Customer Reviews

Guadalcanal 1942: The Marines Strike Back

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought the book for the photos. A summary of this six month campaign squeezed into 96 pages didn't appeal to me. And the author made things worse by imprudent choices of articles to include in the book. The two articles, "The Battlefield Today" and "Wargaming" should have been eliminated for further coverage of the battle action. Though the key engagements are mentioned, the author just scratches the surface; there could have been more stated to help the reader understand the difficulties of securing this island. The Chronology should have been placed near the front of the book not in the rear as an after thought. There are twelve 2-D maps and three 3-D maps. The maps are colorful and have good eye appeal but they don't contain much information. Many of them have troop symbols of division or army level, not drilling down to battalion or company level. The 3-D maps, which were pretty good, covered the Tenaru battle, Bloody Ridge, and the January Offensives.
The photos were excellent and clearly supplements the narrative. The jungle, the hilly terrain and rivers show the island was as much an enemy as the Japanese. The photos of the key personalities was also good.
When you add up all the maps, photos and illustrations, there wasn't much room for the details of the numerous battles on the island or the naval engagements. The Chronology was pretty good but every other section was way too brief on details. Buy the book for the photos but serious Canal buffs should not expect a lot from this book.

Recommended. It goes into detail about the campaign between the 1st Marine Division and the Japanese Army and you get a very good feel for the campaign and its high points as well as references to how the strategic events of the Pacific Theater effected its outcome. There are plenty of maps in a simplistic and clear style and also plenty of photographs. Easily among the better Osprey books.

Note that this is one of Ospreys old titles and it uses a different setup and includes things like wargaming (not very useful even if you as I do play wargames). On the upside these have been some of the best books Osprey has published.

This book is a well written overview of the Marine Corps's first major amphibious battle of World War II. It is well written and moves quickly. The text is supported by numerous black and white photographs. These images definitely add to the narrative.

The author begins by describing the origin of this campaign. He notes how General MacArthur submitted a more ambitious plan with himself in charge. This plan, however, was not supported by the Navy. Instead, Admiral Nimitz issued orders to invade the Solomon Islands.

The book is written in a clear, chronological order. The battle is broken down by individual months. Thus, the reader is able to follow the battle as it progresses, month by month, from August 1942 to January 1943. In addition, the narrative is supported by several battle maps, which are simple and easy to read. They are located at the appropriate point in the text. Thus, the reader can easily refer to each map. This style of writing, supported by numerous maps, allows the reader to easily follow the action. Finally, the author included three 3D Birds Eye View maps of the Battles of the Tenaru, Bloody Ridge, and the January Offensive.

Bottom line: this book is well organized and easy to read. The multiple maps allow the reader to follow the action without confusion. The author did an excellent job of condensing several months of battle into this concise narrative.

A well written book on Guadalcanal. The author captured the turning point of events in this first Pacific amphibious assault campaign that changed the momentum of the outcome of the war in the allies favor as it related to the future WW II Pacific island campaigns to follow.

Even if you didn't much care for "The Thin Red Line", you should get this book for general information (though a bit short) on the Guadalcanal long drawn battle.

In the usual Campaign series format, highlights from the book are the topological maps in 3D and the uniforms and equipment sketches. (These drawings actually come from other Osprey series, such as WARRIORS, MEN AT ARMS, or ELITE.)

You could also get MIDWAY 1942 from the same series, to get more information on Pacific battles during that year of WWII.