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Images of War
Hell in the Central Pacific 1944: The Palau Islands
This WWII pictorial history covers a little-known but hard-fought Pacific War campaign with striking combat images and expertly researched text.
In September 1944, to prevent Japanese air interdiction against General MacArthur's invasion of the Southern Philippines, the Americans attacked Peleliu and Angaur in the Palau group of the Western Caroline Islands. Admiral Halsey, commanding the US Third Fleet, feared the heavily defended Palaus would be costly for his III Amphibious Corps.
While Angaur fell in four days, the Japanese resisted tenaciously on Peleliu thanks to their underground fortifications on the Umurbrogel Ridge overlooking the airfield. It took more than two months of bitter fighting to take control of the Island--and the benefits of this costly victory were doubtful. But as Jon Diamond demonstrates in this fully illustrated volume, there is no denying the courage and determination shown by the attacking US forces.
In September 1944, to prevent Japanese air interdiction against General MacArthur's invasion of the Southern Philippines, the Americans attacked Peleliu and Angaur in the Palau group of the Western Caroline Islands. Admiral Halsey, commanding the US Third Fleet, feared the heavily defended Palaus would be costly for his III Amphibious Corps.
While Angaur fell in four days, the Japanese resisted tenaciously on Peleliu thanks to their underground fortifications on the Umurbrogel Ridge overlooking the airfield. It took more than two months of bitter fighting to take control of the Island--and the benefits of this costly victory were doubtful. But as Jon Diamond demonstrates in this fully illustrated volume, there is no denying the courage and determination shown by the attacking US forces.
- GenresWorld War IIEbooks
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 14, 2023
The book I want to tell you about today is about a wartime episode in the Pacific War. In fact, the invasion of the Palau islands, and of the best known (although not the largest) of the islands, Peleliu. If this island is not new to you, even if we are not historical experts of the complicated American strategy in the Pacific, know that the reason is that the bloody fighting on that island was reproduced in the beautiful HBO series "The Pacific". In that case the story followed the exploits of the mortarman Eugene Sledge, drawing on the memoirs included in the book "With the Old Breed". Old Breed was the name given to the 1st Marine Division which included the equally famous 1st, 5th and 7th Regiments.
Today we are right in front of a book that narrates those same enterprises from an iconographic point of view. Jon Diamond composes a beautiful book with images for Pen & Sword's "Images of War" series that I would call "monumental". In fact the book consists of 240 pages and more than 250 photos, which makes it a must for anyone who wants to learn more about Operation Stalemate II.
It is never easy for us Europeans to follow the undertakings carried out in the Pacific, over enormous distances, in the strategy of "jumps" from one island (or better, groups of islands or archipelagos) to another. For this reason the book is also accompanied by excellent maps, which are mainly focused on the difficult conquest of Peleliu by the Marines and the US Army.
The book obviously not only lists the Battle of Peleliu, but explains how the decision was made to launch Operation Stalemate II, which was part of a broader strategy to protect General MacArthur's forces returning to the Philippines.
The photos, as mentioned, are many, and illustrate both the fights and the personalities involved (there is also a beautiful photo of the commander of the 1st Marine Regiment, "Chesty" Puller, portrayed in his youth at the time of his service in Nicaragua) , both the terrible terrain on which they fought, from the bloody beaches (this is one of the islands where the Japanese defense contested the landing from the shore line) to the difficult fights in the only mountainous appendage (or rather limestone hills) of Peleliu, the Umurbrogol Mountains. There is also a chapter dedicated to the remaining fights on the adjacent island of Angaur.
Jon Diamond had already started dealing with the Pacific War with other books, always for the "Images of War" series (here you can find the review dedicated to the volume on Okinawa "https://oldbarbedwire.blogspot.com/20... the-battle-of-okinawa-pacific-wars-last.html ") and also in this case composes a fantastic book full of images and information. A book that I recommend to historians and novices alike, to understand the ferocity of the fighting in the Pacific islands during the Second World War.
Today we are right in front of a book that narrates those same enterprises from an iconographic point of view. Jon Diamond composes a beautiful book with images for Pen & Sword's "Images of War" series that I would call "monumental". In fact the book consists of 240 pages and more than 250 photos, which makes it a must for anyone who wants to learn more about Operation Stalemate II.
It is never easy for us Europeans to follow the undertakings carried out in the Pacific, over enormous distances, in the strategy of "jumps" from one island (or better, groups of islands or archipelagos) to another. For this reason the book is also accompanied by excellent maps, which are mainly focused on the difficult conquest of Peleliu by the Marines and the US Army.
