Japanese overtures of a "Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere"， shines a light on the subject matter of Tower of Skulls:Asiaand skullsChinese Finger TrapBetween 1933 and 1943， Japan would directly invest more capital in Manchukuo than Britain devoted to India in two hundred years of imperial rule。China is popularly portrayed in histories as a place Japan "You are building your conception of an Asia which would be raised on a tower of skulls。"Rabindranath Tagore， the Bengali polymath responding to Japanese overtures of a "Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere"， shines a light on the subject matter of Tower of Skulls:Asiaand skullsChinese Finger TrapBetween 1933 and 1943， Japan would directly invest more capital in Manchukuo than Britain devoted to India in two hundred years of imperial rule。China is popularly portrayed in histories as a place Japan got stuck in， like the mud to the side of a rural road you attempted to u-turn over。 There's a passiveness to descriptions of Chinese resistance and an understating of China’s importance to Japan。 Frank's explicit goal is to remedy that。 Tower of Skulls achieves this， running from the Xi’an Incident to the Wuhan Revival to the defence of Changsha。 Praise for Chiang Kai Shek's strategic insights perhaps gets over-elevated over his failings， but its defensible in the context of him being a loser in most texts。 Frank adds local factoids to the narrative， such an amended Chinese building code demanding stone and brick rather than wood and bamboo to reduce destruction due to Japanese bombing。 Frank provides good historiographical summaries where appropriate， such as the deaths during the "Rape of Nanjing"。 Frank generally isn't working from primary texts so I would be careful about considering any of his judgements determinative， but they are at least good for overviews。 Frank can also be quite cutting of commanders and strategies which， if nothing else， is fun to read。 There’s plenty of coverage of the Pacific part of 1937-1941 but in terms of military campaigns， Frank’s narrative is interesting but not revelational， other than perhaps some of the reporting:In Europe， the gallantry of airmen and sailors in these attacks would have been legendary; here it garnered virtually no notice。 Hidden GoalFrank wrote Downfall， which is one of the leading books for the pro-atomic bombing argument。 I believe that， with this trilogy， Frank is consciously or subconsciously going to take another shot at it using the wider timeframe to restate his position。 Because it is not explicit and Frank is not over-the-top or obviously unbalanced in his narrative， I may be reading the tea leaves too closely。 That he mentions that the factory that provided the Japanese with the torpedoes for Pearl Harbor lay right under the Nagasaki bomb is intended as a historical curiousity， so I may be doing too much with the parts I do read as indicative。Japanese Brutality Estimates of Chinese military and civilian deaths ran as high as 250，000 - if this figure is correct， it would likely exceed fatalities from the atomic bombs。Measuring which Axis Power （and perhaps the Soviets – Frank really doesn’t like them） committed the “worst war crimes” in quality or quantity tends to be a fool’s errand， but Frank raises a good point or two。 Up to 22 June 1941， both Japan and the Soviet Union were far and away the worst mass murderers， Japan with approximately 7。5 million Chinese deaths to its name。 The death rates amongst prisoners of war are notably high and repeated， such as the survival rates of the sailors of sunken Allied ships or on the Bataan “Death March”。There are also descriptions of specific atrocities against prisoners of war and civilians， the details of which are unnecessary here。 In the totality of World War Two， the numbers are not always large for， as Frank writes， smaller batches of prisoners often fared the worst。 The reader is left with a visceral revulsion to these events and Japanese conduct of the war （in fairness， Frank does praise Japanese feats of arms in battle）。 It is my suspicion that Frank is priming the pump as to the brutality of the Asian-Pacific war right from 1937。 Frank is within his rights to write about them: there’s no serious scholarly denial that these events happened， nor do I see them as particularly out of context。 It is then a much smoother path of escalation to unleashing nuclear hellfire。If Frank is doing what I suspect he is， he does still need to link the clearly criminal actions of the Japanese military to the punishment of atomic annihilation inflicted on Japanese citizens。 After all， the Tokyo trials existed to punish the commanders in charge。 The only half-hearted attempt I have read so far is an amorphous reference that the Japanese public would not be willing to accept defeat in China。Moral Cowardice and Adventurism The senior ordnance officer provided his verdict on the division's equipment as it marched off to battle: he killed himself。Frank lays into Japan’s uncontrollable military adventurism in 1931 and 1937 （against China）， 1939 （against the Soviet Union） and 1940-41 （against Vichy France）。 The theme Frank emphasises is that the Japanese military repeatedly cut across diplomatic efforts， even when the odds against success by way of force were clear， as the unfortunate ordnance officer realised。 Frank， drawing heavily on earlier works， wants to make clear that war against the Allied powers took the same approach。The numbers demonstrated that the most favorable ratio between Japan and the United States would be 76 percent。 It would occur at the end of 1941。The position Frank takes is that Japan， faced with unsustainable American economic pressure， took the hardest possible （and military dominated） line in negotiations with the United States to lift certain embargoes。 The proposals required China’s defeat or abandonment by America。 The critical element is that Japan would choose war rather than resile from its position even though， as Frank sets out， they knew that their chances were virtually nil。 At best they would be at 76 percent of the fleet of a superpower that could generate war materials at will （and on top of that Japan would face the Royal Navy！）。 Frank considers the actions of Japan’s leaders to be moral cowardice， refusing to accept that they would lose。Now think to 1944-1945。 Again， there was resistance in the military to diplomatic action， in that case surrender to the Allies。 Accounting for the context of Japan’s decision to declare war， how realistic were their overtures to the Soviets to end it？ What terms would Japan have accepted prior to the atomic bombing （or， for completeness， the Soviet invasion of Manchuria）？ That is the direction I believe Tower of Skulls is pointing us。 Frank wants to show that Japan had a long history of military leadership divorced from reality， and only the threat of absolute destruction would force surrender。 I will be interested to see if I am guessing right when he comes to book three and whether the arguments Frank made in Downfall receive an update。So while Tower of Skulls enters a crowded field， there are a couple of major themes that make it worth reading。 。。。more

