By the summer of 1944 the tide had turned in the Pacific War against the Japanese. The war was not nearly over, however, and the U.S. Marines had their heaviest season of combat awaiting them. Here for the first time is a detailed photographic history for the Fighting Leathernecks’ fierce combat for the Marianas, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
Illustrated with hundreds of never-before-published photographs and supplemented with full-color maps, War in the Western Pacific is a historical and visual treat.
We are proud to present this exclusive preview of some of the great pictures in this book!
Official USMC Photo
Marines clamber down cargo nets from their transport to an LCVP for a ride all or part of the way into one of Saipan’s D-day invasion beaches. Official USMC Photo
New radio packs have been distributed to company commanders for keeping in touch with platoon leaders, the battalion command post, and artillery forward observers, who all have access to good portable radios for the first time in the Pacific War. Previously, runners had to be sent on lonely message runs from which they didn’t always return. Official USMC Photo
Here lies a Marine machine gunner, temporarily interred on the spot on which he died after he sustained a direct hit by a Japanese mortar round. His grave is marked by his shattered carbine. Official USMC Photo
Touchdown! Nearly the first troops ashore, these Marines jump from their amtrac into thigh-deep water and head straight into the fight. Official USMC Photo
It is sometimes diffi cult to remember that most Marines who shouldered the fi ghting in World War II were in their late teens or early twenties—just plain American kids who killed because they had to but who reverted to their basic good nature between the gruesome chores of war. Offi cial USMC Photo
Book: War in the Western Pacific Author: Eric Hammel Publisher: Zenith Press
