From the Japanese soldiers' carefully calculated—and ultimately foiled—attempt to build a series of impregnable island forts on the ground to the tireless efforts of the Americans who struggled against a tenacious adversary and the temperature and terrain of the island itself, Robert Leckie captures the loneliness, the agony, and the heat of twenty-four-hour-a-day fighting on Guadalcanal. Combatants from both sides are brought to life: General Archer Vandegrift, who first assembled an amphibious strike force; Isoruku Yamamoto, the naval general whose innovative strategy was tested; the island-born Allied scout Jacob Vouza, who survived hideous torture to uncover the enemy's plans; and Saburo Sakai, the ace flier who shot down American planes with astonishing ease. Propelling the Allies to eventual victory, Guadalcanal was truly the turning point of the war. Challenge for the Pacific is an unparalleled, authoritative account of this great fight that forever changed our world.
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"Well documented account of the battle for the Solomon Islands. Interesting military history of the USA and Japan's strategy and the strengths of the u.s's armed forces, especially marines and the navy." — Trevor (5 out of 5 stars)
"Well documented account of the battle for the Solomon Islands. Interesting military history of the USA and Japan's strategy and the strengths of the u.s's armed forces, especially marines and the navy."
Leckie puts you in the foxhole.
“Leckie puts you in the foxhole.”
“[A] stirring story of America’s survival in its grimmest hour…as readable and gripping as a novel.”
“Fast-paced and informative…Characters are very much alive on the printed page.”
“Kevin Foley’s perfectly faithful reading…creates a pantheon of memorable characters on both sides.”
" Better than Helmet for My Pillow. "
" This was one of the very best war/historical books I have ever read. It was so well-written that it almost felt like a historical novel rather than a history book. "
Robert Leckie (1920–2001) served in the 1st Marine Division during World War II. After the war, he worked as a reporter for the Associated Press, the New York Journal American, the New York Daily News, and other newspapers. During his lifetime, he authored more than forty books on American war history, including March to Glory, The Battle for Iwo Jima, and The Wars of America: From 1600 to 1900.
Kevin Foley, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, has more than thirty years of experience in radio and television broadcasting, commercial voice-overs, and audiobook narration. He has recorded more than 150 audiobooks, including River Thunder by Gary McCarthy, for which he earned a Spur Award for Best Audiobook from the Western Writers of America.
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