Vann Collie ，

Can't wait for the next part。 Can't wait for the next part。 。。。more

Kyle ，

As with all books I have read that were written by Frank， this is an excellent， objective history。 I first encountered Frank covering the fall of the Japanese empire in the Pacific theater of WWII in Downfall， and this work （the first in a trilogy） is a more broad look at the Asia-Pacific theater of WWII。 It has a strong focus on the often forgotten Chinese contribution to WWII， as well as an amazingly clear explanation of all the major conflicts involving Japan from July 1937 to May 1942， inclu As with all books I have read that were written by Frank， this is an excellent， objective history。 I first encountered Frank covering the fall of the Japanese empire in the Pacific theater of WWII in Downfall， and this work （the first in a trilogy） is a more broad look at the Asia-Pacific theater of WWII。 It has a strong focus on the often forgotten Chinese contribution to WWII， as well as an amazingly clear explanation of all the major conflicts involving Japan from July 1937 to May 1942， including Burma， Singapore， the Phillipines， and， of course， Pearl Harbor and the US。 Frank shows his work， explaining where the uncertainties in estimates are and giving his informed opinion on the numbers/facts， adding a great deal of nuanced details to the battles and about the participants。 He also has a great focus on "Magic" and intelligence in general that helps us understand what the leaders knew when they were making decisions。 This focus helps add that nuance to decisions that often seem strange from our current vantage point， but are explicable when you see what the people knew at the time （along with people's general perceptions about the world）。If you are a WWII fan， then this is a book you should read。 Its focus on events outside the Japan-US Pacific war is far more detailed than any other general WWII book I have ever read， and it is presented clearly， calmly， and with excellent maps （excellent maps really help make excellent history books， esp。 those involving battles）。 I highly recommend this volume and all of Richard B。 Frank's work。 。。。more

Robert Marsett ，

Excellent history of the early years of the war in Asia and the Pacific。 Frank covers many areas that are neglected or glossed over， linking together the war in China， Southeast Asia， and the pacific。

