---
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title: "Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942"
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# Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942

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Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942 [Frank, Richard B.] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942

Review: A Masterpiece - Most Americans, including me, who are generally familiar with World War II mostly refer to the Pacific and European theaters of war. Many American historians give relatively short shrift to Japan’s invasion of China and other Asian countries. An exception is the Philippines, though one could argue even that attention is directed there mostly due to the magnetism of one Douglas MacArthur. Author Richard Frank deftly substitutes the term “Asia-Pacific War” to underline the interconnectivity between Japan’s invasions throughout Asia and America’s involvement in WW II. Indeed, many have long argued that WW II did not start on September 1, 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland. Frank convincingly lays out a compelling case that it was Japan’s invasion of China in 1937 that set in motion all the dominoes falling in WW II. Frank spends a great deal of time at the beginning of the book exploring the pre-war relationship between Japan and China as well as the many internal political and military forces in China. Most notably explored are the well-known figures, Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang figures most prominently at this stage of the war (1937-1942) as he was nominally the military leader of Chinese forces fighting Japan. Japan was extremely brutal in pursuit of its war against China, most famously in the capture of Nanking. Chinese soldiers were often not allowed to surrender, and the Japanese ruthlessly killed civilians and raped women. Countless millions of Chinese were killed in the war. One can easily understand the antipathy so many Chinese feel toward Japan today, though I sense much of the hostility is stoked by the Chinese government for political purposes. Frank explores with significant primary sources the internal machinations of the Japanese government regarding China. The Japanese government seemed quite dysfunctional and the military at times stunningly insubordinate to the civilian leaders. Its army and navy often worked at cross purposes and for their own benefit. How the Japanese believed they could conquer all of China is a head scratcher; while there were more than a few Japanese figures who questioned the wisdom of the decision to invade and Japanese military tactics, their voices were silenced out of self-preservation. American and British efforts to aid China before Japan struck Pearl Harbor are nicely detailed. Communications and relations between Winston Churchill and FDR are deeply explored. Japan’s decision to go to war and American preparations in Hawaii are clearly set forth in this account. Frank fairly distributes the blame for Americans being surprised on December 7, 1941 and slays a number of myths. The heroic efforts of many Americans on that day of infamy come as no surprise to any reader. The fact that no American aircraft carriers were docked at Pearl Harbor that day was a stroke of good fortune in America’s early efforts to strike back at Japan in the coming months. Still, Japan was able to go on an incredible rampage for four months from December 1941 until April 1942 capturing territory from Wake Island to Burma. French Indochina (Vietnam), the Philippines, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Burma, and many islands fell to Japan. As macabre as it may seem to do so, a tremendous amount of credit has to be given to the Japanese for their careful planning and logistics in attacking across such a wide expanse of ocean and land. I cannot think of any war in which one side has obtained such much ground across such a wide span in only four months. Of course, Japanese brutality continued seemingly unabated. Gruesome accounts of American and other Allied troops being captured and then beheaded, bayoneted, set on fire, fed to crocodiles, thrown into shark-infested waters, or killed in other ways are horrifying. As a biographer of Douglas MacArthur, Richard Frank is well positioned to describe the fall of the Philippines. His insight into MacArthur is spot on. As is Frank’s analysis of “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell’s efforts, or lack thereof, in Burma. Many British generals also do not fare well under Frank’s scrutiny. The crumbling of the British empire is also on full display here as one by one its “possessions” fell into Japanese hands. Though many British soldiers and their native allies fought bravely, the Japanese usually outnumbered them, had superior equipment, enjoyed air and naval superiority, and had excellent tactical plans (for the most part). Once the war was over, the movements for independence in these countries accelerated. Frank sets a relentless pace in his account of the Asia-Pacific War in this first of a three-book trilogy. Most well-known historians are very good writers. Frank’s writing is a notch above the pack and he is a true wordsmith. Most impressive is the deep analysis he constantly provides. His bibliography reflects his exhaustive research. Frank’s judgments are sound and amply supported. It is hard to imagine a trilogy on the Asia-Pacific War providing a better primer than this one. A few minor complaints. As a voracious consumer of military history, I am almost never satisfied by the amount or quality of maps. Given the amount of time spent on the Japan-China war, the one theater-wide map was a bit of a disappointment. There were a number of Chinese locations mentioned in the narrative that I could not locate in this map, and I needed to “Google” them on my phone to determine their location. I realize there is often tension between an author and publisher on the issue of maps. I also thought some of the sections in the final chapter were a bit abbreviated, which made me suspicious of editorial involvement to shorten the narrative as it was over 500 pages (before endnotes, bibliography, and index). The reader should be sure to read the endnotes as they often contain fascinating details and further analysis. They also provide the reader some valuable sources to read if they want to dig deeper into a particular battle, campaign, or subject. The word “masterpiece” is often overused in describing a book. Not here. I eagerly await the second and third books in this landmark trilogy.
