An antidote to any nobility of war thoughts people might have. After Nagasaki and Hiroshima the world was never the same. Find great book recommendations on Most Recommended Books. I am inspired to read an overview of the Pacific theater and the battles to gain a greater understanding of the decision for some of these battles that were in obscure places like the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. So at times, it is hard to decide where the action is taking place and how it fits in with what is going on around the individual who is writing the account. Sledge - Book Review. The other book a must is “Goodbye Darkness” by William Manchester another Marine survivor of the Pacific War who went on to be a recognized author of many biographies. Only after reading this book did I understand his silence on what he had experienced. I couldn’t put it down. It was well worth the time and effort. There are problems with dropping the atomic bomb. Sledge's honesty and compassion for the other marines, even complete strangers, sets him apart as a memoirist of war. Sledge takes you deep into the horrors of being a Marine rifleman in the Pacific campaigns of Pelilu and Okinawa. This is an outstanding book and the authur does an outstanding job describing and recalling everything. I know that I will forever be thankful and every day for the rest of my life will celebrate that I have a day to live and be able to celebrate. Firsthand account of a Marine in the Pacific during World War II, Sledge's book is devastatingly unflinching in its examination of close quarters combat against a fearless and dedicated enemy. If you can make it through without welling up at half a dozen spots, you are a stronger person than I…One of the themes…is the near impossibility of communicating the experience of combat to those who have not … ... Ratings and Book Reviews (10 68 star ratings 10 reviews ) Overall rating. I am always drawn to historical accounts of the Marine Corps 5th Regiment from WWI to present. What did I learn from this book? Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2018. Book Review: “The Old Man Who Danced Naked Around the Flag Pole” by James Scott Introduction The book, “The Old Man Who Danced Naked around the FlagPole” was written by James Scott and it appeared before his readers by the Authorhouse Publication in the year of 2005. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It is well written and is the best WW2 first hand account I have read. Reviews There are no reviews yet. A great read. A painful read and an essential one. Sledge kept a diary of information and when the war was over he put his skills to work and wrote a very fine piece full of emotion and personal endeavor. First, the invasion of Japan would have been the most costly battle in the history of mankind. Sledge's account is told in frank, straight forward and understated language. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Sledge's account of his tour of duty with the 5th Marines in WWII, With The Old Breed is the second account of the Pacific theater that I have read. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, See all details for With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. Author: Eugene B. Sledge. The initial fear of the unknown and how you will react, the daily misery in a combat zone, and the emotional roller coaster from pre to post combat are all conveyed with great detail. Describing it as an example of "the American procedure at its best, unashamed of simplicity," Paul Fussell said that With the Old Breed "is one of the finest memoirs to … The technology that developed the rifle barrel, the machine gun and high explosive shells has turned war into prolonged, subhuman slaughter. Audio. I don't think a lot of people really deeply understand everything people went through for their countries and what they gave up, this book will make you understand more fully their sacrifices. Knowing history books can be chewy, I had a bit of apprehension till I began reading on the 2 hour flight to Atlanta. But the authors desire to serve his country in battle with the enemy before the war was over was strong enough to make him end his college … Compared to the high quality of Leckie's Helmet for My Pillow for $6.41, WTOB is a rip off. It really lets you know what life is like as an infantryman from training to deployment, Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2018. E.B. He became a chronicler, a historian, a storyteller who turns the extremes of the war in the Pacific—the terror, the camaraderie, the banal and the extraordinary—into terms we mortals can grasp.”—Tom Hanks. Review Date: 25 Jul 2005. This is truly a phenomenal read. It affected me very much as my reading of Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead did when I first read that. This book puts you right there with him where its like you feel what they feel emotionally. The First Marines on Peleliu and Okinawa. With privilege goes responsibility.”