To the Far Side of Hell
192 pages, 6 7/50 x 9 21/100
Illus.
Paperback
Release Date:07 Aug 2005
ISBN:9780817352813
To the Far Side of Hell
The Battle for Peleliu, 1944
SERIES:
Fire Ant Books
University of Alabama Press, Fire Ant Books
A poignant account and analysis of the bloody battle in the Pacific.
To the Far Side of Hell is the story of the World War II battle for the Pacific island of Peleliu in the autumn of 1944. Although this battle is far less well known--even among U.S. Marine Corps veterans--than Tarawa, Iwo Jima, or Okinawa, the savagery of the fighting, the courage and determination displayed, and the casualty rate suffered by the units of the 1st Marine Division can claim equal significance.
Peleliu was a troubled operation from the start. Since the fast-moving situation in the Central Pacific seemed to have removed any pressing need to occupy the Palau Islands, it is arguable that the battle was not necessary. For the planners of the island-hopping campaign, the operation was a distraction from a more important goal--the Marianas.
The 1st Marine Division, weary from earlier campaigns, was not given needed resources prior to the invasion, and there were damaging tensions within the senior ranks. When the Marines landed, they came up against Japan’s new defensive technique--a garrison determined to die where they stood, fortified in deep, complex bunker systems. In searing heat, and exposed to the dug-in Japanese guns amidst the ridges and gulches of an unsuspected labyrinth of concrete-hard coral, the Marines found the predicted short conflict turned into a protracted, bloody 71-day battle.
To the Far Side of Hell is the story of the World War II battle for the Pacific island of Peleliu in the autumn of 1944. Although this battle is far less well known--even among U.S. Marine Corps veterans--than Tarawa, Iwo Jima, or Okinawa, the savagery of the fighting, the courage and determination displayed, and the casualty rate suffered by the units of the 1st Marine Division can claim equal significance.
Peleliu was a troubled operation from the start. Since the fast-moving situation in the Central Pacific seemed to have removed any pressing need to occupy the Palau Islands, it is arguable that the battle was not necessary. For the planners of the island-hopping campaign, the operation was a distraction from a more important goal--the Marianas.
The 1st Marine Division, weary from earlier campaigns, was not given needed resources prior to the invasion, and there were damaging tensions within the senior ranks. When the Marines landed, they came up against Japan’s new defensive technique--a garrison determined to die where they stood, fortified in deep, complex bunker systems. In searing heat, and exposed to the dug-in Japanese guns amidst the ridges and gulches of an unsuspected labyrinth of concrete-hard coral, the Marines found the predicted short conflict turned into a protracted, bloody 71-day battle.
“A concise narrative overview of the American conquest of the island of Peleliu during World War II in an easy to read, appealing format. The maps and photographs are generally excellent, and the illustrations by Tom Lea are superb.”--Lance Janda, author of Stronger than Custom: West Point and the Admission of Women
Derrick Wright is an independent scholar and author of Tarawa--A Hell of a Way to Die and Iwo Jima 1945: The Marines Raise the Flag on Mount Suribachi.
Related Titles
Points of Honor
Short Stories of the Great War by a US Combat Marine
By Thomas Boyd; Edited by Steven Trout; Introduction by Steven Trout
