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Guadalcanal Diary (Modern Library War) |
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Editorial
Review:
history U.S.A. $14.95
Canada $22.50
This celebrated classic gives a soldier's-eye-view of the Guadalcanal battles--crucial to World War II, the war that continues to fascinate us all, and to military history in general. Unlike some of those on Guadalcanal in the fall of 1942, Richard Tregaskis volunteered to be there. An on-location news correspondent (at the time, one of only two on Guadalcanal), he lived alongside the soldiers: sleeping on the ground--only to be awoken by air raids--eating the sometimes meager rations, and braving some of the most dangerous battlefields of World War II. He more than once narrowly escaped the enemy's fire, and so we have this incisive and exciting inside account of the groundbreaking initial landing of U.S. troops on Guadalcanal.
With a new Introduction by Mark Bowden--renowned journalist and author of Black Hawk Down--this edition of Guadalcanal Diary makes available once more one of the most important American works of the war.In the summer and fall of 1942, American Marines landed on the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal and began the slow, bloody work of defeating the Japanese empire. Their landing was significant not only for the outcome of World War II, but also for the conduct of war ever since, for the invasion of Guadalcanal marked the first time that a combined air, sea, and land assault had ever been attempted. It is for that reason that tacticians and military historians study the months-long battle today, and their primary guide to that conflict is Richard Tregaskis's extraordinary Guadalcanal Diary. A volunteer combat correspondent, Tregaskis braved much danger to bring the story of the fighting to American readers. But he was not one to celebrate his own exploits, and in the pages of his book, he centers on the brave young men from all over the United States who fought and died in appalling numbers. His attention to detail yields arresting descriptions of attacks and counterattacks, of moments of low morale and of exaltation, of moments of quiet behind the lines and of sheer terror at the very point of engagement. Tregaskis's style is unadorned and matter-of-fact, and his present-tense narrative places the reader in the thick of the battle during those "hopeless weeks." The direct literary ancestor of books of military reportage such as Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down and Michael Herr's Dispatches, Guadalcanal Diary is an exemplary work of journalism, and as vivid a portrait of men under fire as has ever been committed to print. --Gregory McNamee
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Avg. Customer Rating:
4.5 / 5.0 
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"Puts you on the Front Lines..."
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"An enjoyable and important read...."
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"Inspirational testimony of the Marines winning the battle that turned the war."
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"A classic WWII story"
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Customer Reviews:
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Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5
/ 5.0
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Puts you on the Front Lines...
This is a gripping first-person account of the battle of Guadalcanal. War correspondent Richard Tregaskis describes landing with the marines on August 7, 1942, in what was the first U.S. offensive of World War II. Readers see how the intial island landings caught the Japanese napping, and the marines quickly grabbed the air field. But within days Japan launched furious counter attacks by land, sea, and air, leaving the battle's outcome and the survival of the marines in doubt. The author paints a stark... more info
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An enjoyable and important read....
An outstanding piece of combat reporting written in an easy to read format. This gives the reader an insight into what the initial period of the campaign was like, from the front line!
This book is very difficult to put down and by drawing reference to the names of combatants and their home City and State brings the amazing exploits of our citizen soldiers to life.
Anyone with an interest on combat reporting, life in the front line of the South Pacific combat theatre or the battle of... more info
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Inspirational testimony of the Marines winning the battle that turned the war.
The Marines landed at Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942 and then withstood every counterattack the Japanesse could throw at them. The Japanesse Midnight Express made almost nightly runs to Guadalacanal. They land troops and supplies that were dispatched to destroy the Marines. To assist them the Japanesse navy conducted night bombardments and by day, they threw their airforce against the Marines. Reacting with the spirit of American's, the Marines withstood every attack. The Marines opened the airfield... more info
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A classic WWII story
This was one of the earliest & realistic books about America's first offensive operation against the Japanese Empire during WWII.
While the book lacks in details in some places due to Wartime censureship. It still is a great book about our fight in one of the most hellish places in the world against one very tough foe & where we could not lose.
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