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Edson's Raiders: The 1st Marine Raider Battalion in World War II

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"Edson's Raiders" by retired Marine Colonel Joseph Alexander is such a fantastic tale of daring and courage, that if it had been submitted as fiction it would probably have been rejected as unbelievable. Alexander, who served two tours in Vietnam, is a Marine historian who has published numerous books on the Marines in the Pacific in World War II. In "Edson's Raiders" Alexander chronicles a truly amazing story of the feats of amazing men, told so well it can rival an adventure story, real or imagined.

This book is well researched and full of intricate details, much of it drawn from interviews by Alexander of surviving Edson's Raiders. Alexander provides some of the most minor, but important, details about the exploits of the Raiders while at the same time keeping the big picture in focus for the reader.

Pearl Harbor found the United States unprepared for war. The Marines in the Pacific, short of men and weapons, held on against the Japanese onslaught as best they could. It was during this time that the idea of a Marine commando unit -- a specially trained force that could land at night and disrupt the enemy -- began to form. The idea was bolstered by a forceful letter from Marine Captain James Roosevelt -- FDR's son -- to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In February, l942, two experimental Raider battalions were authorized, with Colonel Merritt "Red Mike" Edson placed in command of the lst Marine Raider Battalion. Edson's appearance -- he was a small, unimpressive looking man who talked softly -- belied one of the greatest fighting leaders the Marines ever produced. He assembled his Raider battalion from hand-picked volunteers. Feelings in the Marines toward the Raiders were strong: love, envy, or loathing.

Imagine that you are chosen as a Raider. You land on a Japanese infested island -- at night. (Daytime amphibious landings are chaotic; nighttime landings obviously multiply the chaos.) You are isolated in unknown jungles. You and your comrades now must search for the Japanese and kill them -- before they kill you.

At Tulagi the Raiders killed all but 3 of the 350 man Japanese garrison. (Raider casualties: 38 killed; 55 wounded.)

On Guadalcanal the Raiders fought the legendary battle of Edson's Ridge where 833 Raiders and Marine parachutists were outnumbered 5 to 1. The Raiders were ordered to hold the Ridge -- later named Edson's Ridge -- at all costs, for if the Ridge fell, Henderson field fell, and if Henderson field fell, Guadalcanal fell. The battle lasted 2 days and nights, many times with bayonets and knives. At night the Raiders had to listen to the screams of their captured comrades being tortured by the Japanese. These tortured screams intensified the Raiders' hatred of the Japanese, which had already been at high pitch when they learned the Japanese had machine-gunned survivors in the water from sinking ships. Despite repeated Japanese attacks, the Raiders held. So stunning was this defeat that the Japanese commander was ordered to Japan to explain his failure.

During the darkness and torrential rains of the landing on New Georgia, two Higgins boatloads of Raiders became disoriented and did not make the landing. A Raider swam ashore and traveled through the jungle --"in swamps up to my armpits"-- to tell the commander of the plight of his comrades.

The lst Marine Raiders participated in 7 major battles spanning 13 months of violent combat. They fought the best of the Japanese combat forces, the rikusentai -- the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces -- in all but one battle.

Many of Edson's Raiders belong in a Marine pantheon. Some examples: PFC Edward Ahrens, 140 pounds, who one daybreak was found at his outpost mortally wounded. Thirteen dead Japanese lay in and around his foxhole. Asked what happened, he said: "The bastards tried to come over me last night -- I guess they didn't know I was a Marine." Ahrens received the Navy Cross posthumously. There was Major Ken Bailey who was wounded on Tulagi. While recuperating in a hospital on New Caledonia he left without authorization and found his way to Guadalcanal to rejoin the Raiders on Edson's Ridge. Major Bailey's Medal of Honor citation reads in part: "Major Bailey, despite a severe head wound, repeatedly led his troops in fierce hand to hand combat for a period of ten hours. His great personal valor while exposed to constant and merciless enemy fire, and his indomitable fighting spirit inspired his troops to heights of heroic endeavor which enabled them to repulse the enemy and hold Henderson Field. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country." Turn to page 214 of this book and look at the photograph of Bailey and when you see this smiling, handsome, confident Marine who gave his life for his country and whose character seems to radiate from the photograph, tell me you are not moved. Colonel Edson also received the Medal of Honor. At least 20 other Raiders received the Navy Cross, the nation's second highest combat award, and 24 Raiders had ships named after them.

