Battalion of the Damned: The 1st Marine Paratroopers at Gavutu and Bloody Ridge, 1942 (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In May 1942 the Japanese landed on a number of southern islands in the British Solomons and began constructing an airfield on Guadalcanal. Their actions threatened Australia and her vital American supply lines and could not be tolerated by the Allies. The 1st Marine Division, with its attached 1st Marine Parachute Battalion, was directed to spearhead the assault on Gavutu Island and take the Guadalcanal airfield, even though it was not prepared for such an offensive action. The result was a bloodbath, and when it was over, less that one in five of the Marine paratroopers walked off Bloody Ridge.

Although crucial to the action, the 1st Parachute Battalion is rarely credited for its part in what Gen. Alexander A. Vandergrift, USMC, called the key battle of the Guadalcanal campaign. Here, James F. Christ draws not only on government documents but also on hundreds of hours of interviews with the men who were there to tell their remarkable story. It is a story of how in the face of overwhelming odds and seemingly irrational decisions from above, the battalion fought heroically, accepting orders without question and adapting to circumstances beyond its control despite sickness and a critical shortage of resources. In bringing public attention to the contributions made by these men during the first amphibious assault by U.S. forces in World War II, this book adds significantly to the history of the war in the Pacific.

About the Author

JAMES F. CHRIST has traveled throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia visiting battle sites and talking to American veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars. He has interviewed more than 200 Marines from World War II and dozens of other U.S. servicemen from more recent wars. His first book, Mission Raise Hell: The U.S. Marines on Choiseul, October-November 1943, was published by the Naval Institute Press in 2006.

The author is currently at work on a third book about the Marine parachutists in Bougainville and has plans for a final, climatic work on the Marine parachutists at Iwo Jima. A graduate of Arizona State University, Christ lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where he is raising his sons Nolan and Trace.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; annotated edition edition (March 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591141141
• ISBN-13: 978-1591141143
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #304,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read about a legend., April 20, 2007

By	Robert J. Weimann II "Polarbear" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I first noticed this book, I rushed to buy it, because my motivating thought was, "At last, someone wrote the story of the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion at Guadalcanal." Much has been written about the Guadalcanal campaign but little is available about the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion that participated in the bloodiest fighting of the campaign. This book walks the reader through two of the para-marine heroic battles. Battles where outnumbered Marines fought their way to victory at a cost that decimated the battalion.
The author has managed to find and interview the small number of remaining battalion survivors. His discussions with these survivors provides the author the ability to bring the reader down to the individual and small unit level and explain how their actions contributed to the fight.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the US Marines organization is rapidly expanding from two light regiments into division and corps size units. The reader discovers that most of the members of the parachute battalion have already served an enlistment before the war and before the battalion is formed. These men were professionals and experienced. Today's Marines will want to call them "Old Corps" but the Corps did not exist when most of these men enlisted. It is that experience and dedication the author captures in this book that provides the essence of victory.
This story is how Marines, out numbered, starved, sick and short supplied, managed to prevail over a numerically superior enemy in historically critical battles. As they say; "It is the stuff that makes legends." I think the author has provided a book for the record that truly captures the bravery of the Marines of the 1st Parachute Battalion and establishes their legend. The author not only captured what makes a great military unit, but also the essence of why men fight and win desperate battles.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite World War II book, May 6, 2007

By	Michael Deignan (iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I highly recommend reading this book! It is a gripping account of the 1st Marine Paratroopers at Gavutu, and Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal. The author's style combines meticulous historical detail with the feel and emotion of a great novel. The author knows his subject, and in turn I got to know and care about these incredible, courageous marines. The battles are intense and you feel like you are right there. I also appreciated his ability to inject humor amid the heavy drama of the battle field. I also recommend his first book, Mission: Raise Hell, which follows the 2nd Marine Paratroopers diversionary raid on the island of Choiseul. Both are a great read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Battalion of the Damned, December 8, 2007

By	Brian Mason (Freehold, N.J. United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Excellent book with meticulously research, you get the "grunts" view what is happening in the context of one of the most important battles of WWll. The commentary from the paramarines is amazing. Having grown up with occasional snippets from a combatant such as "Reising gun was a piece of crap" "at first we took the maggots out of the rice" and the "artillery saved us at bloody ridge" it is very much a you are there experience. Mr. Christ combines an excellent overview of the operation and manages to give the feel of the men who fought and died during this campaign. The heroism these men displayed is truly inspiring and the author captures it brilliantly.