Hold the Marianas: The Japanese Defense of the Mariana Islands [Hardcover]

D. Colt Denfeld (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In the summer of 1944, the U.S. attacked the Japanese occupying the Marianas--Guam (formerly a U.S. possession), Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The first three islands fell after bloody fighting, and Rota was bypassed and blockaded until the end of the war. Denfield describes the three island battles from the defenders' point of view. Relying on the warrior spirit and its soldiers' individual proficiency, Japan missed opportunities for positional warfare--that is, using the islands' size and terrain to force the Americans to fight at a disadvantage. The Japanese also failed to make the best use of the supplies they slipped by American submarine patrols, and they suffered from a complete lack of sea and air support. Perhaps this is a story for serious students of military history, but it is an excellent one and a tribute to the brave but badly led Japanese fighting man. Roland Green

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: White Mane Pub; First edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572490144
• ISBN-13: 978-1572490147
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,051,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting account of some terrible fighting, February 12, 1999

By 

Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hold the Marianas: The Japanese Defense of the Mariana Islands (Hardcover)

This was a well researched account of the fighting in the Marianas during WW2. The author utilised Japanese accounts of the battle to tell the story. He covered the history of the Islands, the Japanese take over, before and during WW2, of the Island chain and the subsequent American effort to re-take the Islands in 1944. Overall the author offered an interesting account into the desperate fighting for these pieces of coral but at times the narrative became dry and repetative. The maps were OK and the authors selection of B&W photos were suitable for the narrative. The author also offered an interesting chapter on relics left from the fighting. Overall this was a decent account of this Pacific campaign.

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven, February 28, 2011

By 

slammy (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hold the Marianas: The Japanese Defense of the Mariana Islands (Hardcover)

An interesting account of the battle for the Marianas from the Japanese viewpoint. Better maps and organization would have helped though. At times the book became dry and boring, with endless accounts of Japanese guns and their locations. A good map would have presented this more clearly and quickly. The author obviously knows his stuff but had a hard time presenting it in a readable manner. And the author makes the mistake so many historians make, listing places in the book that the map does not show. If the book mentions it, the map should show it in my opinion. I found the early history of the islands the most interesting part of the book.