Review: Excellent Single VolumeTreatment of Sino-Japanese conflict and opening Phase of Pacific War - Until a few years ago, we havent had much in English on the Sino-Japanese war that preceded the beginning of World War 2 in the Pacific. Frank has built on some of the books that have recently been published (Rana Mittler comes to mind as well as several other authors) to produce probably one of the most comprehensive and even handed volumes on the topic to date. He covers everything - military operations in all three dimensions (air, sea and land), personalities, ideology, political and diplomatic activity, economic factors, technological advances, tactics, training, and societal influences, all of which are deftly woven into an integrated tapestry presented in chronological fashion (he does deal with some issues thematically, but these are in the minority). That said, everything he discusses either revolves around or provides context to the military operations covered in the narrative. Its a hefty book and takes a while (a week for me) to read as Frank spares no relevant detail. I am a historian and have been interested in anything remotely resembling good military history for the past 50+ years. I do admit to skipping over some parts that I already knew about, but to tell the truth, more often than not I found myself learning stuff that I had never heard about before - such as the Chinese moving their industrial base westward into the interior after the initial Japanese advances inland. I had been very aware the Soviets did that in 1941, but did not know the Chinese performed a similar feat years before. Much to my surprise, Frank informed me that the Japanese military occupied northern Indochina without the knowledge or permission of their civilian leaders - much like they did in Manchuria years before. I also did not know that some Dutch, British and Australian troops continued to offer resistance in the Netherlands East Indies for months after the Japanese conquered that region. Franks rehabilitates some notables and excoriates others. I think for the most part he sticks to the facts and avoids partisanship. I did find his analysis of Stilwell compelling and his condemnation of the poor performance of some allied commanders in the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies relevant. The Japanese, on the other hand, make few tactical mistakes but their successes on land are marred by a hyper-aggressiveness that all too often results in prisoners being massacred. I found his reevaluation of Chiang Kai-shek refreshing and his willingness to assign more blame than other historians to Emperor Hirohito refreshing and innovative. That said, it is hard to envision the Japanese leadership following a different road given the highly charged emotional and ideological influences on their government. As one might guess from the above observation, his research is impressive and his analysis for the most part very relevant and quite intuitive. For instance, Frank points out that the Japanese killed 250,000 Chinese civilians in retaliation for their having helped the Doolittle raiders that parachuted into China following the April 1942 raid on Tokyo. Frank notes that figure exceeded Japanese deaths from the atomic bombings, which I think adds neglected perspective and context to both tragic events. The book devotes the first five chapters to the Sino-Japanese war before venturing into the realm of international diplomacy and war planning in Chapters 6 - 10. Japan launches the initial attacks against the British and Americans in Chapter 11. Frank devotes one hefty chapter apiece to the campaigns in Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Burma and the Philippines (in that order). The book ends with the US carrier strikes on the Marshall Islands (and Rabaul) and the Doolittle Raid. Don't be put off by the apparent lack of footnotes in the text. There are a few of the explanatory variety sprinkled throughout the narrative, but the author has opted for endnotes - several hundred pages of them in fact. Although on the surface that might seem overwhelming to some, I found many of the discursive endnotes as interesting as the core narrative. The author included - in my estimation - adequate maps and some excellent photographs. Editing was also above average so there were very few, if any, disconcerting typos. The production values for the book itself were impressive also, the binding seems sturdy and the pages appeared durable. My only quibble is that I found the author's writing style a trifle ponderous at times. I highly recommend this book. Even if you have read a number of earlier works on the topic - this book is still worth adding to your library shelves.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #216,099 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #121 in Chinese History (Books) #130 in Japanese History (Books) #431 in World War II History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (852) |
| Dimensions  | 6.5 x 2 x 9.6 inches |
| Edition  | Illustrated |
| ISBN-10  | 1324002107 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1324002109 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 768 pages |
| Publication date  | March 3, 2020 |
| Publisher  | W. W. Norton & Company |

