Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by scotchyeti
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene B. Sledge
5.0
This is a terrific WWII memoir of someone who has fought two very bloody battles in the Pacific - and survived. Sledge was a US Marine, an elite soldier, and describes in detail his experiences. What makes the book stand out is the way how Sledge is able to cover the misery and horror of what infantrymen were facing directly at the front. Individual live had no meaning so the only words left were "hell", "abyss" or "meat grinder".
He also doesn't leave out the smell of death, dehumanization, desperation and the psychological impact of constant shell and artillery fire. I can't imagine how it must have been to fight all day and then to know that the Japanese will attack in the darkness of the night too. Or to lay down flat on the coral ground without any real cover.
The heavy resistance and commitment of the Japanese to fight to the death throws a different light on the dropping of the atom bomb. Would they have surrendered without it? After reading this book I doubt it.
An intense book that reveals the ugly side of war but also shows that bravery and esprit de corps make a huge difference in fighting.
He also doesn't leave out the smell of death, dehumanization, desperation and the psychological impact of constant shell and artillery fire. I can't imagine how it must have been to fight all day and then to know that the Japanese will attack in the darkness of the night too. Or to lay down flat on the coral ground without any real cover.
The heavy resistance and commitment of the Japanese to fight to the death throws a different light on the dropping of the atom bomb. Would they have surrendered without it? After reading this book I doubt it.
An intense book that reveals the ugly side of war but also shows that bravery and esprit de corps make a huge difference in fighting.