The Battle for Hell's Island: How a Small Band of Carrier Dive-Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal

by Stephen L. Moore

“Stephen L. Moore offers what will soon be ranked a major military classic... A major, first-rate, authoritative contribution to the literature of WWII.”—Leatherneck From the author of Pacific Payback comes the gripping true story of the Cactus Air Force and how this rugged crew of Dive-Bombers helped save Guadalcanal and won the war. November 1942: Japanese and American forces have been fighting for control of Guadalcanal, a small but pivotal island in Japan’s expansion through the South Pacific. Both sides have endured months of grueling battle under the worst hellish jungles, meager rations, and tropical diseases, which have taken a severe mental and physical toll on the combatants. The Japanese call Guadalcanal Jigoku no Jima—Hell's Island. Amid a seeming stalemate, a small group of U.S. Navy dive bombers are called upon to help determine the island's fate. The men have until recently been serving in their respective squadrons aboard the USS Lexington and the USS Yorktown, fighting in the thick of the Pacific War's aerial battles. Their skills have been honed to a fine edge, even as injury and death inexorably have depleted their ranks. When their carriers are lost, many of the men end up on the USS Enterprise. Battle damage to that carrier then forces them from their home at sea to operating from Henderson Field, a small dirt-and-gravel airstrip on Guadalcanal. With some Marine and Army Air Force planes, they help form the Cactus Air Force, a motley assemblage of fliers tasked with holding the line while making dangerous flights from their jungle airfield. Pounded by daily Japanese air assaults, nightly warship bombardments, and sniper attacks from the jungle, pilots and gunners rarely last more than a few weeks before succumbing to tropical ailments, injury, exhaustion, and death. But when the Japanese launch a final offensive to take the island once and for all, these dive-bomber jocks answer the call of duty—and try to perform miracles in turning back an enemy warship armada, a host of fighter planes, and a convoy of troop transports. A remarkable story of grit, guts, and heroism, The Battle for Hell's Island reveals how command of the South Pacific, and the outcome of the Pacific War, depended on control of a single dirt airstrip—and the small group of battle-weary aviators sent to protect it with their lives.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Aviation, Military History, Military Fiction, War

504 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2015

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book from the perspective of dive bombers throughout the guadalcanal campaign. I enjoyed it. Lots of good info here on the Douglass sbd dauntless

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the author's book on Midway, I was excited to hear this one was coming out as I found his Midway book to be really excellent. This one didn't live up to that standard for me, unfortunately. Way, way too many names to keep track of as he provided the name of each and every pilot and gunner for somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 American dive bombers. After awhile, the names all became a jumbled glob in my brain and I just sort of passed over them as I read.

I think the idea for this story is a good one, but by limiting it to just the dive bombers I feel a good portion of the story is lost. Speaking of the story, it takes almost half the book before we get to Hell's Island, aka Guadalcanal. Way too much time spent on the early part of the war since the book is marketed as a book on Guadalcanal, but the author was trying to set up some background. Just wish he hadn't taken so long to get to the main part of the book because I was beginning to get fatigued by all the names and the mad jumble of units which are mentioned in the narrative.

For those of you who like oral history, this book is full of personal quotes and stories from many of the aviators mentioned in the book--this is the real high point. You get to sit right in the cockpit with many of the pilots and know what what they were thinking as they plunged down on a Japanese carrier or were trying to dodge Zeros and anti-aircraft fire.

The book could have used a little bit better editing to help with the narrative flow, and how Admiral Raymond Spruance's name popped up in the middle of a naval battle off Guadalcanal for no reason is definitely a mystery. Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars as it's a great testimony to the men and machines which helped turn back the tide of Japanese expansion in the early part of the war in the Pacific.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of American aircraft squadrons in the Pacific during World War II. It covers the period leading up to the war and the battles for the Coral Sea and Guadalcanal as well as several other operations. Brief backgrounds of many of the pilots and air crewmen are provided. There are also tables listing flight crews of the American strike groups. This is an interesting perspective of the air war against Japan.

[Christian Freed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is definitely worth telling. These men had no idea what they were getting into after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. While I personally found it entertaining how Navy boys used to ship life had trouble coping with being in the dirt with the grunts, their exploits are both harrowing and inspiring. My beef with this book is the writing style. Good grief. I wanted to stab my eyes out on several occasions. A shame really. 5 stars for the men who fought on Guadalcanal, but 3 for the author.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moore's style is long on facts but short on story. The book is an ok but dry read. Not my favourite style of book.

[Urey Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exhaustively detailed - to the point of tedium. It reads more like a daily diary of SBD pilots... by individual. The author gives name by name accounts of daily events - meals, minor accidents, family histories of the individual's parents, grandparents, upbringing... who landed when, in what order, who dinged up a plane, who missed what bomb, who was lost... and no where is there a broader context. The author notes how much bigger sister ships Saratoga and Lexington were than the follow-on construction such as Wasp and Yorktown... never explains why. There is little to nothing on the flight characteristics of the SBS, although the SBD squadrons are the focus of the book. There is nothing that correlates Japanese strategy and tactics with US strategy and tactics - nothing on air tactic. Some comparative analysis of US/Japanese aircraft, training and doctrine would have been great, but alas. The author painstakingly names and describes every flight member of the SBD squadrons he focuses on... but nobody else. He presents extensive tables for every major strike for all the SBD squadrons, listing each plane, its pilot and its gunner... then adds on such as "Five F4F Wildcats led by LCDR Jimmy Flatley". It makes the lack of any deeper discussion of the SBD capabilities, weaknesses, tactics and training even more obvious. This book clearly honors all the SBD crews - by name. That is remarkable and noteworthy. The book does little else though to rise above the limited perspective of a daily diary describing daily events with no wider perspective than the confines of the ship and the airplane.

