When the 1st Marine Division began its invasion of Peleliu in
September 1944, the operation in the South Pacific was to take but
four days. In fact, capturing this small coral island in the Palaus
with its strategic airstrip took two months and involved some of
the bloodiest fighting of the Second World War in the Pacific.
Rather than the easy conquest they were led to expect, the Marines
who landed on Peleliu faced a war of attrition from the island's
Japanese defenders, who had dug tunnels and fortified the island's
rugged terrain. When the Marines' advance stalled after a week of
heavy casualties, the "Wildcats" of the 81st Infantry Division were
called in, at first as support. Eventually, the 1st Marines
Division was evacuated and the 81st Infantry secured the island.
Now Bobby C. Blair and John Peter DeCioccio tell the story of
this campaign through the eyes of the 81st Infantry to offer a
revised assessment. Previous accounts of the battle have focused on
the 1st Marines, all but ignoring the 81st Infantry Division's
contributions." Victory at Peleliu" demonstrates that without the
army's help the marines could not have succeeded on Peleliu.
Blair and DeCioccio have mined the 81st Division's unit records
and interviewed scores of veteran participants. The new data they
offer challenge the orthodox view that the 81st Infantry merely
mopped up an already broken enemy. Allowing their interviewees to
tell much of the story, the authors also give a human face to a
brutal battle.
Although American efforts in the Palau Islands proved largely
unnecessary to ultimately defeating the Japanese, the lessons
learned on Peleliu were crucial in subsequent fighting on Iwo Jima
and Okinawa. The 81st Infantry's contributions are now part of that
larger story.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
