#1 New York Times Bestseller: A “superb” eyewitness account of one of the bloodiest and most pivotal battles of World War II (Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down). On August 7, 1942, eleven thousand US Marines landed on Tulagi and Guadalcanal Islands in the South Pacific. It was the first major Allied offensive against Japanese forces; the first time in history that a combined air, land, and … that a combined air, land, and sea assault had ever been attempted; and, after six months of vicious fighting, a crushing defeat for the Empire of Japan and a major turning point in the Pacific War.
Volunteer combat correspondent Richard Tregaskis was one of only two journalists on hand to witness the invasion of Guadalcanal. He risked life and limb to give American readers a soldier’s experience of the war in the Pacific, from the suffocating heat and humidity to the unique terror of fighting in tall, razor-sharp grass and in crocodile-infested jungle streams against a concealed enemy. In understated yet graceful prose, Tregaskis details the first two months of the campaign and describes the courage and camaraderie of young marines who prepared for battle knowing that one in four of them wouldn’t make it home.
An instant bestseller when it was first published in 1943 and the basis for a popular film of the same name, Guadalcanal Diary set the standard for World War II reportage. Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the literary events of its time,” it is a masterpiece of war journalism whose influence can be found in classic works such as John Hersey’s Hiroshima, Michael Herr’s Dispatches, and Dexter Filkins’s The Forever War.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Richard Tregaskis including rare images from the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming.
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A WWII classic. Really describes a soldier’s day to day life in war zone.
If your a WWII buff this is excellent.
Well written account of America’s first military offensive in the post Pearl Harbor pacific.
The story of the trials of a young correspondent as much as the trails of surviving a major set piece of World War II. Excellent reading.
Too much daily detail for me. I stopped reading it as I typically do when authors get into the day to day of history.
I still remmeber parts from when I read it in 1950
Great research but so detailed that it is difficult to follow. I could not separate friend from foe.
An excellent historical and true account of the battle of Guadacanal
Good book by an eyewittness, but obviously censored. No mention of the Navy basically deserting the Marines.
True story which hits close to home, both my Father and Uncle were with 1st Marine Division during WWII on Guadacanal
Very good historical facts.
A readable account of this important WWII battle.
One of the best books out of WWII. As soon as you finish, you must read,
Neptune’s Inferno, the navy’s battle for Guadalcanal.
This was a first hand account by one of the military journalists that landed with the troops on Guadalcanal. I always enjoy a first person narrative of battles, because they have that realistic touch that makes me feel the tragedy and suspense even though I know the outcome of the battle. This one was rich on details along the way and that is always entertaining to me.