James Early ，

Excellent！

Mark Bates ，

Great overview of early history of Pacific conflict starting in 1937。

Mark Lisac ，

A comprehensive， massively researched history that covers in encyclopedic detail the usually forgotten or glossed-over subjects of the invasion of China in the 1930s， the centrality of China to Japan's and ultimately the Allies' strategic considerations， and the way the Japanese army was able to capture most of Southeast Asia in the five months after Pearl Harbor。 Yet Frank manages to keep all this information under control。 The episodes are clear and the narrative flows smoothly。The level of de A comprehensive， massively researched history that covers in encyclopedic detail the usually forgotten or glossed-over subjects of the invasion of China in the 1930s， the centrality of China to Japan's and ultimately the Allies' strategic considerations， and the way the Japanese army was able to capture most of Southeast Asia in the five months after Pearl Harbor。 Yet Frank manages to keep all this information under control。 The episodes are clear and the narrative flows smoothly。The level of detail in the second half， describing the Pearl Harbor attack and how Southeast Asia was conquered so quickly， occasionally feels overdone， but learning the nuts and bolts of what happened is a primary reason for reading the book。 It would have been interesting to know how the Chinese Nationalist army gathered enough artillery to repel a Japanese attack at Changsha in 1941。 These are two quibbles about a thoroughly impressive achievement。It's humbling to read about the many heroic small actions fought in complete obscurity by Allied soldiers， sailors and airmen in the first months of 1942。 It's depressing and disturbing to read about the countless acts of savage， murderous cruelty committed by the Japanese army against prisoners （including nurses） and civilian populations; equally disturbing is the record of the ways that hundreds of thousands of civilians died as refugees or in bombing campaigns。 。。。more

MacWithBooksonMountains Marcus ，

Read this during my flight from Helsinki to Shanghai and subsequent COVID-19 quarantine in Shanghai。

Jim French ，

Groundbreaking， amazing book。 Lots of new information on Japan's war in China and how it affected global war strategy。 The author does a great job， succinctly and clearly， of arguing his case。 He has some strange word choice though， about every page or two。 Huh？ Why in the world did he choose that word。 That's my only nitpick。 Groundbreaking， amazing book。 Lots of new information on Japan's war in China and how it affected global war strategy。 The author does a great job， succinctly and clearly， of arguing his case。 He has some strange word choice though， about every page or two。 Huh？ Why in the world did he choose that word。 That's my only nitpick。 。。。more

David Bird ，

What makes this book stand out from the flood tide of works on the topic is the author’s decision to treat China as an essential， rather than tangential， part of the conflict。 In this， it’s comparable to Norman Davies’s No Simple Victory。 One can’t ever say the Japanese choices ‘make sense，’ but the framework in which they have a certain logic become substantially more intelligible。Frank undergirds this narrative with substantial work in Asian sources， and gives a much more nuanced portrait of C What makes this book stand out from the flood tide of works on the topic is the author’s decision to treat China as an essential， rather than tangential， part of the conflict。 In this， it’s comparable to Norman Davies’s No Simple Victory。 One can’t ever say the Japanese choices ‘make sense，’ but the framework in which they have a certain logic become substantially more intelligible。Frank undergirds this narrative with substantial work in Asian sources， and gives a much more nuanced portrait of Chiang Kai-Shek than is typical。 I look forward to the other volumes。 。。。more