The lst Marine Raider Battalion ranks among the best combat unit the Marines ever fielded, if not the best of all time. Thank God these guys were on our side, and that Colonel Alexander put this great story on paper.

This is a well told, exciting story, painstakingly researched and firmly grounded on fact. This book will have wide appeal, but more specifically, those interested in history, adventure stories, or heroic tales should particularly enjoy this story. Alexander's clear and easy writing style coupled with his military background and his knowledge of the subject makes this an easy, exciting, and informative read. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Edson's Raiders, the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, engaged the Japanese in seven battles, five of them on Guadalcanal. This well researched and footnoted work by retired Marine Colonel Joseph Alexander tells the story of this remarkable group of men. Trained and conditioned by the founding commander, Merritt Edson, their baptism of fire was on Tulagi against the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces, the rikusentai. This landing occurred simultaneous with the invasion of Guadalcanal twenty miles to the south. Completing the removal of enemy forces at Tulagi, Edson and his men were quickly moved to Guadalcanal. Glorious pages of their history were written there along Edson's Ridge, a three day-two night struggle, often hand-to-hand, against an enemy force under General Kawaguchi, which out numbered them by a factor of at least five on the second night. The enemy attacked remnants of the Raiders and the 1st Paratroops, a total of less than eight hundred men, without let up. Forced to fall back to a second line of defense, "...grossly outnumbered, back-to-back, nearly out of ammo...Edson could count less than three hundred men defending Hill 120." Their action in that engagement and subsequent battles along the Matanikau secured their place in the proud history of the Marines. The US Navy named twenty-four ships after raiders in recognition of their valor. The need for highly trained volunteers in special, lightly armed commando units were soon deemed unnecessary with the advent of the fast fleet carriers of the Essex-class along with new fast battleships. But not before the successes of the 1st Raider Battalion carved for themselves a monument in Military history. This is an excellent telling of their too brief story.

My late step father, Anthony P. Lintz, from Cincinnati Ohio, was a young Gunnery Sgt. with Edson's Raiders, so I heard a great number of stories about the horrific Pacific island battles in which he and his comrades fought. I was a child when he returned from 45 consecutive months of fighting in the Pacific with a Purple Heart among other medals and commendations and later met and married my mother. He had Malaria and a raft of other physical and mental problems. At first he drank heavily, halucinated about being in a raging battle, crawling on the floor and firing an imaginary weapon. It frightened us, my Mom and I, but eventually he slowly recovered and then, in an instant, became a religious fanatic, which consumed the rest of his life. He read and reread the bible. He copied it in longhand. He became possesed with literal interpretations of all the events in the old testament. I recently discovered this book, "Edson's Raiders", while researching the web with my son in an attempt to explain his grandfather's experience in WWII with the US Marine Corps. As I read the book it became clearer to me what my step father had gone though - the inhuman conditions and actions these young men faced for months on end - the killing and savagery they saw and practiced. I can't imagine any war ever fought anywhere under more horrendous conditions and circumstances, from the brutal and sadistic nature of the enemy, to their unimaginably fierce jungle and night fighting tactics. The book's author has performed a major service by carefully researching and reconstructing a series of battles which describe a war in ways that we must hope can never happen again. The line,"War is Hell" doesn't begin to describe what these men went through. This book should be sent to every politician in our government as required reading before they commit even one of our troops to battle. I think my step father lost his mind and never recovered. Now I understand why and how and I can only weep for him.

Col. Alexander's work bring to life one of the Corps less talked about, and somewhat enigmatic, yet truly heroic figures - Red "Mike" Edson. He was a visionary with the good sense to not let his vision be clouded. A focused officer and combat leader without whom the war in the Pacific might have turned out a little different.

This man deserves his place in our nation's memory with those of Patton, Bradley, Nimitz, Halsey and a thousand others.

Let's hope that Col. Alexander is busy on a book about General O.P. Smith, USMC now!