. As an example the historic First Marine Diviosn in which he served was decimated by the fighting on Pelileu. Some of these young men later appeared in the paper killed in action. It hides nothing about the inhumanity of the Pacific conflict that Sledge was part of but in the end his prose shows a retention of his own humanity. In what may be the last memoir to be published by a living veteran of the pivotal invasion of Guadalcanal, which occurred almost seventy years ago, Marine Jim McEnery has … See all 3 questions about With the Old Breed…. Sledge's account is full of colorful accounts of his experience of WWII, much like John Leckie's book (another primary source for The Pacific) Helmet For My Pillow. And Studs Terkel was so fascinated with the story he interviewed its author for his book, "The Good War." I think what sets Sledge's account apart from others like it are his honest and thoughtfu. We’d love your help. It's well written, with plenty of insights into military life - the friendships, the stink & grime, the horror & occasional humour. In those years, he passed, often painfully, from innocence to experience. Journalism was my major. Eugene Sledge co-ordinates his experiences of combat together with the historical accounts of events to help the reader obtain a better view and account of his experiences. John Keegan referred to it in The Second World War as "one of the most arresting documents in war literature." After reading this I will not look at European battlefield memoirs in the same way, as these men fighting against the fanatical Japanese really went to hell and back. An illustration of a 3.5" floppy disk. So instead of being a discussion of tactics, this book is an account of one man's experiences while fighting in two of the most brutal battles of the WW2 Pacific War. For example, one of the bloodiest, The Battle of Peleliu, has been suggested to have been superfluous since MacArthur was able to take the Philippines without that support from the western flank in some people's opinions. Sledge presents that combat so realistically. The toll on American soldiers, Japanese soldiers and Japanese civilians would have been astronomic if America had been forced to invade. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. An illustration of an open book. Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2017. Its hard to believe that military people died to take a stupid hill or plot of land that afterwards no one ever uses or visits again like it was never needed to begin with. It really moved me and stays with me that people can be put in these situations and die so needlessly. Everyone with an interest in the war in the Pacific should read this. Paper is poor, size is small, cover is so-so. Written by a young Marine, this is a straight forward, no-nonsense, gritty account of life (and frequently death) on the front line in the Pacific in WW2. I know freedom is not free and the author is right that as long as there as evil people who want power and what others have there will be wars and fights and we are forced to fight to protect ourselves and for our freedom. 68. But it’s a first-hand account, so obviously Sledge survived, or he wouldn’t have written the book. , by E.B. He became a chronicler, a historian, a storyteller who turns the extremes of the war in the Pacific—the terror, the camaraderie, the banal and the extraordinary—into terms we mortals can grasp.”—Tom Hanks NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In The Wall Street Journal, Victor Davis Hanson named With the Old Breed … This might be the best memoir I’ve ever read. Sledge’s With the Old Breed, this is a Marine rifleman’s extraordinarily vivid, brutally candid memoir of what it was like on the front lines of World War II in the Pacific. Something that struck home with me was a short few sentences of how the "smells" of combat and battlefields stick with you to the point where years later, one can smell that scent again and it instantly brings back memories and dreams of events long gone. The best books I have read have been found through the bibliographies of other writers I have appreciated....this book is no exception. Our guys outfought men who thought that dying to the last man would earn them heavenly reward. For me, this tends to detract from my enjoyment of the book. “Eugene Sledge became more than a legend with his memoir, With The Old Breed. I applaud the author and I know it must have been very hard recounting and writing about what he and his friends went through but I am glad he did because people need to know these things and future generations need to change and live and work together in peace so no one never has to go through such unbelievably horrific things ever again. The best writings are usually through first hand accounts. He came back with a box of medals and never spoke about what he had survived. The Pacific war was a fierce world of barbaric conduct by tro. The reality of battle meant unbearable heat, deafening gunfire, unimaginable brutality and cruelty, the stench of death, and, above all, constant fear. Report on With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. The best writings are usually through first hand accounts. H222 Book Review Questions With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. B. 4.74. It is also one of the primary source materials for HBO's compelling miniseries The Pacific. I could feel the pain—the dirt or worse yet on Peleliu the coral one couldn’t dig into—the bad food and dirty water, dirty and wet clothes, the fear. Sledge serves is traumatized by the fighting. Book Review: With the Old Breed, by E.B. Sledge, however, takes With the Old Breed to an entirely different level of … There were days cut off from food or even water. was my initial impression. This is why war should be avoided at all costs, and this is why no one man should ever be given the