Fading Victory: The Diary of Admiral Matome Ugaki, 1941-1945 Paperback – March 1, 2008

I came across this title while reading a trilogy of books about the US Naval history during the 2nd World War in the pacific ocean against the Japanese.This diary details the cause and effect of the conflict as described by the surviving highest ranking office of the IJN before his death. With it the whole story of the conflict can be studied.Of note I waited until a copy of the book was available at a price I could afford. The book seller listed it as " Used Very Good". Binding, cover, pages and jacket all appeared like new to me. I would look to that seller again when I shop for other used books.

Admiral Ugaki, the author of this memoir, was a remarkable individual. Present as a senior officer at many of the pivotal actions in Japan's Pacific War, he even survived being in the accompanying plane that was shot down by US fighters along with Admiral Yamamoto's personal transport aircraft, and he ended the war commanding a kamikaze air fleet. And then, in the brief window of time between Emperor Hirohito's radio broadcast announcing surrender, but before the arrival of actual surrender orders from navy headquarters, Ugaki elected to board a final kamikaze flight himself. Pictures of him taken on that last day (and included in this book) show him relaxed and smiling. This account, in the form of a daily diary, gives rare insight into the thinking of the Japanese wartime naval high command, and how it viewed events as they actually unfolded. The only slight disappointment is that there is little analysis of Yamamoto the man, with whom Ugaki worked closely, or of his strategic decisions; yet this is hardly surprising since the diary was written actually during the war and while Yamamoto was Ugaki's commanding officer. Overall, Ugaki comes across as an intelligent and observant man. At the same time, though, Ugaki's obvious veneration for the glory of death in the service of the Emperor provides valuable insight. It might be said that a military code that values death even more highly than victory, is perhaps not the most effective, or perhaps even ethical, approach to war, since it makes sacrifice into an end in itself.Highly recommended to all students of the Pacific War, as well as those interested in the psychology of warfare.

This book is the edited, English translation of the war diary of IJN Admiral Matome Ugaki, the highest ranking Japanese officer from WW2 for whom an extensive first person account is available. Ugaki kept the diary from the months leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack, until the time of the Japanese surrender in mid-August, 1945. He began the diary when he did because he was convinced that war was not far away. He diligently made entries almost every day, only occasionally having to backtrack a bit when battle situations did not permit writing on a given day. The original diary filled fifteen volumes. It was translated into English by Masataka Chihaya and condensed and edited by American co-editors Donald Goldstein and Katherine Dillon, and published in the United States under the title, "Fading Victory," in 1991.There are two missing time periods in the diary as published in Fading Victory. The first is January through March of 1943, where the volume in question was lost by a staff officer after the war. The second gap is from April, 1943 to February, 1944, when Ugaki was convalescing from injuries sustained when the plane in which he was travelling, along with that of Yamamoto, was shot down by American P-38s over Bougainville. This time period was withheld by Ugaki's family, who claimed that it contained only personal matters of no interest to historians.Ugaki held three important commands during the war. From April, 1941, until April, 1943, he served as Chief of Staff to Combined Fleet Commander in Chief Yamamoto. From February through November, 1944, he was commander of the First Battleship Division, comprised of super-battleships Yamato and Musashi. His final assignment was from February, 1945 through to the end of the war, as commander of the 5th Air Fleet, which fought against U.S. shipping during the Battle of Okinawa. As the war ended, and Japan's defeat became certain, Ugaki boarded a suicide plane for a final attack against U.S. ships at Okinawa. The plane was never heard from again and was presumed lost at sea.Fading Victory is an invaluable source for anyone with more than a passing interest in the Pacific war. Nowhere else can a reader get such an immediate sense of how the high command of the Imperial Japanese Navy viewed developments as they unfolded. It is stunning to read firsthand of how decisively the initiative passed from the Japanese to the Americans in the May-August, 1942 timeframe. It is also highly instructive to see what the high command knew, and when they knew it. For example, it took them a long time to figure out how strong the Americans were on Guadalcanal, and Ugaki never expresses any suspicions that Japanese codes have been compromised, even after his plane was intercepted and shot down and Yamamoto, in the other plane, was killed. Later in the war, viewing developments through Ugaki's eyes, readers can appreciate his utter exasperation at seeing the U.S. fast carrier task force going where it pleases, arrogantly attacking targets, once considered invulnerable, with virtual impunity.Ugaki does very little philosophizing or self-examination in his diary. Most of his entries report on the day's military developments. In the aftermath of battles, he does some analysis on lessons learned and how to improve for the future. What little sentimentality he expresses usually has to do with the memory of his wife, Tomoko, who died in 1940, or old Eta Jima classmates who are killed in combat. He does display an appreciation for nature, and often accompanies his observations on the natural world with a few lines of poetry. For recreation, he often goes ashore hunting. The whole notion of death, even intentional death, in combat seems natural to Ugaki and simply part of the Japanese warrior ethos. His command of kamikazes during the Okinawa campaign and his own decision to end his life in that fashion at the end flows naturally from his worldview and in no way comes across as an act of desperation.There is no doubt that Fading Victory is an important read for Americans seeking greater understanding of the Pacific war. The editors, Goldstein and Dillon, have done a good job of maintaining narrative flow, inserting pertinent commentary when necessary, while preserving the style of a diary. However, there are some errors in the documenting text. For example, the destroyer Sims, sunk at Coral Sea, is described as an oiler. Admiral Crace, commander of Task Force 44 at Coral Sea, is called "Grace." The Americal division, upon arriving at Guadalcanal, is called the "American" division. A photo caption describes the Yorktown (CV-5) sinking in "January," 1942. The presence of these mistakes indicates that the final version was not proofread by the editors. Steeped in all things Pacific war under the tutelage of Gordon Prange, Goldstein and Dillon could have corrected these very easily.

