Guadalcanal Diary (2 Viewers)

[DMNamiot]

Hi All,

I recently picked up a nice 1st edition copy of this great book by Richard Tregaskis. I read it several times when I was a kid and I was wondering if there were any others who were interested in this battle and since the History Channel recently aired an interesting show on the fight for the island in its program called Shootout. Anyone else out there interested in this particular battle?

Dave

 

[Njja]

I read a couple of books on it. I also worked years ago with a great old marine that landed with the first wave and took the airfield. He was a great guy and told great stories. He would speak very softly then BANG he would yell and scare the hell out of you!
One of my favorite stories was when they reached the Jap airfield. It was under construction, so the marines charged across the field, he said the Japs were on equiptment working on the field. When they saw the Americans they jumped off their equiptment and ran for the oposite side of the field.
My friend said "We were running like HELL trying to get to them before they got to their guns". "We were almost across when they opened up on us" he said. "We had no choice so we kept right on running and shooting at them, I looked over at my friend Joe just as a volley of machine gun fire cut him right in half.....his legs kept going for a few steps right along side of me then fell over"
When they got to the other side the Japs fled into the jungle, and thats how they captured Henderson Field. My buddys name was John, I lost track of him years ago. He would be about 95 today when ever I hear Emril yell BAM...I think about old John.
Njja

 

[Leadmen]

The battles of Guadacanal books are among my favorite books I own. This was the first time we fought the Japanese on land- air and sea. Frank's book on Guadacanal is very good and Eric Hammel's three volumes of the battle on the ground- sea battles and carriers is excellent and gives plenty of personal stories of the combatants. Leadmen

 

[DMNamiot]

My best friends dad was a Marine and he too had some really interesting stories when we could get him to talk about the war which wasnt often. He was on Saipan and Tinian and Okinawa among others so he didnt like to talk much about the war. My favorite comment he made one time went like this, To my best friend, The last time I saw a pair of pants with a hole like that in them the leg was missing...

Needless to say he saw some real heavy action and didnt want to talk about it much.

Dave

 

[gk5717]

My dad was in the 1st Marine Division and was on Guadalcanal. I recently got his records from the Marine Corp.. He was not there during the initial assault but later. I remember as a kid him telling me that there were dead Japs all over and that every night a Jap plane would fly over and drop a few bombs.
Sure wish with the knowledge I have of WW2 that he was still around to ask him a million questions.
I do know that the K&C Marines would have been his favorites.
Also wish I still had all his USMC equipment that as a kid we played war with. Also used my grandpas WW1 equipment.
Gary

 

[sceic2]

I too read the book when I was a teenager. I read every military book my small school library had. It was a fantastic book about some true heros. My next favorite book about Guadalcanal is "The Thin Red Line." The movie was OK and did make an attempt at telling how a soldier must cross the line of being alive or surrendering to death as being inevitable. Books like these, and TV shows like Combat and Victory at Sea gave me the desire to join the Navy. I spent 20 years working with the best people in the world. I served in the USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7) and spent many hours with some very hardened combant Marines. I do not have what it takes to be a combat soldier and I know it. Just like Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) said, "A man just has to know his limitations."

 

[binder001]

I saw the movie as a kid and became fascinated with the battles around Guadalcanal. In fact in the 3rd grade I took a "shoebox" diorama of Guadalcanal Diary to school with my Marx and Timmee toy soldiers. I agree that the Franks book is the best overall book on the subject.

This battle is one of the reasons that I often suggest that toy soldier companies consider doing Guadalcanal figures. The Marines wore interesting combinations of prewar and early war uniforms. It was also was the last major battle fought with the M1903 Springfield as the primary US rifle.

 

[Leadmen]

Our Air Museum in Kalamazoo, MI also has a section devoted to Guadacanal only. Many letters- weapons- pictures and some neat naval and ground diorama's in ho scale but well done. The Springfield 03 rifle was used till the Marines got M1's. In 1965 Marines still had some M-1's or M-14's.till M-16 's came out. Sometimes I wonder why Fleet Marine Force did not get newer models of weapons sooner. We still had 3.5 Rocket launchers (Bazookas) in 1963 and some Springfield 03 special sniper rifles. Leadmen We also had that wonder weapon- the ONTOS (Greek for the thing). 6 recoiless guns and NO protection from small arms fire. They did use some in Hue VN. Leadmen

 

[sceic2]

I gota say, as a Navy vet, the Marines did a tremendous job, but the US Navy paid with blood too. Iron Bottom Sound, the Battle of Savo Island, the Tokyo Express and all of the sailors still on watch as a result of their call to duty. The Sullivan Brothers and other heros, the USS Atlanta, the USS Juneau, and many other brave ships and crews who were lost supporting the Marines of Guadalcanal. I recommend the following site for pictures and history of all the modern (1900 to the present day) ships. I had the pleasure of serving in four of them and wish I were still at sea. Enough said. http://www.navsource.org/

 

[Leadmen]

I am not exactly sure but I think the Navy had the most casualities in Guadacanal's battles against the "Tokoyo Express". Especially the destroyers and cruisers you mentioned.I have Ballards book on sunken ships of Guadacanal. I also enjoyed the web site of Navy ships. LSD-28 Thomaston and USS Talladega APA208 were two ships I was aboard. Especially Thomason. We were more then two months on the ship. Leadmen