The Devil's Anvil: The Assault on Peleliu (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Peleliu is a tiny coral island 500 miles from the Philippines on which over 1500 Americans lost their lives in World War II. The invasion, furiously opposed by Admiral Halsey as unnecessary and costly, was championed by Maj. Gen. William H. Rupertus, who predicted a simple two-day victory but during the vital planning took a month's furlough in Washington to visit his new wife and infant son. The battle took over two months, and thousands of soldiers and marines were seriously wounded in pursuit of a dubious prize: 6400 acres of inverted coral. The Pacific war was moving too quickly, and Peleliu became an afterthought even before it was invaded, a tragedy for the many heroes who died there. Hallas writes with meticulous care and intense feeling for the courageous men who fought a war where there never should have been one. His anger permeates his description of administrative defects and the eventual awarding of the Distinguished Service Medal to Rupertus. The pity is that Peleliu is a stranger to most of us, even those who have fought in the war. Recommended for public libraries. [Previewed in "World War II: Fifty Years After D-Day," LJ 4/1/94, p.110-111; for more titles on the war in the Pacific, see "The Day of Infamy in Print," LJ 9/1/91, p.206-207.]-Ralph DeLucia, Willoughby Wallace Lib., Branford, Ct.
--Ralph DeLucia, Willoughby Wallace Lib., Branford, Ct.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“James H. Hallas has performed a service by adding to the limited amount of good material available on Peleliu.”–Leatherneck

“The author has skillfully woven together both operational facts and personal recollections to create a highly readable story of the battle.”–Marine Corps Gazette

“I highly recommend The Devil's Anvil for anyone interested in World War II military history. By relying on the oral accounts of survivors, Hallas paints a particularly vivid portrait of a very violent struggle accentuated by many individual acts of heroism.”–Military Intelligence

“The Devil's Anvil brings to the forefront the human struggle that is indicative of not only war, but of a battle that was forgotten even before it was printed in the annals of history. From the eyes of famous men like Colonel Lewis Puller down to the lowest private, Hallas has offered military buffs and serious academicians alike an opportunity to experience what it was like to be a U.S. Marine in the South Pacific. This book is an essential part to any WWII library.”–Military

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 314 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (February 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275946460
• ISBN-13: 978-0275946463
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #598,568 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pacific Warfare at its best, January 16, 2000

By A Customer

The time? Fall 1944. The place? The island of Peleliu, an obscure speck of coral 500 miles east of the Philippines. General William Rupertus's US 1st Marine Division found themselves pitted against the vaunted, often overly hailed, but numerically superior deeply entrenched Japanese soldiers who had spent six months preparing for the battle. Most envisioned a quick two-day battle, however, as James H. Hallas's The Devils Anvil: The Assault on Peleliu reveals, before the "Americans could claim a victory, the fight had become one of the war's most costly successes." Even more tragic, as Hallas admits, was that Peleliu, in the end, was ultimately deemed "an unnecessary seizure." Pulled off of Cape Gloucester in April 1944, the 1st Marine Division had expected to return to Australia. Much to their dismay, they ended up on Pavuvu, the largest of the Russell Islands some 60 miles northwest of their old battlefields on Guadalcanal. While Pavuvu was clearly an inhabitable place, the island the division was slated to take was nothing more than a tiny atoll where the continual rain turning the whole island into what a Marine later described as a "deep stinking mush." The name of this island was Peleliu. The logic behind seizing Peleliu was that General MacArthur felt that the island posed serious threat to the Allied approach on the Philippines. They also predicted that it could be seized in less than two days. They were mistaken on both counts. Hallas's book clearly shows that the 1,500 Americans who lost their lives in the 68 day struggle for the 6,400 acre island, did so for naught. The island was, in the end, of "dubious value." The Allies were moving quickly in the South Pacific and by the time the island of Peleliu was seized, to "became a backwater almost before it was invaded." For those who survived the battle, Peleliu "remains a bitter, emotionally exhausting chapter of their lives. The Devil's Anvil brings the reader to the forefront of the human struggle that is indicative of not only war, but of a battle that was forgotten even before it was printed in the annals of history. From the eyes of famous men like Colonel Lewis Puller down to the lowest private, Hallas has offered military buffs and serious academicians alike an opportunity to experience what it was like to be a US Marine in the South Pacific. This book is an essential part to any World War II library.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good research. A couple places could be improved!, November 20, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Victorville, Ca.) - See all my reviews

I've tried to find the author's mailing or e-mail address, but haven't found it yet.I was in the 1st MarDiv and was on Peleliu so I can think of a few things that would add a lot to the book. However it was a GREAT job for someone who wasn't there!!For non-Marines I would have put an organizational chart at the beginning of the book, just to show the makeup of a Marine Div. The abbreviations were very confusing with no chart.All of the maps could have been full page with more details, and I'msure it would be much better to show a group of maps with the progress of the front lines for every few days.Otherwise it is too unclear!It would be fabulous if Mr. Hallas would use his expert research talents to locate the addresses and E-mails of all the surviving Peleliu marines, and contact them to inquire if they would approve of their name being printed in a neat Book.Most of them who say YES would surely purchase the book.Somewhat more tedious would be to make such a book about every Marine in the 1st Mar. Div. who is still "available."(Or it could be done one Regiment at a time.) What a great service this would be.Thank you.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1st Marine Division and 81st Inf. Division (U.S. Army)., April 20, 1997

By A Customer

(A numerical rating as above is required by the new Amazon format. It is offensive to this reviewer and explicitly disavowed.)

This battle that was supposed to last two days, instead lasted two months, killing 1500 Americans and some 10,000 Japanese, all of it probably unnecessary. Admiral Nimitz, against Halsey's advice and with poor intelligence about Japanese defenses, refused to scrub the attack even though it was apparent that the Palaus could be safely bypassed and left to starve.

Hallas bases his excellent history of the struggle for that miserable piece of real estate on interviews of survivors as well as the usual written sources, and includes the expected photos, maps, bibliography, and index. Highly recommended, as are Hallas' other books, on Okinawa and St. Mihiel.