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Moore’s “The Battle for Hell's Island” is a gripping account of a pivotal moment in World War II, when a small group of carrier dive-bombers played a crucial role in turning the tide of the Guadalcanal campaign. Moore’s detailed research and vivid storytelling bring to life the intense combat and heroic actions of the men who fought in this brutal and unforgiving battle. The book follows the experiences of the dive-bomber pilots and crew as they face overwhelming odds and fight against a determined enemy. Moore does an excellent job of capturing the fear, adrenaline, and camaraderie of these men as they push themselves to the limit in order to protect their comrades on the ground and secure victory in a crucial battle. What sets “The Battle for Hell's Island” apart from other accounts of the Guadalcanal campaign is Moore’s focus on the individual stories of the men involved. Through interviews, diaries, and letters, he paints a vivid portrait of the courage and sacrifice of these unsung heroes. Readers will come away with a newfound appreciation for the sacrifices made by these brave men, and a deeper understanding of the human cost of war. Overall, “The Battle for Hell's Island” is a must-read for anyone interested in World War II history or military aviation. It is a gripping and emotional account of a pivotal moment in the Pacific War, and a fitting tribute to the men who fought and died in the battle for Guadalcanal.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, but it can be difficult to keep track of all the different people and units. There were also a few little inconsistencies that bugged me, such as:

- In the chapter "Flight 300 on Hell's Island" there is a full moon that helps them navigate. A few hours later, it is only a quarter moon.
- In the same chapter, the runway at Henderson field is described as running southwest to northwest. That's quite a curve!
- In "Strong's Solution" the text describes scout teams heading off to the south of their companions while the accompanying map shows them going to the north of them.

Also, I was very amused by how the author keeps talking about the heroism of the Navy pilots in being able to withstand the horrendous conditions on Guadalcanal....like the Marines weren't there first and didn't stay there after them in the same conditions.

Bottom line: a good book for people interested in the Pacific theater of WWII, but not without its editing errors.

[Eric Monson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great look at carrier combat in the beginning stages of the Pacific war, focusing on the pilots and crews of SBD squadrons. My only negative mark is that, I didn't need the author to list the name of every pilot and crew member that went on every specific mission. I respect the men who risked there lives in those early days but it was little much and slowed the reading pace.

[Greg Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a history of the dive bomber squadrons of the US Navy from the Battle of Midway to the end of the Guadalcanal Campaign. Hell's Island takes up only about half of the book. That said, it is an excellent, well-researched history of the individuals who made up these squadrons at a critical point in the Second World War.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The descriptions of air combat are excellent, but I agree with others that there’s a lot of names to keep track of. Some of them make an impression but others are just names. Still, a book about small units has to get down to the individual level. Overall, definitely worthwhile.

[Annmarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this book in hopes of better understanding what my father went though during the war, he was on the USS Yorktown when it sunk and was a key player in this book as well as holds the distinction of being one of the men this book is dedicated too John M Iacovazzi

[Joseph Halsted · Rating 1 out of 5]

Little interest

The book promo looks good but the tale has very little action or drama. Great deal of pickyune detail on dizzying array of disparate characters. Was a waste of ten bucks.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book looking at the often overlooked contributions of the "orphaned" Navy pilots on Guadalcanal during that campaign. One of the more detailed books I have read recently, the author clearly did his research. Good read for naval history or Pacific theater history buffs.

[Monroe Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Historical Account

Pretty good read but way too long and too many military acronyms for me. Maybe a military historian will enjoy.

[Adam Gutschenritter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical account of the Battle of Guadalcanal. It focuses only on the dive-bomber squadrons that fought in and around Guadalcanal and more so on the people who flew them. The book's strength lies in the stories told from the pilot's perspective, with clarification from the records on who bombed what and when. This book would be an interesting companion for the early pacific theater stuff found in The Two-Ocean War where it focuses on Naval action, where this would add a personal touch to the planes and carriers discussed there.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Moore's second book focusing primarily on the contribution of SBD pilots in WWII. Pacific Payback, his first, focused on SBD pilots at Midway. I am well-read on the War in the Pacific but I struggled to get through this detail-heavy piece. The author presents a wealth of minute details relating to each engagement he references. While increasing the reference value of the book, those details do not make for an easy read. I would highly suggest this to anyone with particular interests in Guadalcanal or WWII naval aviation, but some skimming would be recommended for the casual reader.

[Bert Hopkins]

The heroism of the Navy and Marine Corps SBD pilots and rear seat gunners is breathtaking.

[Peter Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read , though a bit tedious in a couple places. A captivating history of the Battle for Guadalcanal. While The Battle of Midway showed the Japanese that the U.S. was ready to fight, Guadalcanal started Japan's long retreat and eventual surrender.