Nathan Albright ，

This book， a weighty work of more than 500 pages of text， to say nothing of its massive endnotes， is a revisionist history， but not of the sort that I find a problem with。 What the author is attempting here， and which largely succeeds， is an effort at turning a study of the first part of World War II's Pacific War into a Pacific history that integrates that concerns of the various people involved， with a high degree of interest in China and the influence of Chinese resistance to Japanese dominat This book， a weighty work of more than 500 pages of text， to say nothing of its massive endnotes， is a revisionist history， but not of the sort that I find a problem with。 What the author is attempting here， and which largely succeeds， is an effort at turning a study of the first part of World War II's Pacific War into a Pacific history that integrates that concerns of the various people involved， with a high degree of interest in China and the influence of Chinese resistance to Japanese domination and Japan's maladroit efforts at diplomacy and brutal military tactics as being responsible for the larger conflicts that other areas got drawn into。 Japan's attempt to extricate itself victorious from the self-inflicted Chinese quagmire that it got itself into only entangled it in further conflicts which it was able to deal with， at least in the short term， via opportunistic and tactical means but which ended up ensnaring Japan in increasingly difficult warfare on a logistical level that it would ultimately be unable to handle。 The author handles this sprawling topic with skill， drawing upon sources that allow for a reassessment of China's achievements in self-defense and that also point out American unwillingness to betray its Chinese ally， which was necessary for the avoidance of war with Japan， in a way that avoids conspiracy theory while pointing to FDR's essential unreliability as well as the major shortcomings in leaders like Stillwell and MacArthur in their behavior。This book is eighteen chapters long and it is divided into expressively titled chapters that deal in a chronological fashion with World War II from its beginnings in China to the peak of Japanese growth up to May 1942。 So we start with the Marco Polo Bridge as a prologue （1）， and then go through several chapters that detail the Japanese efforts in 1937 that were immensely successful at taking over cities like Shanghai and Nanking （1）， killing many unprepared Chinese troops （2）， forcing China to desperate straights like flooding the Yangtze to try to stop Japan's advance at horrific cost （3）， and leading to a massive refugee migration of tens of millions of people away from Japanese rule （4）。 The author discusses the Japanese abuse of prisoners （5）， Japan's efforts at diplomacy （6， 7， 8， 9）， which combined tragedy and farce with inabilities to deal openly with others or present win-win options for others that only broadened the conflict。 Then more combinations of tragedy and farce come in with the bungled nature of the American warning to Pearl Harbor for war and the failure of its local commanders to adequately prepare for the need to defend themselves （10， 11）。 After that comes a discussion of the litany of failures that occurred after the declaration of war， such as the fall of Hong Kong， Guam， and Wake Island （12）， the setup and fall of Singapore （13， 14）， the fall of the Dutch East Indies （15）， the conquest of the Philippines （16）， the fall of Burma （17）， and the barbaric nature of the Japanese treatment of conquered areas as they reached the peak of their control in the Pacific （18）。 The book ends with acknowledgements， notes， a bibliography， map and illustration credits， and an index。This book is a welcome one to those who want an in-depth look at the Pacific War that connects the various elements of conflict and diplomacy together in a satisfactory way， demonstrating not only the unity of the Atlantic and Pacific Wars as part of the larger World War， but also demonstrating the importance of politics， the general popularity of Japanese imperialism with the general public， and a judicious reassessment of Chiang Kai-Shek as a leader of considerable strategic genius even if it did not lead to his own benefit as Chinese leader。 The influence of World War II in shaping Chinese identity as a national rather than a local one， and the dangerous nature of Japan's politics and its decision to wage war because it would have been unable to do so effectively later on based on America's late peacetime efforts at rearmament， suggest that FDR is not to blame for World War II and that a great many mistakes were made that hindered the Allied effort at the beginning， including a disastrously poor effort in Malaysia and major logistical failures in the Philippines。 。。。more

Dale ，

Mr。 Frank does a good job capturing the beginning years of WWII in the Pacific up until the height of Empirical Japanese power。 It follows the timeline of Empirical Japanese aggression and that is one of the strengths of the book， making it different than other western author's writings of the Pacific War from the US or UK perspectives。 Not to say the author is not without personal or cognitive bias as we all have but the flow of the book seems to be from the Japanese strategy and not western re Mr。 Frank does a good job capturing the beginning years of WWII in the Pacific up until the height of Empirical Japanese power。 It follows the timeline of Empirical Japanese aggression and that is one of the strengths of the book， making it different than other western author's writings of the Pacific War from the US or UK perspectives。 Not to say the author is not without personal or cognitive bias as we all have but the flow of the book seems to be from the Japanese strategy and not western reaction。 Learned some new things here and that is saying a lot has I have read much about this time in history。 。。。more

peter lang ，

CompellingGreat addition to any library of books about the Sino -Japanese war。 China is deservedly given credit for their massive contribution to the final defeat of Japan

