![]() ![]() Readers will quickly get bogged down in the vast cast of characters. I knew going into the book that, compared to Tarawa or Guam, Kwajalein was a relatively easy conquest in terms of duration and casualties. Even with regards to the battle itself, Marshall leaves out crucial details such as the size and organization of the defense, and even the numbers of causalities for both sides. The strategic value of the islands is the routine vague island-hoping campaign where some islands had to be taken, and others not. Other islands in the atoll had garrisons but it is not clear why they had garrisons. Kwajalein is a small island with half of it occupied by the small airfield. What is most obviously missing is the context. He merely says that everyone is equal at the interview.so the truth can be found. At times, he realizes that the stories of the infantrymen contradicted the stories of the higher officers. Marshall provides a limited number of tips and procedures for carrying on such a large interview. ![]() In what would normally be called a debriefing, the veterans told their story in a huge group format. Marshall had a conference with hundreds of people. The last ten pages of the book describe the methodology. A brief introduction describes the size of the invasion force but with the introduction of so many characters, the book is a jumble of eye witness narratives loosely compacted into a single-ish story. Marshall offers a confusing account of the battle based entirely on an interview with the entire invasion force shortly after the battle. Island Victory was first published in 1944. He wrote over thirty books about warfare. He had served on the border with Mexico during the Pancho Villa Expedition before serving in France during World War I. Army combat historian during World War II and the Korean War. The Kwajalein victors interviewed so painstakingly by Sam Marshall provide a priceless candor and authenticity, the emotional testimonies of young men still flushed with adrenalin, guilt, and relief." - Joseph H. "The real value of Island Victory lies in the unadorned words of these soldiers, recorded so openly and methodically by Marshall after the battle. Island Victory is a highly recommended, 'must read' book." - The Midwest Book Review "Written accounts of war simply do not get any closer to the actions and feelings of those were there. Yet, the Battle of Kwajalein Atoll, particularly on the island of Roi-Namur where there were only 51 survivors of the original 3,500 garrison left, gave the Americans an insight into the fierce resistance that the Japanese would put up over the remaining months of the war.ĭrawn directly from the testimonies of several hundred infantrymen, Island Victory provides insight into what it was like to feel the heat of battle on the beaches of those Pacific islands. This was the first time the Americans had penetrated the “outer ring” of the Japanese Pacific sphere.įrom now until the end of the war the combined forces of the Navy, Marine Corps and Army would island hop their way to the Japanese mainland. On 31st January, 1944, the United States launched a twin assault on the Kwajalein Atoll. ![]()
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