|
|
Loading... Darkest Hour: The True Story of Lark Force at Rabaul - Australia's Worst Military Disaster of World War II (2006)| 115 | 1 | 239,583 | 
(4.04) | 5 | "The first book in military historian Bruce Gamble's Rabaul trilogy, Invasion Rabaul chronicles the occupation and defense of Japan's island stronghold by the Australian Lark Force garrison through the eyes of those who survived the Japanese assault"--
"The riveting first book in Bruce Gamble's critically acclaimed Rabaul trilogy, originally published in hardcover as Darkest Hour, which chronicles the longest battle of World War II. January 23, 1942, New Britain. It was 2:30 a.m., the darkest hour of the day and, for the tiny Australian garrison sent to defend this Southwest Pacific island, soon to be the darkest hour of the war. Lark Force, comprising 1,500 soldiers and six nurses, faced a vastly superior Japanese amphibious unit poised to overrun Rabaul, capital of Australia's mandated territories. Invasion Rabaul, the first book in military historian Bruce Gamble's critically acclaimed Rabaul trilogy, is a gut-wrenching account of courage and sacrifice, folly and disaster, as seen through the eyes of the defenders who survived the Japanese assault. Gamble's gripping narrative follows key individuals--soldiers and junior officers, an American citizen and an Army nurse among them--who were driven into the jungle, prey to the unforgiving environment and a cruel enemy that massacred its prisoners. The dramatic stories of the Lark Force survivors, told here in full for the first time, are among the most inspiring of the Pacific War--and they lay a triumphant foundation for one of today's most highly praised military nonfiction trilogies"--… (more) |
▾LibraryThing Recommendations ▾Will you like it?
Loading...
 Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. ▾Conversations (About links) No current Talk conversations about this book. » See also 5 mentions ▾Series and work relationships
|
|
| Canonical title |
|
| Original title |
|
| Alternative titles |
|
| Original publication date |
|
| People/Characters |
|
| Important places |
|
| Important events |
|
| Related movies |
|
| Epigraph |
|
| Dedication |
|
| First words |
William Arthur Gullidge was in a quandary.  | |
|
| Quotations |
Clifford Marshall, a thirty-one-year-old Lance Corporal from Prahran, Victoria, was in another group of prisoners taken deep into the coconut groves for execution. Like the others, his column was halted at a quiet spot, and then the killing began. One at a time the captives were led into the jungle by a Japanese soldier, and those left behind could hear the victims cry out. It was obvious the Japanese were using bayonets.
According to Marshall's later testimony, they were sloppy about finishing the job. "When my turn came I was motioned to move off into the bush. There was a Japanese soldier walking behind me. I sort of turned, my hands being tied behind my back, to see what he was doing. I saw that he was making a rush at me with the bayonet. I received three wounds: one in the back just under the shoulder blades, not very deep, another through the arm and into the side, and another into the side lower down. It came to me naturally to lie still and sham dead. I could hear cries from the other men for a while and then a lot of shooting."
Bleeding profusely, Marshall was able to squirm into the underbrush. He eventually freed his hands, then began moving through the plantation at dusk. After finding the bodies of several friends, he wandered among the coconut groves in a state of shock, lost and alone. | |
|
| Last words |
|
| Disambiguation notice |
|
| Publisher's editors |
|
| Blurbers |
|
| Original language |
|
| Canonical DDC/MDS |
|
| Canonical LCC |
|
▾References References to this work on external resources.  Wikipedia in English (22)
▾Book descriptions "The first book in military historian Bruce Gamble's Rabaul trilogy, Invasion Rabaul chronicles the occupation and defense of Japan's island stronghold by the Australian Lark Force garrison through the eyes of those who survived the Japanese assault"--
"The riveting first book in Bruce Gamble's critically acclaimed Rabaul trilogy, originally published in hardcover as Darkest Hour, which chronicles the longest battle of World War II. January 23, 1942, New Britain. It was 2:30 a.m., the darkest hour of the day and, for the tiny Australian garrison sent to defend this Southwest Pacific island, soon to be the darkest hour of the war. Lark Force, comprising 1,500 soldiers and six nurses, faced a vastly superior Japanese amphibious unit poised to overrun Rabaul, capital of Australia's mandated territories. Invasion Rabaul, the first book in military historian Bruce Gamble's critically acclaimed Rabaul trilogy, is a gut-wrenching account of courage and sacrifice, folly and disaster, as seen through the eyes of the defenders who survived the Japanese assault. Gamble's gripping narrative follows key individuals--soldiers and junior officers, an American citizen and an Army nurse among them--who were driven into the jungle, prey to the unforgiving environment and a cruel enemy that massacred its prisoners. The dramatic stories of the Lark Force survivors, told here in full for the first time, are among the most inspiring of the Pacific War--and they lay a triumphant foundation for one of today's most highly praised military nonfiction trilogies"-- ▾Library descriptions No library descriptions found. ▾LibraryThing members' description |
Current DiscussionsNone Google Books — Loading... |
1
A great read, highly recommended. (