Urey Patrick ，

Just when you think the war in the Pacific has been well covered， Richard Frank proves us wrong… Tower of Skulls is masterful。 It is comprehensive， exhaustively researched and narrated， and engagingly written。 Frank accomplishes much – he reinforces some reputations， deflates some others。 He puts actions， events and policies into perspective and explains their impacts on the wider war as well as the impacts of events and decisions in Washington， London， Moscow， China， Japan and across the German Just when you think the war in the Pacific has been well covered， Richard Frank proves us wrong… Tower of Skulls is masterful。 It is comprehensive， exhaustively researched and narrated， and engagingly written。 Frank accomplishes much – he reinforces some reputations， deflates some others。 He puts actions， events and policies into perspective and explains their impacts on the wider war as well as the impacts of events and decisions in Washington， London， Moscow， China， Japan and across the German theater of war upon the evolution of the war in the Pacific。 More importantly， he puts the Asian Pacific War into perspective， giving it the attention and importance that is so often overlooked in the conventional view of the history of World War II as it has developed over the past 50 years。 The massive scale of the Asian Pacific War （to use Frank’s perfect label） was beyond human experience， unmatched in casualties， geographic scale and scope of titanic forces moving over vast distances and it has been poorly illustrated or understood in the many， often superb， histories of specific aspects of the conflict。 Frank puts it all together in an overwhelming and compelling history of the whole global war – the Asian Pacific War in its grandiose scale and reach。 Frank is one of my favorite history writers – he is accomplished at weaving the narrative and fleshing it out with relevant， and pointedly selected， personal anecdotes and experiences of the participant along the way。 This is a book I found hard to put down – so engrossing and interesting that I would occasionally lose track of the fact it is just the first volume of a planned trilogy… I would note the number of pages remaining and fret over how he could possibly fit in the rest of the war and do it the same justice… only to remember， oh yeah – trilogy！！ Two more volumes to look forward to…。 What a relief… as well as source of great impatience！！I could go on at length， lauding this book or describing the astute and cogent observations， revelations and analyses that Frank offers throughout。。。 suffice to say if you have interest in WWII and the Asian Pacific theater as a global event， read this book！ 。。。more

Antonio Morena ，

First volume in a future trilogy of the Asia-Pacific War （1937-1945） by Richard B。 Frank， covering the history of the conflict from the Marco Polo Bridge Incident （July 1937 until just before the Battle of the Coral Sea， in early May 1942）。 In essence， this is a chronicle of the Japanese high tide until things started to get sour for the Empire of the Rising Sun。Fantastic writing， as usual， and a very welcome addition to my increasing library on the Asia-Pacific Theatre of Operations。 I particul First volume in a future trilogy of the Asia-Pacific War （1937-1945） by Richard B。 Frank， covering the history of the conflict from the Marco Polo Bridge Incident （July 1937 until just before the Battle of the Coral Sea， in early May 1942）。 In essence， this is a chronicle of the Japanese high tide until things started to get sour for the Empire of the Rising Sun。Fantastic writing， as usual， and a very welcome addition to my increasing library on the Asia-Pacific Theatre of Operations。 I particularly enjoyed the description of politics and operations in China， that great forgotten part of WWII。The last few chapters cover minor operations like the early American carrier raids as well as the fall of Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines， and look like they have been added as an afterthought， but one must bear into account that they were not that important compared with the enormous scope of the fighting in China， Burma， Malay and the Dutch East Indies。The next volume in the trilogy will surely come packed with codebreakers， carrier warfare， Solomons and New Guinea。 ;-） 。。。more

Craig Henry ，

I waited for years for this book to come out。 Was not disappointed。 Frank， with his meticulous research， shows how vital China was to the defeat of Japan。 As always， his writing is clear and incisive。 The maps make it easy to follow the narrative even for someone who knows little about the war in China。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tower of Skulls: From the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to the Fall of Corregidor, July 1937-May 1942

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tower of Skulls: From the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to the Fall of Corregidor, July 1937-May 1942&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tower of Skulls: From the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to the Fall of Corregidor, July 1937-May 1942&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0