Guadalcanal Diary (Modern Library War)

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Great book. Written by a brave journalist. THere are many "diary entries" but they are really short articles about the day's events in the first month or two of the invasion of Guadalcanal. This book is considered a model of war reporting by modern writers like Mark Bowden.

With Guadalcanal Diary, Richard Tragaskis gives us a ground-level account of the early part of the Guadalcanal campaign, from just before the arrival of the Marines in early August through the end of September, 1942. He lived with the Marines aboard ship, ate the same food and jumped in the same trenches during air raids so he was uniquely qualified to tell their story.

The value of Guadalcanal Diary is in its details of the daily travails of the Marines, and not in any broad strategic understanding of the Guadalcanal campaign. It is a diary in the truest sense since Tregaskis gives accounts of events through his own perspective. For example, at the beginning of his entry for August 21, 1942, he says he was awakened at 2:30 AM by the sound of "heavy machine-gun fire coming from the east." History knows now that that was the beginning of the Japanese assault at the Tenaru River, but it is exciting nevertheless to read the account from someone who was nearby, and their attempts to ascertain what exactly was happening. Similarly, it is interesting to get the impressions ashore for the night of August 9, 1942 as the battle of Savo Island raged out in Iron Bottom Sound, while the Marines realized their tenuous situation and dependence upon sea power for their very existence.

This is a gripping first-person account of the battle of Guadalcanal. War correspondent Richard Tregaskis describes landing with the marines on August 7, 1942, in what was the first U.S. offensive of World War II. Readers see how the intial island landings caught the Japanese napping, and the marines quickly grabbed the air field. But within days Japan launched furious counter attacks by land, sea, and air, leaving the battle's outcome and the survival of the marines in doubt. The author paints a stark picture of what the marines experienced - malaria, disease, and deadly combat in a steamy, jungle island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And this battle occurred while the Allies were losing; Japan held half of China and much of the Pacific, while Nazi Germany had most of Europe, North Africa, and was battering the Russians near Stalingrad. Tregaskis left Guadalcanal in late September with the fight raging and unsettled, but by February of 1943 Japan withdrew and the marines had a key victory.

Richard Tregaskis (1916-1973) was a war correspondent who wrote easy reading copy. This was probably the most famous of his many war books, and it was soon adapted into a 1943 movie starring Anthony Quinn, William Bendix and Lloyd Nolan.

An outstanding piece of combat reporting written in an easy to read format. This gives the reader an insight into what the initial period of the campaign was like, from the front line!
This book is very difficult to put down and by drawing reference to the names of combatants and their home City and State brings the amazing exploits of our citizen soldiers to life.
Anyone with an interest on combat reporting, life in the front line of the South Pacific combat theatre or the battle of Guadalcanal should read this. Many of these veterans will soon be gone forever and this book is a worthy testament to their sacrifices.