Fix Bayonets!: With the U.S. Marine Corps in France, 1917-18 [Facsimile] [Hardcover]

John W. Thomason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 1989

This is a collection of picturesque and observant stories about the hard-fighting Fifth Marine Regiment in France by a writer who has been called the Kipling of the Marines Corps .

During his 27 years as a Marine officer, John W. Thomason also became one of America s foremost illustrators and by virtue of his singular combination of talents, Thomason immortalized the Marines who served in World War I.

These stories follow their grim daily lives with ironic humor, acute observation and sympathy from Belleau Wood to the march to the Rhine.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John William Thomason, Jr., was born 28 February 1893 in Huntsville, Texas. He studied art and was a writer in the editorial department of the Houston Chronicle at the beginning of World War I. Appointed Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in April 1917, he sailed to France with the AEF in 1918. When a German machine gun nest held up a Marine advance at Soissons 18 July 1918, Thomason and one of his men advanced on the position and killed 13 of the enemy. For his heroism he earned the Navy Cross. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Books; Facsimile of 1926 ed edition (July 26, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853670308
• ISBN-13: 978-1853670305
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,490,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The classic tale of Marines in WWI, May 19, 2000

By 

"jim278" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fix Bayonets! (Classics of Naval Literature) (Hardcover)

I found an old copy of this book years ago, when there was very little to be found on the USMC in WWI, I am glad to hear it is being published again at this time. My interest in that subject stems from the fact that my Grandfather & his twin brother served in the 5th Marines in WWI.

Even without that connection this is a great book, one of my all time favorites. CPT Thomason keeps you turning pages as you follow the Marines through every battle, where they suffer unbelieveable casualty rates. For a book that was published in the 1920's it has a surprisingly contempoary feel, and is an easy, "must" read for anyone with an interest in the Marines or an American unit in WWI.

As a personal aside, I was looking at my Grandpa's discharge papers from 1919, (all hand written back then) and noticed that the officer that signed his discharge was none other than a John W. Thomason, Captain, US Marines, how cool is that?

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Book!, December 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fix Bayonets! (Classics of Naval Literature) (Hardcover)

I've had this book on my shelf for several years, and I finally decided to pick it up this week. You can't make up fiction that's half as good as this book! You just can't. See how he describes the Marines: "a number of diverse people who ran curiously to type, with drilled shoulders and a bone-deep sunburn, and a tolerant scorn of nearly everything on earth... They drank the eau de vie of Haute-Marne, and reminisced on saki, and vino, and Bacardi Rum-- strange drinks in strange cantinas at the far ends of the earth; and they spoke fondly of Milwaukee beer. Rifles were high and holy things to them, and they knew five-inch broadside guns. They talked patronizingly of the war, and were concerned about rations. They were the Leathernecks, the Old Timers..." How can you beat that?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No wonder it is a classic!, October 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fix Bayonets! (Classics of Naval Literature) (Hardcover)

With out a doubt, Colonel Thomason's book stands out as one of THE classic works of literature about Marines and the Corps. If you are a Marine or know a Marine, get your mitts on a copy of this masterpiece. For every Marine that thinks he's Old Corps, this IS Old Corps!