Old Breed: A History of the First Marine Division in World War II (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 483 pages
• Publisher: Zenger Pub (January 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892010525
• ISBN-13: 978-0892010523
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,379,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of New Guinea and Peleliu, December 18, 1999

By	Les Aasheim (Clive, Iowa) - See all my reviews

My brother served in the 1st Marines in World War II and was killed in the 2nd day of the invasion of Peleliu. My impression (from 55 years away from the event) is that very few historians or people understand the horrific battle that occurred on that island. I have read the book several times, and it gives a view from the front line Marine that has seldom been published in other battle descriptions. There is a video of Peleliu that I have in my possession that is a vivid and sad account of this campaign.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amen, Jimmy at 3rddoor. com, February 2, 1999

By A Customer

My brother in law, recently deceased, enlisted in the Corps on December 8, 1941, and after basic at Parris Island was attached to the 1st Batt., 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. In short, he was one of The Old Breed First Marines in every respect. We talked many times about Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu where he got the "million dollar wound" that rotated him home for the duration. Once a marine, always a marine (this was my dad's view, as well as my brother-in-laws). My father was also a gyrene who just missed WWII because of age, and because he was engaged in serious war industry work during the entirety of the conflict, but because he was an ex-marine (to the extent there are ex-marines), we were dedicated followers of the Pacific campaign from beginning to end. Be that as it may, The Old Breed is a riveting account documenting the hell those campaigns must have been. My Brother in law suffered from the effects of malaria for years, and whenever his bones ached, he blamed it on dengue fever that was also rampant on Guadalcanal. He recalled Bloody Ridge vividly, along with Washing Machine Charlie and the Tokyo Express dumping naval ordinance on their heads nearly every night, but as bad as Guadalcanal was, he always thought Peleliu was worse. He said, and I'm sure it's true, that it was sheer hell - trying to scrape a shallow foxhole out of coral, and fighting a dug-in enemy in terrain that looked like the back side of the moon. I think my dad was seriously disapppointed when I didn't join the Corps, but during the Korean war I was just a squid who was never truly placed in harms way. But I have always had a fondness for the Corps, and I'm sure there were none better than The Old Breed. One thing is certain - they did their time in hell, and are now guarding the streets of heaven.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amen, Jimmy at 3rddoor. com, February 2, 1999

By A Customer

My brother in law, recently deceased, enlisted in the Corps on December 8, 1941, and after basic at Parris Island was attached to the 1st Batt., 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. In short, he was one of The Old Breed First Marines in every respect. We talked many times about Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu where he got the "million dollar wound" that rotated him home for the duration. Once a marine, always a marine (this was my dad's view, as well as my brother-in-laws). My father was also a gyrene who just missed WWII because of age, and because he was engaged in serious war industry work during the entirety of the conflict, but because he was an ex-marine (to the extent there are ex-marines), we were dedicated followers of the Pacific campaign from beginning to end. Be that as it may, The Old Breed is a riveting account documenting the hell those campaigns must have been. My Brother in law suffered from the effects of malaria for years, and whenever his bones ached, he blamed it on dengue fever that was also rampant on Guadalcanal. He recalled Bloody Ridge vividly, along with Washing Machine Charlie and the Tokyo Express dumping naval ordinance on their heads nearly every night, but as bad as Guadalcanal was, he always thought Peleliu was worse. He said, and I'm sure it's true, that it was sheer hell - trying to scrape a shallow foxhole out of coral, and fighting a dug-in enemy in terrain that looked like the back side of the moon. I think my dad was seriously disapppointed when I didn't join the Corps, but during the Korean war I was just a squid who was never truly placed in harms way. But I have always had a fondness for the Corps, and I'm sure there were none better than The Old Breed. One thing is certain - they did their time in hell, and are now guarding the streets of heaven.