The Battle for Guadalcanal

I really wanted to give this book five stars but there are some minor things that prevented me.
This is the first land offensive where our marines expelled the Japanese from their defenses and began the process of recapturing lost ground. Lt Col Griffith, a battalion commander and medal recipient, was there and saw the bravery and also the destruction first hand and because of that I expected more of the book.
The key events are mentioned: The introduction describes the appointments of Adm King and Adm Ghormley to their respective new positions; it also explains in the early days, men and resources were hard to come by and Adm King had to fight for everything he needed. The landings, Fletcher's abandonment, taking Henderson field, the Savo naval engagement, Halsey replacing Ghormley, Bloody Ridge, Galloping Horse, Gifi etc, etc. The key events on the ground, sea and air are mention like other books on Guadalcanal but I expected to learn inside dope that only a serving officer on the island would know but didn't get it. I expected the descriptions of the battles to be thorough and detailed with plenty of analysis but were surprised not to find it. The descriptions were good but not overly detailed or extensive which could come from an eye witness.
There were only six black and white maps of the island. There should have been more maps to correspond to the many individual engagements and the details of the troop defensive positions and the Japanese attack lanes should have been more deliberate.
Even with this criticism, I do like the book and it is an important part of my collection. The author has an engaging style and most people would like the book. It would be appealing for first time readers of the campaign because it is interesting and easy to follow; its not as involved as some of the full length books from Hammel, Frank or Greenfield

The book reviewed is the paperback version which didn't have photos, illustrations or color maps.

The writter had first hand knowledge about the battle. The preexisting conditions in the Pacific prior to the battle are well documented and gives the reader more indepth knowledge of what was going on in the South Pacific and reasons why the invasion had to take place.

"The Battle for Guadalcanal" deals with the United States military's first offensive campaign in the Second World War. The six-month battle was a hard fought, viscous war of attrition where the U.S. military learned many valuable lessons. The first and most important lesson, was that the Japanese were not invincible.

Originally published in 1963, The Battle for Guadalcanal gives a very unique perspective of the conflict. Dr. Griffith was a Marine Lt. Colonel on Guadalcanal -- he won the Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross before being evacuated due to shrapnel wounds. He even wrote about his combat experience (including being wounded) in the third person, which must have been a little strange!

Most importantly, Dr. Griffith (who retired from the Marines as a Brigadier General) interviewed many of his commanding officers and opponents. He even had his commanding officer, Brigadier General Alexander Vandegrift, as well as Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz read the final manuscript before it went to press. From an editorial standpoint, you can't go wrong with those gentlemen!

This unique perspective really leads to a well researched, historically precise work.

Highly recommended!

I completely enjoyed this book by. Mr. Griffith. I found it an interesting narrative of actual historic events without a hint of bias. Further, the photos and scale drawings of the military equipment and colorful battle maps, both of the land conflict and the complicated sea battles were easy to understand. I wish I could buy another copy of this excellent book as my original is getting alittle frayed around the edges. This book covered all the bases for this historic battle was fought in the air, on land, and brother, some incredible sea battles were waged around this small island.