J. Michael Wenger – författare

This World War II classic is the first comprehensive photographic record of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By the prolific team of Dr. Donald M. Goldstein, Katherine V. Dillon, and J. Michael Wenger, it contains over four hundred photographs of the U.S. preparations for the attack and of the two cities and their people before, during, and after those fateful days. Many are U.S. government and Japanese photographs never before seen by the public. Rain of Ruin is an objective, informative account of the momentous events that changed the world in 1945 and are still debated today.

From the Library JournalHitler and his general staff were convinced that if the Allies on the Continent were struck a shattering blow, their unity would collapse. In mid-December 1944, they planned and executed a sudden but unsuccessful counterattack westward through the Forest of Ardennes that on combat maps produced a change in the battle line forever known as the Bulge. Following the format and scope of their earlier works The Way It Was (LJ 8/91) and D-Day Normandy(LJ 4/1/94), the authors have reconstructed the sense of those uncertain days in the frozen Belgian woods. Hundreds of photos taken from American and German sources capture the world of combat from the perspective of foot soldiers and tank crewmen in all its powerful, gritty, and often gruesome reality. A valuable addition to any collection on this subject.

“At long last, the familiar and overused photographs of the “Day of Infamy” can be retired. The 430 prints in this new and welcome collection were gathered from various Japanese and U.S. sources, and most have never been seen by the general public. The majority were taken during the height of the air raid itself, many from Japanese cockpits. Along with numerous maps and sketches, they are arranged according to the various phases of the battle and are supplemented with commentary by two of Gordon Prange’s coauthors (Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon). The overall effect is to give the reader an uncanny sense of being present at the battle.”-Library Journal