## Images

![Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71LuS7zVh1L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Masterpiece
*by J***R on August 29, 2023*

Most Americans, including me, who are generally familiar with World War II mostly refer to the Pacific and European theaters of war. Many American historians give relatively short shrift to Japan’s invasion of China and other Asian countries. An exception is the Philippines, though one could argue even that attention is directed there mostly due to the magnetism of one Douglas MacArthur. Author Richard Frank deftly substitutes the term “Asia-Pacific War” to underline the interconnectivity between Japan’s invasions throughout Asia and America’s involvement in WW II. Indeed, many have long argued that WW II did not start on September 1, 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland. Frank convincingly lays out a compelling case that it was Japan’s invasion of China in 1937 that set in motion all the dominoes falling in WW II. Frank spends a great deal of time at the beginning of the book exploring the pre-war relationship between Japan and China as well as the many internal political and military forces in China. Most notably explored are the well-known figures, Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang figures most prominently at this stage of the war (1937-1942) as he was nominally the military leader of Chinese forces fighting Japan. Japan was extremely brutal in pursuit of its war against China, most famously in the capture of Nanking. Chinese soldiers were often not allowed to surrender, and the Japanese ruthlessly killed civilians and raped women. Countless millions of Chinese were killed in the war. One can easily understand the antipathy so many Chinese feel toward Japan today, though I sense much of the hostility is stoked by the Chinese government for political purposes. Frank explores with significant primary sources the internal machinations of the Japanese government regarding China. The Japanese government seemed quite dysfunctional and the military at times stunningly insubordinate to the civilian leaders. Its army and navy often worked at cross purposes and for their own benefit. How the Japanese believed they could conquer all of China is a head scratcher; while there were more than a few Japanese figures who questioned the wisdom of the decision to invade and Japanese military tactics, their voices were silenced out of self-preservation. American and British efforts to aid China before Japan struck Pearl Harbor are nicely detailed. Communications and relations between Winston Churchill and FDR are deeply explored. Japan’s decision to go to war and American preparations in Hawaii are clearly set forth in this account. Frank fairly distributes the blame for Americans being surprised on December 7, 1941 and slays a number of myths. The heroic efforts of many Americans on that day of infamy come as no surprise to any reader. The fact that no American aircraft carriers were docked at Pearl Harbor that day was a stroke of good fortune in America’s early efforts to strike back at Japan in the coming months. Still, Japan was able to go on an incredible rampage for four months from December 1941 until April 1942 capturing territory from Wake Island to Burma. French Indochina (Vietnam), the Philippines, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Burma, and many islands fell to Japan. As macabre as it may seem to do so, a tremendous amount of credit has to be given to the Japanese for their careful planning and logistics in attacking across such a wide expanse of ocean and land. I cannot think of any war in which one side has obtained such much ground across such a wide span in only four months. Of course, Japanese brutality continued seemingly unabated. Gruesome accounts of American and other Allied troops being captured and then beheaded, bayoneted, set on fire, fed to crocodiles, thrown into shark-infested waters, or killed in other ways are horrifying. As a biographer of Douglas MacArthur, Richard Frank is well positioned to describe the fall of the Philippines. His insight into MacArthur is spot on. As is Frank’s analysis of “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell’s efforts, or lack thereof, in Burma. Many British generals also do not fare well under Frank’s scrutiny. The crumbling of the British empire is also on full display here as one by one its “possessions” fell into Japanese hands. Though many British soldiers and their native allies fought bravely, the Japanese usually outnumbered them, had superior equipment, enjoyed air and naval superiority, and had excellent tactical plans (for the most part). Once the war was over, the movements for independence in these countries accelerated. Frank sets a relentless pace in his account of the Asia-Pacific War in this first of a three-book trilogy. Most well-known historians are very good writers. Frank’s writing is a notch above the pack and he is a true wordsmith. Most impressive is the deep analysis he constantly provides. His bibliography reflects his exhaustive research. Frank’s judgments are sound and amply supported. It is hard to imagine a trilogy on the Asia-Pacific War providing a better primer than this one. A few minor complaints. As a voracious consumer of military history, I am almost never satisfied by the amount or quality of maps. Given the amount of time spent on the Japan-China war, the one theater-wide map was a bit of a disappointment. There were a number of Chinese locations mentioned in the narrative that I could not locate in this map, and I needed to “Google” them on my phone to determine their location. I realize there is often tension between an author and publisher on the issue of maps. I also thought some of the sections in the final chapter were a bit abbreviated, which made me suspicious of editorial involvement to shorten the narrative as it was over 500 pages (before endnotes, bibliography, and index). The reader should be sure to read the endnotes as they often contain fascinating details and further analysis. They also provide the reader some valuable sources to read if they want to dig deeper into a particular battle, campaign, or subject. The word “masterpiece” is often overused in describing a book. Not here. I eagerly await the second and third books in this landmark trilogy.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Single VolumeTreatment of Sino-Japanese conflict and opening Phase of Pacific War
*by W***N on March 10, 2020*

