Customer Reviews

Island Victory: The Battle of Kwajalein Atoll (World War II)

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Island Victory: The Battle Of Kwajalein Atoll by Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall (1900-1977) is a rare primary historical source, written by at-the-time Lieutenant Colonel S. L. A. Marshall at the time of the deadly Pacific fight in World War II. Marshall was a veteran of WW I who would later serve in Korea and Vietnam and become a brigadier general. When the Seventh Infantry Division battled the Japanese across Kwajalein Atoll in February 1944, Marshall was given the official task of creating a written record of the battle. In order to be as accurate as possible, he brought front-line soldiers to a group interview and taped their conversations in order to get as clear an idea as possible. Written accounts of war simply do not get any closer to the actions and feelings of those were there. Island Victory is a highly recommended, "must-read" book for those who study eye-witness WW II accounts, and a core title contribution to World War II studies academic reference collections.

Highly recommended. Marshall's writing takes the oral accounts of the battle from the soldiers and marines who fought the battle and weaves it into a very good narrative. Not for the politically correct - when it was originally written it reflected the stereotypes and prejudices Americans had about the Japanese in WW II. However, without the actual flavor of the dialogue spoken by the GIs who fought in the battle, it would feel rather dry and scholarly. Kwajalein Island (where I live and work) looks a lot different than during the battle over 65 years ago; over the years the island has increased in area and certain places where major battles took place are now further inland on the island rather than on the coast.

Not worth reading unless you have a real deep interest in military history at the most detailed level.