The book obviously not only lists the Battle of Peleliu, but explains how the decision was made to launch Operation Stalemate II, which was part of a broader strategy to protect General MacArthur's forces returning to the Philippines.
The photos, as mentioned, are many, and illustrate both the fights and the personalities involved (there is also a beautiful photo of the commander of the 1st Marine Regiment, "Chesty" Puller, portrayed in his youth at the time of his service in Nicaragua) , both the terrible terrain on which they fought, from the bloody beaches (this is one of the islands where the Japanese defense contested the landing from the shore line) to the difficult fights in the only mountainous appendage (or rather limestone hills) of Peleliu, the Umurbrogol Mountains. There is also a chapter dedicated to the remaining fights on the adjacent island of Angaur.
Jon Diamond had already started dealing with the Pacific War with other books, always for the "Images of War" series (here you can find the review dedicated to the volume on Okinawa "https://oldbarbedwire.blogspot.com/20... the-battle-of-okinawa-pacific-wars-last.html ") and also in this case composes a fantastic book full of images and information. A book that I recommend to historians and novices alike, to understand the ferocity of the fighting in the Pacific islands during the Second World War.
February 21, 2021
There are many combat tasks that strike me as border-line lunacy. Storming ashore onto an island full of Imperial Japanese soldiers that you know will fight to the death is high on that list. In September 1944, this is what US Marines, supported by American soldiers, did on the Palau Islands, and then fought desperately for every yard against a fanatical enemy. Joe Diamond narrates that story in another of Pen & Sword’s Images of War series.
Diamond begins with the strategic considerations leading to the Palau Islands Campaign. Although a general overview, what it boils down to is that the Japanese had built airfields on the Palau Islands during their rapid expansion in the 1930s from which they bombed the Philippines, and the Americans wanted to neutralize them. Diamond moves onto what awaited the American soldiers tasked with taking the Palau Islands: Japanese defences and weapons, and the hostile environment. That combination provided the hell the Americans had arrived to subdue in September 1944. It would take them two months. Diamond turns to the forces involved and their commanders before narrating the actual assaults and subsequent fighting – the account of the fighting up Umurbrogol Mountain highlights a stunning military achievement. Diamond rounds things off with a summary of a campaign that cost 10,000 American casualties for what turned out to be a strategic waste of lives and resources.
Like all the Images of War books, Hell in the Central Pacific relies on the quality and variety of its images to create its impact. In that regard, this contribution to the series is a hit. The photographs of soldiers on the islands are undeniably dramatic and provide a real sense of what American soldiers endured. For me, the photographs of African-American SBs and two marines with a working dog stood out, but there are many other excellent images to choose from. However, there are also too many ‘context’ photos that have nothing to do with the Palau Islands campaign, and much of the strategic background section could have been pared down to extend the combat narrative, which is barely one-third of the book. Nevertheless, Diamond does a a good job of narrating the campaign and battle, and for those of us in awe of American sacrifice in the island-hopping campaign, that along with the images makes Hell in the Central Pacific a worthwhile addition to our bookshelves.
Diamond begins with the strategic considerations leading to the Palau Islands Campaign. Although a general overview, what it boils down to is that the Japanese had built airfields on the Palau Islands during their rapid expansion in the 1930s from which they bombed the Philippines, and the Americans wanted to neutralize them. Diamond moves onto what awaited the American soldiers tasked with taking the Palau Islands: Japanese defences and weapons, and the hostile environment. That combination provided the hell the Americans had arrived to subdue in September 1944. It would take them two months. Diamond turns to the forces involved and their commanders before narrating the actual assaults and subsequent fighting – the account of the fighting up Umurbrogol Mountain highlights a stunning military achievement. Diamond rounds things off with a summary of a campaign that cost 10,000 American casualties for what turned out to be a strategic waste of lives and resources.
Like all the Images of War books, Hell in the Central Pacific relies on the quality and variety of its images to create its impact. In that regard, this contribution to the series is a hit. The photographs of soldiers on the islands are undeniably dramatic and provide a real sense of what American soldiers endured. For me, the photographs of African-American SBs and two marines with a working dog stood out, but there are many other excellent images to choose from. However, there are also too many ‘context’ photos that have nothing to do with the Palau Islands campaign, and much of the strategic background section could have been pared down to extend the combat narrative, which is barely one-third of the book. Nevertheless, Diamond does a a good job of narrating the campaign and battle, and for those of us in awe of American sacrifice in the island-hopping campaign, that along with the images makes Hell in the Central Pacific a worthwhile addition to our bookshelves.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews