5479. Hell in the Pacific A Marine Rifleman's Journey From Guadalcanal to Peleliu, by Jim McEnery with Bill Sloan (read 22 Jun 2017) This book was published in 2012, the author having been born in Brooklyn on 30 Sept 1919. He enlisted in the Marines when he was 20. He tells of his growing up years and his training as a Marine, which I found helpful . His book was I think inspired by Sledge's With the Old Breed (which is the best book on World War II experience I have ever read--I read it 9 Mar 2001). The account of the time the author spent on Guadalcanal, New Britain, and Peleliu is well told and at times is overwhelming, though the author seems to have taken it in stride and contrary to so many of his fellows never was wounded, though he was overtaken by malaria. The summing up pages are well-done (though I was a bit nettled that he did not see why the Hitler first strategy was wise, since Hitler was a far more innovative and dangerous foe and needed to be beaten before he acquired more dangerous weapons). But one can understand the author's feelings, having gone through what he did.) ( )

A magnificent telling of life as a U.S. Marine fighting on Guadalcanal and Peleliu. McEnery holds little back as he praises those men and officers who met the challenges and criticizes those who in his view failed. General MacArthur is definitely not one of his favourites because of his treatment of Marines in the Philippines in 1942 and then his lack of front line leadership during the island hopping phase of the War. The final snub being the lack of any Marine generals on the USS Missouri at the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.
The poor planning of the invasion of Guadalcanal and the inadequate equipment & supplies the Marines took with them ashore made their achievements even more impressive.

The battle for Peleliu was very costly and McEnery remembers many details of the terror he & his fellow Marines suffered in the month long fight for an island most historians and many military officers at the time felt was unnecessary. ( )