Guadalcanal Diary

Guadalcanal Diary opens on July 26, 1942 as war correspondent Richard Tregaskis is travelling on an American destroyer toward an island in the Pacific where the Marines are going to be landed and meet the enemy in the first land battle of World War II. The island turns out to be Guadacanal and Tregaskis is there every step of the way as the Americans battle the Japanese throughout the Solomon Islands.

The book was published in 1943 and gave Americans at home a bird’s-eye view of the battle in the Pacific as he lived alongside the soldiers and experienced all that they did. Morale was high even though they were dealing with night raids, snipers and bombing attacks. Even dealing with disease, lack of food and sleep, he was able to let show more America know that their “boys’ were performing well.

Guadalcanal Diary is frontline reporting at it’s best. Written in diary form, there is very little about “me” or “I”. It’s all about the soldiers. The story is engrossing and historically accurate, written in simple prose that highlights the slang of the day and grounds the book in reality. This is an honest and compelling account of what the Marines were facing as they fought and liberated this small corner of the Pacific. show less

Dick Tregaskis was a legendary American war correspondent who covered the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam. When he was just 26 years old, he accompanied Marines who landed on the island of Guadalcanal with the goal of taking it back from the Japanese. This book — his best-known work — tells the story of the first three months of that battle, which lasted many more months, and which ended in an American victory.

The historical significance of Guadalcanal consisted of the fact that it was the first land battle between American and Axis troops during the Second World War (the U.S. landing in North Africa came a few months later).

But Tregaskis was not interested in the broad strategy. This is history told at ground level, stories of show more men (always identified by their home town – e.g., Lieut. Col. William S. Fellers of Atlanta, Ga.) engaged in personal combat. Encounters with Japanese snipers, enemy craft bombarding the shore, Zero fighters coming in to bomb and strafe, are still frightening to read now, eight decades later.

Tregaskis does find some men who panic, some who flee, some who hide — but the vast majority display incredible heroism under fire. However, his description of the enemy is unflattering in the extreme and will make for uncomfortable reading today. show less

It was good to finally read this classic memoir of a war correspondent's experiences during the opening weeks of the battle for Guadalcanal. It was very interesting and informative. Tregaskis was often right up on the firing line and describes taking the scantiest of cover as bullets whistled around him. I didn't know, or didn't remember, the rather amazing fact that the Japanese forces on the islands were taken by surprise by the arrival of the Allies' huge invasion armada and so the invading forces essentially walked onto the island and established a beach head unhindered. Obviously, the fighting soon grew fierce, and remained that way for months. Tregaskis describes the conditions for the troops quite well. And yet there is something show more somehow unsatisfying about the book. Tregaskis' method is definitely more one of "telling" than of "showing," and I often felt a lack of detail that would enable me to see the scenes more fully. Maybe it's because I've grown so used to the more graphic medium of movies and the more "pull no punches" style of modern journalism (such as Michael Herr's excellent Viet Nam War memoir, Dispatches). This book was written, of course, and published while World War II was still raging. The agreement among correspondents (and/or their editors and publishers) seemed to be not to show the horrors of war too graphically, so as not to upset the home front too much. Even the brilliant Ernie Pyle did not focus his lens that harshly on the blood and guts of it all. Also, at times I wondered whether or not there might be a certain amount of propaganda inserted. There are frequent descriptions of Japanese bombing attacks on the American forces on the island. And we are often told of the high percentage of these Japanese planes shot down by American fighters, with no mention of American losses. Were the Japanese pilots really that bad? Maybe that is exactly how it was, but it did make me wonder. I suppose more research is in order.

At any rate, despite the reservations provided above, Guadalcanal Diary is indeed a fascinating account of the first weeks of one of the most horrific and protracted battles of World War Two. show less

Vivid account of the landing of the 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal and the first two months of the fighting. The author is an acclaimed, literate journalist who presents one of the most dramatic battles of WWII in a highly readable day-by-day account.

The diary of a then well known newspaper correspondent. Somehow this isn't as engaging as the books by Ernie Pyle. Perhaps because it is focusing more on the events than on the men involved. I suppose it truly reflects the attitude of the times, but I find it hard to read because of the author's representation of the Japanese. They are portrayed as dirty, wimpy, primitive and good-for-nothing. Did it take a war for us to understand these people better? I can't help but compare the typical American's idea of the Muslims today. I may keep this book for now, but when I need shelf space, it will go.

This is a very straight forward account of life on Guadalcanal. Not flashy, definitely gritty and looks from the bottom up. If you have an interest in WW2, this is well worth the time.

Very interesting and helpful primary source for my GCMH project at the NWC for logistics during Guadalcanal. Full of first-hand accounts of the author's experience as a war correspondent during the battle for Guadalcanal. Recommended for anyone specifically interested in Guadalcanal or the writings of war correspondents.