With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E.B. Sledge Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
Book Review: Amazing account of WW2 Maries life.
Summary: 5 Stars
An amazing view of the war in the Pacific. It's horrific, not in the language but in the details of life on the front line. Digging a fox hole though a battlefield graveyard, yuck!
And I'm currently reading "Ship of Ghosts, The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of her Survivors" and in that book the Admiral complains that the men have been driven to their limits by a 21 hr on watch detail with only coffee and ham sandwichs for meals! The marines of the 5th would have killed for a ham sandwich and stone cold coffee! Weeks in the mud & rain, not a measly 21 hrs on watch! I guess it's all based on your perspective, still though they come off sounding like whiners.
Another good reason to read this book is as an uplifting perspective on your own life. How good you really have it, even living under a bridge in a cardboard box would be better than the hell holes those fox holes were.
What also comes through loud and clear is that while there is no pity for the soldiers he kills, there is respect. And in someways this is an anti war book. No one dies in glory for their country in this story. And with the ratio of deaths of the Japanese vs the Americans, it's amazing that they held on to the last man.
The other clear message, is that this war was won by killing the enemy one at a time. Yeah occasionally they shelled some group of soldiers but most of them died with a last single bullet finding it's mark. What a dirty business.
Book Review: A Gripping Revelation of War
Summary: 4 Stars
If you read only half the book you have read the book. It is a day-to-day, battle-to-battle account of part of WWII in the Pacific. The raw and valorous emotions and acts in the face of fear are graphically shocking, deeply depressing and, except for some behavioral mishaps, proudly honorable.
This is almost a diary--yes, the author forbiddenly took notes--that carries you into battle, causes you to flinch, and fills you with empathy for the survivors of these hellish battles and grief for the honorable dead.
The pattern of the book tends to unfold repetitiously and predictably. Nevertheless, the writing style draws the reader along at a fast pace. The print is tiny, so bump that 300 pages to 600 for some other books. The only real negative I have of the book is that most of the pictures could have been left out since they are either so poorly reproduced or very war-time generic.
Book Review: World War II memories
Summary: 4 Stars
My father (now 92) fought at both Pelileu and Okinawa, as did the author Eugene Sledge. Despite the fact that his generation rarely talks about WWII, he was thrilled to get this book and read it straight through.
It's not only accurate, it is very moving. A great insider's look at two of the worst battles in the Pacific.
Book Review: With the Old Breed
Summary: 5 Stars
After seeing E.B.Sledge on the History Channel's 'Hell in the Pacific', I was taken by his straightforward and honest approach to the extremely unsavory task of war.
I was saddened to learn Mr. Sledge passed away in 2001.
If you are interested in war history his book is very well written and easy to follow. I read 'Helmet for my Pillow' by Robert Leckie as well.
Mr. Leckie's book is also very good but written with a lot of obscure words which made it a little harder to follow. Perhaps just a sign of the times when his book was written as opposed to Mr. Sledge's book which was written in the early 1980's.
Mr. Sledge's book, like Mr. Leckie's, does not use foul language, but Mr. Sledge's book spares no graphic detail otherwise. Mr. Leckie's book usually refers to the horror of war but only gives a few graphic examples.
Not that gore determines the quality of a book but it is easier to empathize with Mr. Sledge's daily existance.
Also, after hearing Mr. Sledge speak and his southern drawl, I could visualize him speaking the words he wrote in his no nonsense approach.
'With the Old Breed' is an excellent book and needs to be read by any WWII historian.
Book Review: As the Grunt sees it
Summary: 5 Stars
Omigosh. As a former Marine, even though I never saw combat, Mr. Sledge made me feel right at home. I was amazed to see the similarities between WWII Marines and my Viet Nam-era peers. It took me back to my time and I know he was telling it like it was.
I've read so many books about various wars, including the Pacific Theater in WWII. I've also read several histories of the Marine Corps. This was the first book I've ever read that told it plainly from the grunt's point of view. I couldn't put it down.
With the typical book about the War, you see the campaigns, the strategies, the successes and failures; but they're all at the highest level. All those books left me asking questions about the details of how things are accomplished.
For example, one can talk all day about the strategy of island hopping, what the strategy of both combatants at Okinawa was, how many troops were involved, etc. But I've always wondered about the many details of making the thing work. How did the ammunition get into the rifleman's hands? How did they get their food? What about personal sanitation when bullets are flying over your head? How and when were units rotated in and out?
While the individual grunt doesn't see the intricacies of the entire chain of supply, he is involved in carrying the ammo to his unit. He does care about eating. And he must take care of himself.
This book provided a point of view that really helped me to understand these and so many other things that heighten my understanding of what it must have been like to be a ground combat Marine in WWII (or any war, for that matter).
I would highly recommend this book to anyone.