Colonel Alexander gives us the detailed narrative of Merrit A. Edson, The Marine Corps Raiders, and their valiant battles in World War II.

In the first half of the Second World War, prospects of victory seemed to be elusive, if not impossible. Many amongst the Allies believed that the Germans and Japanese were invincible, and that an Axis victory was probably unavoidable. For Britain, it was an absolute disaster, especially with the terrible events of Dunkirk, Singapore, and the loss of several major warships early on. For America, the naval and air assets lost at Pearl Harbor were almost crippling. It staggers the imagination how close the Axis Powers came to complete victory, early in the war.

However, the British military, with Winston Churchill's blessing, put forth the then "radical idea" of establishing highly-professional raiding units. The British formed the Commandos, and open-minded military-professionals among the Allies took notice, seeing the potential of such elite combat teams.

While Colonel Darby established the U.S. Army Rangers, the Marine Corps established their own commandos, the Raiders. Despite some official reistance from Headquarters Marine Corps, three men were highly instrumental in bringing this prestigious organization into being: Evans Carlson, James Roosevelt, and Merrit A. Edson.

"Red Mike" Edson and his 1st. Raider Battalion would find their defining moment in history on Guadalcanal, defending a tactically and strategically significant piece of terrain that became known as "Edson's Ridge". Vastly out-numbered by wave after wave of fanatical Japanese infantry, the raiders fought savagely, ...and they held the line. On their shoulders rested the fate of the entire operation on Guadalcanal, which was America's first offensive operation in the Pacific campaign.

Of all the men in 1st. Raider Battalion, 312 fell in battle, 25 died in training accidents or from illness. In every engagement, the Raiders fought against much larger numbers of the best troops that the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy could throw at them. The Marine Raiders inflicted massive casualties on the enemy, disproportionate to their smaller numbers.

This review is dedicated to the Raiders.
SEMPER FIDELIS!

I am proud to say my Dad is a part of this book!! He is an Edson's Raider-- Marine WWII!!!

i found this book to be very informative and well presented. my uncle, william rea was a "plank owner" with the 1st. i wish i had known his military service background prior to his passing. this book gives me great insight on what he experienced and makes me honored to be his nephew. i would like to thank the author for this book.
"in memorium gysgt william v. rea, usmc retired"

For research into a Marine Raider's service in WW II this book is a must have.

This is an excellent work. Practically everything you ever wanted to know about Edson's vaunted Raider Battalion can be found here. The book is jammed packed with facinating anecdotes and the maps and illustrations are first rate.

The book does have flaws, though. Serious errors on the Japanese OB are littered throughout the text. For instance, the 4th Infantry didn't fight in the 2nd Matanikau, only the 124th. And Col. Alexander's narrative doesn't flow smoothly in places.

Minor quibbles aside, though, this a superb work--the most detailed book you'll find on the Raiders, even better than Peatross' Bless 'Em All. Get this book!!

When the President of the US tells you to form a unit, you do - regardless of what you think. That's part of the origin of the US Marine "Raiders". In the early days of WW2, Roosevelt was enamored by the British Commandos and ordered the Marines to create a similar organization for deep raids, reconnaissance & commando operations. He also desperately needed some good PR. Four battalions were formed; infamous "Red" Mike Edson's being one of them.

This is an operational history of that battalion - the history behind FDR's order, political & military backdrop told anecdotally, rich with excellent maps analysis of weapons and tactics of the US and Japan. It's a very, very good read on some of the top notch fighters in Marine history. With 29 years experience in the Marines, Alexander is fully qualified to write about leadership and the exploits of Edson's Raiders - if you guess he's a big fan of Edson, that'd be an understatement.

As interesting as the battles of the Raiders were, I found the best parts the analysis of the effectiveness of these types of units the best. Alexander takes the mainstream view that the Marines did not need `an elite unit in an elite Corps", that any Marine Infantry battalion could do the same. That is no slight on the Raiders, the conclusions are logical, hold the test of time and correct. These were units trained almost to the same edge as the SEALS, but used more commonly as infantry.

Very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in small unit leadership, heroism, the Marines and how a few exceptional men helped at during the US darkest times in the Pacific War.