This modern classic of military history has been called "one of the most important personal accounts of war that I have ever read" by distinguished historian John Keegan. Author E.B. Sledge served with the First Marine Division during WWII, and his first-hand narrative is unsurpassed in its sincerity. Sledge's experience shows in this fascinating account of two of the most harrowing and pivotal island battles of the Pacific theater. On Peleliu and Okinawa the action was extremely fierce. Amidst oppressive heat and over land obliterated by artillery shells, the combat raged ferociously. Casualties were extreme on both sides, and by the time the Americans had broken through at Okinawa, more than 62,000 Japanese soldiers were dead. Against military policy, Sledge scribbled notes and jammed them into his copy of the New Testament. Those notes form the backbone of what Navy Times said "has been called the best World War II memoir of an enlisted man." The rich tones of narrator George Wilson enhance the drama of this frank and astonishing chronicle.
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"E. B. SLEDGE has documented the experience of his war in the Pacific during World War II. This has become a classic work."
— William (5 out of 5 stars)
" Amazing how well this book is written, its like listening to a poem or song! "
— Swedish book reader, 4/19/2023E. B. “Sledgehammer”
Sledge (1923–2001) enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943. After basic training,
he was sent to the Pacific Theater, where he fought at Peleliu and Okinawa, two
of the fiercest battles of WWII. Following the Japanese surrender, Sledge
served in China as part of the occupation force. Upon his return home, he
obtained a PhD in biology and joined the faculty of Alabama College, which later
became the University of Montevallo, where he taught until retirement. He initially
wrote about his war experiences to explain them to his family, but he was
persuaded by his wife to seek publication.
George K. Wilson is a working actor in stage, film, television, and commercials with almost one hundred audiobook narrations to his credit. He began in broadcast journalism with American Forces Radio and Television and is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He had a lead role in the cult film classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and appeared on television’s One Life to Live, Ryan’s Hope, and The Doctors and has been heard on voice-overs for The Guiding Light and The Cosby Show, as well as many television and radio commercials.