authority, with a flourish of his signature, to risk the lives of young men and women. His 1981 memoir, “The Japanese fought to win - it was a savage, brutal, inhumane, exhausting and dirty business. this evolves into an all to true story of death and maiming in every form. There is no glory in war, in the shedding of another man's blood; in digging a foxhole in a torrential downpour only to uncover the badly decomposing body of a Japanese soldier crawling with maggots; in watching helplessly as four of your comrades retrieve, on a stretcher, a wounded Marine amid machinegun fire ("If it were me out there," Sledge recounts, "I would want to know I wouldn't be left behind. Another loss for my reading enjoyment is they also have such a close order view of what is going on, that you loose any big pi. This book was written by someone who actually fought as a Marine in the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa rather than being written by a historian like most military books are. This is a review of two books, “With the Old Breed” and “Helmet for My Pillow.” HBO based its miniseries “The Pacific,” on these books, and Audible Studios and Playtone recently made new recordings of both books. E. B. Sledge's With the Old Breed - At Peleliu and Okinawa is a difficult book to describe. E. B. Sledge's battle memoir is a no-holds-barred account of his experiences in the Pacific War. I would give it six stars if I could. Sledge's memoir of his. comment. Our guys were lying on skin-slicing coral with rotting bodies of their comrades all around. 1,765 reviews In his own book, Wartime, Paul Fussell called With the Old Breed "one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war." Andrew A Haldane, beloved company commander of K/3/5, and to the Old Breed He became a chronicler, a historian, a storyteller who turns the extremes of the war in the Pacific—the terror, the camaraderie, the banal and the extraordinary—into terms we mortals can grasp.”—Tom Hanks NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Eugene Sledge became more than a legend with his memoir, With The Old Breed . Eugene Bondurant Sledge (November 4, 1923 – March 3, 2001) was a United States Marine, university professor, and author. Readable! Born in Mobile, Alabama in 1923 and raised on riding, hunting, fishing, and a respect for history and legendary heroes such as George Washington and Daniel Boone, Eugene Bondurant Sledge (later called "Sledgehammer" by his Marine Corps buddies) joined the Marines the year after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and from 1943 to 1946 endured the events recorded in this book. The book transcends WWII a. I am always drawn to historical accounts of the Marine Corps 5th Regiment from WWI to present. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Much praise has - rightfully - been given to this book. The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed.Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, … In the tradition of E.B. John Keegan referred to it in The Second World War as "one of … I have been reading military history all my life but I have never read anything quite like PVT Sledge’s first-hand account of his war experience as a member of a front-line infantry unit in the 3rd battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. It really lets you know what life is like as an infantryman from training to deployment. Buy a cheap copy of With The Old Breed: At Peleliu And... book by Eugene B. Sledge. Another loss for my reading enjoyment is they also have such a close order view of what is going on, that you loose any big picture overview. He was a Marine, and he fought in the Pacific battle, one of the toughest and dirtiest battles the Americans ever fought. And as a Christian I am adamantly opposed to civilian deaths. Sledge's account is full of colorful accounts of his experience of WWII, much like John Leckie's book (another primary source for The Pacific) Helmet For My Pillow. Sometimes you couldn't get to an outhouse so you defecated on yourself. With the Old Breed Book Summary/Review: “Eugene Sledge became more than a legend with his memoir, With The Old Breed. It’s painful to read though and if you won’t want to know the gory details faced by young men barely out of school and inexperienced with the world, then you don’t want to read this book. If you only read 1 book on fighting in the Pacific Theatre in WWII, this should be the one. Overview “Eugene Sledge became more than a legend with his memoir, With The Old Breed. Sledge's memoir of his experience fighting in the South Pacific during World War II so devastatingly powerful is its sheer honest simplicity and compassion. The documented history of the United States Marines serving in the Pacific during World War II is vast and extremely abundant. No matter what happens to me, the ups and downs, good times and bad times, whatever life brings I am thankful for because at least I am free and alive in the greatest country on earth. With the Old Breed allowed me to understand much of these veterans endured. -- John Keegan Eugene Sledge became more than a legend with his memoir, With The Old Breed. “Eugene Sledge became more than a legend with his memoir, With The Old Breed. I first read With The Old Breed when I was in college. And I can't add more to what has already been said and written about it. Free download or read online With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa