Guadalcanal 1942: The Marines Strike Back (Campaign) [Paperback]

Joseph Mueller (Author)

Book Description

Series: Campaign | Publication Date: September 25, 1992

Osprey's examination of the first American amphibious assault of World War II (1939-1945). On what was a virtually unheard of Pacific island, the United States shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility, as the US Marines and Army halted the apparently irresistible Japanese advance in its tracks. Over 30,000 American and Japanese casualties were suffered in five months of bitter fighting. From the ranks of the units that contested this campaign a seasoned fighting force of US veterans was created that would, island by island, sweep the Japanese back across the Pacific.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today.

About the Author

Joseph N. Mueller is a Lieutenant Colonel in the USMC Reserve and the foremost expert on the Guadalcanal campaign. He has had several articles and books published on the subject, and maintains a massive collection of photos, written material and equipment relevant to the battle. In recent years he has made several trips to Guadalcanal and the surrounding islands to study the battlefield at first hand.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 25, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855322536
• ISBN-13: 978-1855322530
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,063,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brief Summary of Operation Watchtower, July 10, 2009

By 

Dave Schranck "Dave" (Anaheim Ca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Guadalcanal 1942: The Marines Strike Back (Campaign) (Paperback)

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.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A detailed account of the Guadalcanal campaign, January 4, 2010

By 

Gisli Jokull Gislason "Jokull" (Iceland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guadalcanal 1942: The Marines Strike Back (Campaign) (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Overview of this Island Battle, January 30, 2011

By 

Mike Dillemuth (Virginia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Guadalcanal 1942: The Marines Strike Back (Campaign) (Paperback)

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.