Until a few years ago, we havent had much in English on the Sino-Japanese war that preceded the beginning of World War 2 in the Pacific. Frank has built on some of the books that have recently been published (Rana Mittler comes to mind as well as several other authors) to produce probably one of the most comprehensive and even handed volumes on the topic to date. He covers everything - military operations in all three dimensions (air, sea and land), personalities, ideology, political and diplomatic activity, economic factors, technological advances, tactics, training, and societal influences, all of which are deftly woven into an integrated tapestry presented in chronological fashion (he does deal with some issues thematically, but these are in the minority). That said, everything he discusses either revolves around or provides context to the military operations covered in the narrative. Its a hefty book and takes a while (a week for me) to read as Frank spares no relevant detail. I am a historian and have been interested in anything remotely resembling good military history for the past 50+ years. I do admit to skipping over some parts that I already knew about, but to tell the truth, more often than not I found myself learning stuff that I had never heard about before - such as the Chinese moving their industrial base westward into the interior after the initial Japanese advances inland. I had been very aware the Soviets did that in 1941, but did not know the Chinese performed a similar feat years before. Much to my surprise, Frank informed me that the Japanese military occupied northern Indochina without the knowledge or permission of their civilian leaders - much like they did in Manchuria years before. I also did not know that some Dutch, British and Australian troops continued to offer resistance in the Netherlands East Indies for months after the Japanese conquered that region. Franks rehabilitates some notables and excoriates others. I think for the most part he sticks to the facts and avoids partisanship. I did find his analysis of Stilwell compelling and his condemnation of the poor performance of some allied commanders in the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies relevant. The Japanese, on the other hand, make few tactical mistakes but their successes on land are marred by a hyper-aggressiveness that all too often results in prisoners being massacred. I found his reevaluation of Chiang Kai-shek refreshing and his willingness to assign more blame than other historians to Emperor Hirohito refreshing and innovative. That said, it is hard to envision the Japanese leadership following a different road given the highly charged emotional and ideological influences on their government. As one might guess from the above observation, his research is impressive and his analysis for the most part very relevant and quite intuitive. For instance, Frank points out that the Japanese killed 250,000 Chinese civilians in retaliation for their having helped the Doolittle raiders that parachuted into China following the April 1942 raid on Tokyo. Frank notes that figure exceeded Japanese deaths from the atomic bombings, which I think adds neglected perspective and context to both tragic events. The book devotes the first five chapters to the Sino-Japanese war before venturing into the realm of international diplomacy and war planning in Chapters 6 - 10. Japan launches the initial attacks against the British and Americans in Chapter 11. Frank devotes one hefty chapter apiece to the campaigns in Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Burma and the Philippines (in that order). The book ends with the US carrier strikes on the Marshall Islands (and Rabaul) and the Doolittle Raid. Don't be put off by the apparent lack of footnotes in the text. There are a few of the explanatory variety sprinkled throughout the narrative, but the author has opted for endnotes - several hundred pages of them in fact. Although on the surface that might seem overwhelming to some, I found many of the discursive endnotes as interesting as the core narrative. The author included - in my estimation - adequate maps and some excellent photographs. Editing was also above average so there were very few, if any, disconcerting typos. The production values for the book itself were impressive also, the binding seems sturdy and the pages appeared durable. My only quibble is that I found the author's writing style a trifle ponderous at times. I highly recommend this book. Even if you have read a number of earlier works on the topic - this book is still worth adding to your library shelves.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ China fights Japan to stalemate!
*by C***W on November 16, 2020*

Very interesting book. I thought it gave a GREAT overview of the Japanese invasion of China and how the Chinese Army, despite many shortcomings, essentially fought the Japanese to a standstill. I gained more respect for parts of the Chinese Army. Also understand much better Chiang Kai-shek's understandable mistrust of the British. I also thought Frank's evaluation of General Stillwell was honestly refreshing. The rest of the book was similar to Ian Toll's trilogy on the war in the Pacific. Looking forward to the remaining two volumes.

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*Last updated: 2026-06-04*