Total Page : 304
Publisher : NAL Hardcover
Publication Date : 2010 03 02
>> Piece of History
The soldiers in WWII went through HELL and the book helps place you in the middle of the action Recommended reading for history and battle fans Helped me follow the TV series
>> An interesting contribution to the Pacific Band of Brothers
Burgin was inspired to write his account following a discussion with a tradesman who knew nothing of Peleliu I imagine though that plans for the HBO TV series based in large part on the memoirs of his fellow mortar platoon member Eugene Sledge helped too In any case Burgin s memoir is a worthwhile contribution to the genre and at times an interesting commentary on Sledge and the events he related in his very famous book
Burgin joins the 1st Marine Division in Melbourne after its time on Guadalcanal He is assigned to K Company 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and fights on Cape Gloucester Peleliu and Okinawa He is an NCO and is sergeant of the platoon when Sledge joins His role though was not firing mortars He taught others how to do so and in battle he was out in front with the infantry spotting targets As such he is very often a target himself and he engages directly once at the closest of quarters with Japanese soldiers This occurs on Cape Gloucester and there is a surprising amount of combat here He operated for a while with war dogs too who sniffed out sleeping Japanese who were then often quietly dispatched He also witnessed Lane s heroics at Suicide Creek There is then plenty of action on Peleliu in particular his role in reducing the major bunker that Sledge wrote about Burgin s perspective here is fascinating He approached battle with the intent to kill On Okinawa most of this is done via his mortars but he is again always in the front line and he has some very close calls
It is very much a combat narrative Burgin though still a very young man recognized early on the essential truth of the sometimes illogical aspects of military training He realized it was meant to make him ready to kill and as such he even saw the sense in denying the division a second stint of leave in Melbourne It worked When he enters combat he does not hesitate There is quite a lot else too He gives a sobering perspective on some occasions when the confusion and demands of combat saw Marines kill fellow US soldiers He writes too on the surprisingly poor support they received in terms of basic food and clothing needs The impact of this atrocious state of affairs was best illustrated when he turned three prisoners in to see them issued with fresh clothes while he and his men stood in rags They ceased bringing prisoners in after this It is an amazing example in a counter productive sense of the serious ramifications poor support of front line soldiers could have
While this book seems with us due to the TV show it is a legitimate story in its own right There is insight into Sledge and some disagreements regarding his observations but it is by no means obsessed with him Burgin s writing style is not a dramatic one but it is steady and always interesting He does not shy away from writing about killing either This is a good contribution to the genre see my list for other accounts of Pacific battles Quite Highly Recommended
>> Ernie Pyle wasn t there R V Burgin was
As a high school student the Viet Nam war kind of loomed on my horizon My father s generation faced WWII head on His is called the Greatest Generation Decades after WWII a few of the Greatest are left telling their experience Not one piece of this history should ever be lost
Ernie Pyle was in Europe His war correspondences are a treasure to read He made a hero of every American GI But the best accounts of what our fathers and uncles experienced in the Pacific war are told by those engaged in the battles
Mr Burgin tells us his story pre war through post war His perspective is real first person as a participant not an observer historian or academic Can a history professor tell you how great a pest a land crab or coconut can be Through all the horrific experiences fear beyond fear courage beyond courage sacrifice beyond sacrifice his hope and love endured Guess how long it took to get his Austrailian girl to the U S after the war Here s some history I hadn t read before
This is one of the few books I ve read in recent years that I counld t put down I read it from my Kindle but I recommend getting the hard copy The maps aren t readable on Kindle II