pdf (ePUB) book. The son of a Mobile, Alabama, doctor, Eugene began his military career as a candidate in an academic college program that would have made him an officer. For me, this tends to detract from my enjoyment of the book. Susanna Barlow reviews the book, "With The Old Breed", a World War II memoir by Eugene Sledge. It is a humble story of a Marine and his battle experiences, told without self censure and speaking to the awesome horror that is war. But reading this book one begins to realize that the Japanese had no intention of surrending. The enemy set up traps and ambushes, so you never knew when you might be blown up. I had trouble putting this brutal but heartfelt book down. I also realized how huge the courage and bravery of all the young men were who fought for their country and how great their love was for their countries and for all of us. They tend to be either poorly written (not surprising since most Infantry in the war were the least intelligent of the Branches.) "); in enduring a night while being shelled by enemy artillery; in stumbling upon fellow Marines that have been tortured, decapitated and butchered in the worst way imaginable; in suffering sleep deprivation, from malaria and jungle rot, and from hunger, thirst, and, alternately, heat and cold. After Nagasaki and Hiroshima the world was never the same. Be the first one to write a review. Surname 1 Name Professor Course Title Date Book Review – With the Old Breed The nonfiction book With the Old Breed by E.B. With The Old Breed’ by E. B. Sledge This is a book about war, but not just any war, it is about the Second World War. Eugene Sledge was a private in the United States Marine Corps who saw intense combat on Peleliu and Okinawa, fighting as a member of the storied 1st Marine Division. Evil people , rulers and bad governments need to stop what they do to hurt people and send innocent people into senseless gruesome battles. or they tend to be so stylish that it is easy to tell that they were ghostwritten. “With The Old Breed” begins with the start of the author’s military career.Eugene Sledge was a freshman at Marion Military institute, his family pushing for him to eventually become an officer in the United States Army. Just a man who survived two of the worst battles in the Pacific telling us what happened. But what really sets this apart are the author's honest descriptions of how he felt and his motivations in combat - comradeship, bravery, anger. When E.B. Probably not right place to begin, but, more than anything, this book was the perfect companion to Leckie's equally graphic, disturbing, compelling, shocking, gut-wrenching, and poignant, This is a great memoir if you want to understand what it was like to fight in the Pacific in WWII. Written by a young Marine, this is a straight forward, no-nonsense, gritty account of life (and frequently death) on the front line in the Pacific in WW2. But American history became a passion. Straight forward, not overly sentimental or harsh. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Sledge's account is told in frank, straight forward and understated language. There is no glory in war, in the shedding of another man's blood; in digging a foxhole in a torrential downpour only to uncover the badly decomposing body of a Japanese soldier crawling with maggots; in watching helplessly as four of your comrades retrieve, on a stretcher, a wounded Marine amid machinegun. Books. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. This is what it was like to be there as close as words will permit. Read as sobering history or as high adventure, With the Old Breed is a moving chronicle of action and courage. Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021. You've read the other reviews, so you already know how good this is. Welcome back. Book Review: With the Old Breed. The book transcends WWII as it is an overall testament of the basic Marine Corps values of Semper Fidelis and camaraderie along with tradition, which makes the title “With the Old Breed” so appropriate. Absolutely great book, hands down the best memoir of a rifleman. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. This fiction within the compass of eighty-eight pages captivates a story of renewal, … or they tend to be so stylish that it is easy to tell that they were ghostwritten. Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2018. Sledge's account of his tour of duty with the 5th Marines in WWII, With The Old Breed is the second account of the Pacific theater that I have read. So all the armchair generals who think we messed up by dropping the A-Bomb need to read this book and remember that it took more than 80 days and over 110,000 dead Japanese to get a six mile island named Okinawa. These marines and military people deserve our respect, love and admiration and everything good we can give them. Sledge kept a diary of information and when the war was over he put his skills to work and wrote a very fine piece full of emotion and personal endeavor. Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2017. Also, he gives details about people who figure in his reminisces, whether they survived and what they went onto to do in civilian life or what awards they earned. Like a true Marine, Sledge possessed gifts and talents beyond fighting. First, the invasion of Japan would have been the most costly battle in the history of mankind. As the troops used to say, "If the country is good enough to live in, it's good enough to fight for." if you die, turn to page 337. There are problems with dropping the atomic bomb. It tells the account of one of the American soldiers by the name of Sledge. They tend to be either poorly written (not surprising since most Infantry in the war were the least intelligent of the Branches.) Start by marking “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa” as Want to Read: Error rating book. otherwise the answer is yes. In depth insights as to what it was like to be on the front lines for long periods of times. This is a great memoir if you want to understand what it was like to fight in the Pacific in WWII. ISBN: 0-19-506714-2. A wonderful read. As a young 10-13 year old I watched all the young men in my community disappear into the military-everybody went- unless you were 4f- physically disqualified. We owe an unreachable debt of gratitude for what they sacrificed for us. Eugene Sledge would seem an unlikely author of what I consider the most powerful memoir of war in the Pacific theater. This is without doubt one of the best first-hand-accounts i've ever read about the war in the pacific during world war two. I couldn’t believe what I was listening to (It was an audio book.) Pictures attached to show differences in overall size and topography. 537 Views . In his own book, Wartime, Paul Fussell called With the Old Breed "one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war." Sledge has a gift for making you feel as if you were right next to him. As a culture we do not have the backbone or courage to fight like these men did. Men must be trained realistically if they are to survive it without breaking, mentally and physically.”, “Until the millennium arrives and countries cease trying to enslave others, it will be necessary to accept one's responsibilities and be willing to make sacrifices for one's country - as my comrades did. The first edition of the novel was published in November 1981, and was written by Eugene B. Sledge. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a view of life on the line. By Carol Costello. Eugene Sledge would seem an unlikely author of what I consider the most powerful memoir of war in the Pacific theater. Memoirs from World War II are generally descriptive and paint a reasonably detailed view of the subject in question. Overall, it was a compelling and informative account of life as soldier in some of the most brutal battles in WWII. An illustration of an audio speaker. E.B. But, as he also tellingly reveals, the bonds of friendship formed then will never be severed. Second, I realized that if our generation (I am thirty-three)was called upon to do what these men had to do there is little doubt we would fail. It is also one of the primary source materials for HBO's compelling miniseries The Pacific. Read book reviews and find books similar to With the Old Breed by E. B. Sledge. However, he deliberately failed to become a Marine assigned to infantry in the Pacific. With the Old Breed Summary and Study Guide. Our guys fought bloody battles for a few yards of bare, worthless ground that the Japanese might take back in a day. Textbooks, documentaries, and even Hollywood productions have proven to be accurate as to the details of this theater of war. The distintegration of people physically and mentally from constant fear in a thousand forms, this book taps into the effect of war on the senses, the body and the mind. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, With the Old Breed should be required reading in our classrooms, for this is the brutal reality of war at its most horrific. The review is also long because the book gave me lots to think about. There were jungle diseases, dysentery, malaria and that was just the start. I bought the Presidio Press paperback version (not the mass market version) of With the Old Breed (WTOB) for $13.60 thinking it would be a quality product. Many times a Marine did not know exactly where he was or what the objective of the battle was for. by Oxford University Press, USA. “Eugene Sledge became more than a legend with his memoir, With The Old Breed. His account is equally harrowing and full of details that were mined for the HBO series. Now including a new introduction by Paul Fussell, With the Old Breed presents a stirring, personal account of the vitality and bravery of the Marines in the battles at Peleliu and Okinawa. 2 Favorites . Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019. Everyone should read this book and thank all the people who have fought for their countries in person and in our hearts for everything they experienced and sacrificed . I think what sets Sledge's account apart from others like it are his honest and thoughtful introspective musings on the inhumanity of war, fear, his anger and resentment against the Japanese, and many other heartfelt opinions. 4.7 out of 5. This has become my favourite WWII memoir from the Allied side, and ironically it's all about the battlefront I know the least about: the island-hopping war in the Pacific. Like a true Marine, Sledge possessed gifts and talents beyond fighting. It’s painful to read though and if you won’t want to know the gory details faced by young men barely out of school and inexperienced with the. In The Wall Street Journal, Victor Davis Hanson named With the Old Breed one of the top five books on epic twentieth-century battles.
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