Robert Sherrod (1909–1994)

One of the classic books of WWII written by Robert Sherrod, a war correspondent with Time Magazine who went ashore with the fifth wave of marines to face one of the deadliest island battles of the Pacific War. Written with the observant eye of a journalist, the book gives an unvarnished picture of the horror of war.

Aas I read this book in 1963, I assume it was an earlier edition of the work. To launch an assault on mainland Japan, it would be an amphibious attack. Tarawa was an island in the Gilbert Islands, about 4000 miles from Japan. it was necessary to start the advance to Japan somewhere. There was a plan Orange which broadly outlined such an offensive,but it would have to be tested. By november of 1943, after securing the defence of Australia by securing the Solomons, the next step was to gain a show more fleet base in the Gilberts. The navy assembled what it thought to be an adequate task force and went to the islands. Robert Sherrod was a war correspondent of sufficient hardihood to land with the marines. He survived, and this is the account of his experience. He also uses this book to show the effect of casualties upon the famiies of the deceased. which elevates the work. show less

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