Fading Victory ist ein sehr informativer Band über die Ürsprünge japanischer Expansionspolitik,sehr gut dargestellt, trotz des Buch-Umfangs für den historisch-Interessierten nie ermüdend.Ugaki Matome ging als Der letzte Kamikaze (englisch: The last Kamikaze) in die Geschichte ein. Sein Tagebuch, das als wichtiges Zeitdokument des Pazifikkriegs gilt, fiel seinem anders lautenden letzten Wunsch zum Trotz in die Hände der US-Amerikaner und blieb erhalten. Es wurde ins Englische übersetzt und 1969 sowie noch einmal 2001 in ebendieser Sprache als Buch herausgebracht.Um was geht es: Die Rolle Japans in der Pazifik-Auseinandersetzuing mit den USA.Wer war dieser Mann:Ugaki Matome (japanisch 宇垣 纏; * 1890 in Okayama, Präfektur Okayama; † 15. August 1945 vor Okinawa) war ein japanischer Admiral im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Insbesondere diente er bei der Luft-/Seeschlacht im Golf von Leyte im Oktober 1944 als Befehlshaber der Schlachtflotte der Kaiserlich Japanischen Marine und kommandierte die 1. Schlachtschiff-Division mit den beiden Superschlachtschiffen Yamato und Musashi. Im Februar 1945 zum Kommandeur der 5. Luftflotte der Marineluftwaffe in Kyushu ernannt, befahl er zahlreiche Kamikaze-Einsätze gegen die US-Flotte bei der Schlacht um Okinawa. Größere Bekanntheit erlangte Ugaki, indem er am 15. August 1945 den endgültig letzten Kamikaze-Einsatz mit 11 Flugzeugen gegen Schiffe der United States Navy vor Okinawa in Auftrag gab, wobei er selbst mitflog und dabei ebenfalls den Tod fand.Das Buch ist keine reine Selbst-bestätigung dieses Mannes und seines Handelns, vielmehr möchte Ugaki den Leser mitnehmen in den Ablauf seiner täglichen Aktivitäten und Meinungen und Erkenntnisse, die aus heutiger Perspektive teilweise fragwürdig sind, aber aus dem Ehren-Kodex seiner Person zu erklären sind.Besonders spannend zu lesen sind die Erzählungen über Yamamoto's Tod und Ugaki's Überleben.Wer sich für die Rolle Japans in den 30iger und 40iger Jahren interessiert,sollte dieses Buch sofort kaufen.Englische Sprachkenntnisse absolut zwingend.Absolute Kaufempfehlung5 Sterne