To the End of the Earth

The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945

By: John C. McManus

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

From the liberation of the Philippines to the Japanese surrender, the final volume of John C. McManus's trilogy on the US Army in the Pacific War

The dawn of 1945 finds a US Army at its peak in the Pacific. Allied victory over Japan is all but assured. The only question is how many more months—or years—of fight does the enemy have left. John C. McManus’s magisterial series, described by the Wall Street Journal as being “as vast and splendid as Rick Atkinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Liberation Trilogy,” returns with this brilliant final volume. On the island of Luzon, a months-long stand-off between US and Japanese troops finally breaks open, as American soldiers push into Manila, while paratroopers and amphibious invaders capture nearby Corregidor. The Philippines are soon liberated, and Allied strategists turn their eyes to China, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Japanese home islands themselves. Readers will walk in the boots of American soldiers and officers, braving intense heat, rampant disease, and a by-now suicidal enemy, determined to kill as many opponents as possible before defeat, and they will encounter Japanese soldiers faced with the terrible choice between capitulation or doom. At the same time, this outstanding narrative lays bare the titanic ego and ambition of the Pacific War’s most prominent general, Douglas MacArthur, and the complex challenges he faced in Japan’s unconditional surrender and America’s lengthy occupation.


Photo courtesy of the National World War II Museum, accession number 2013.495.1300.

Critic reviews

“To the End of the Earth is, like the campaign it describes, a solid mix of strategic insight, tactical analysis and ground-level fighting in which the American soldier’s deprivation and self-sacrifice claim their due credit. In the final installment of his trilogy, Mr. McManus renders an eloquent salute to soldiers who fought their way across two island chains to reach Japan’s doorstep and set the stage for the war’s end.”—The Wall Street Journal

“McManus is one of the best--if not the best--World War II historians working today.”—WWII Magazine

“A brilliant, riveting final volume in John McManus’s extraordinary trilogy on the war in the Pacific. To the End of the Earth paints vivid portraits of generals and foot soldiers alike and provides a wealth of important new detail on the campaign to liberate the Philippines and the other ‘stepping-stone’ battles that brought about Japan’s defeat. It also solidifies John McManus’ reputation as one of the great historians of our times. This is a truly great book!”—General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan and former Director of the CIA

“In this triumphant, compelling conclusion of his trilogy on the US Army in the Pacific in World War II, John McManus wins new laurels. This sweeping narrative ranges from finely crafted depictions of generals and admirals, gritty glimpses into the sharp end of combat, the physically and mentally wounded, logistics, race, and everything else. If you are at any level a practitioner of military history, I would urge you to read this as a pole star for excellence in the craft.”—Richard Frank, author of Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942

“An invaluable contribution to our understanding of the Army’s role in the Pacific War. McManus’s narrative style, and his ability to interweave first-person accounts with his chronology of events, is something to behold.”—Military Review

“McManus masterfully integrates a wide array of primary sources and weaves together accounts from generals to those fighting in the mud.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Wide-ranging yet granular, it’s a fitting capstone to the series.”—Publishers Weekly

A great trilogy

Great book, great trilogy. You don't really hear a whole lot on the U. S. Army's SWPA campaign.

A Terrific Trilogy

McManus gives readers a great understanding of the campaigns and battles of the US Army in the Pacific, and does so from the all too human part of the men and women involved.
The books read well, as McManus writes with a graceful style. All three books are very well done!

U.S. Army in the Pacific during WW II.

An important contribution to the U.S. Army's role in the Pacific during WW II. Often overshadowed by the Army's action in the ETO. The Army came of age in the Pacific. Becoming a master of amphibious warfare, engineering and logistics. It was responsible for the first land victory of the United States in WW II. I highly recommend all three volumes.

An amazing, well-researched book (and series). A very important story all Americans should know. One significant flaw:

I won’t quibble about some of the minor editing or writing stuff, but to leave out The Bomb is, well, a bombshell error in judgement. I can only hope it is corrected in second edition.

Brutal. Just brutal. This book captures things that we may mortals can only imagine.

McManus, with his typical reliance on primary sources, paints a picture of war so disturbing it is difficult to listen to. But, that is what it was.