E. B. Sledge (1923–2001)

I was drawn to read this book after watching The Pacific, a gripping dramatization of the US Marines in their struggle to drive back the Japanese empire, specifically in the ghastly battles of Peleliu and Okinawa. It is a grim and straightforward tale, with less story building but more detail. The shocking reality of war and its dehumanizing effects should be made known, and the author achieves that goal with a rare sense of reflective purpose and philosophical tone. He probably gained more perspective in the 30 years before its publication. While I don’t think of this work as a great literary achievement, as a personal memoir it is a very worthwhile read.… (més)

E.B.Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, is an outstanding first person, small picture account of war. Sledge doesn't pretend to speak on strategic doctrine or large scale tactical decisions, he only writes about his experiences, in going through boot, infantry training and his 2 assaults in the Pacific. The amphibious assault on Peleliu and Okinawa.

This is an outstanding memoir that neither sugar coats nor overly dramatizes the war, instead if puts the reader in the boots of sledge a Marine mortarmen/infantryman in the Pacific and is a 5 star read and should be a must to book for all interested in the Pacific Theatre.… (més)

I wouldn't call this an 'enjoyable' book but it was certainly interesting. I'd never read a first-hand account of the war in the Pacific so I picked this up based on a recommendation I saw on-line somewhere. I read this as an audiobook so I don't have it in my personal collection. As a personal account of the misery of war, this book doesn't miss much. The hardship faced by the fighting men of the Marines in WWII was simply astonishing. The fact that Sledge survived unharmed after Peleliu and Okinawa is more astounding still. And he had more than his share of close calls.

Plenty of scenes of the depredations of war. I discovered halfway through reading that a good portion of the miniseries The Pacific (on HBO) is based on Sledge's account, and indeed he is featured as one of the main characters in the show. (Casting Remi Malek as Snafu was a mistake, but otherwise the show was very well done.) As I read, I watched the episodes and was fascinated to see the scenes in the show appear almost exactly as described in the book. A particularly chilling sight both in word and on screen was the sound of splashes as a infantryman threw pebbles into the skull of a dead Japanese soldier. I would say that the book does not have what I'd call a 'cinematic' quality to it, but it translated well to the screen - kudos to the screenwriters.

My biggest gripe about the book would be the occasional lapses into troop movements within the theater where my eyes glazed over. If I wanted a regimental history I'd read a different book, but it seemed like Sledge was trying to show the breadth of operations. He also softened the language of the Marines to the extent that it was a little unrealistic at times, but that may have been his editor's doing. There's plenty of what my modern ear considered to be dated (though doubtless accurate) dialogue that just sounds dorky, like "Listen, mac, this man ain't gonna give you the time of day!" Stuff that sounds sanitized and lifted out of a period movie.

I found the writing style to be a little plain as compared to some other war memoirs I've read, but on the whole very readable (listenable). I'm always a little hesitant to judge an audiobook because so much depends on the narrator, and this one did a decent enough job but won't win any prizes.… (més)