BROTHERHOOD OF HEROES: THE MARINES AT PELELIU, 1944 - THE BLOODIEST BATTLE

BROTHERHOOD OF HEROES: THE MARINES AT PELELIU, 1944 - THE BLOODIEST BATTLE OF THE PACIFIC WAR Between September 15 and October 15, 1944, the First Marine Division suffered more than 6,500 casualties fighting on a hellish little coral island in the Pacific. Peleliu was the scene for one of the most savage struggles of modern times, a true killing ground that has been all but forgottenuntil now. Drawing on extensive interviews with Peleliu veterans, Bill Sloan follows the men of K/3/5 and a handful of others throughout the campaign and rescues the Corpss bloodiest battle from obscurity.Misled by poor intelligence, the 9,000 Marine infantrymen who landed on Pelelius beaches found themselves facing 11,000 Japanese who had turned the island into an intricate network of caves and underground fortifications unrivaled in the history of warfare. Sloans gripping narrative seamlessly weaves together the experiences of the men who were there, producing a vivid and unflinching look at the nightmare that was Peleliua ferocious melee of non-stop infantry attacks, hand-to-hand combat, flame-thrower assaults, and night skirmishes, many in temperatures that topped 115 degrees. With casualties in some infantry units averaging more than 60%, Peleliu is the bloodiest battle in the Corps history.Surprisingly, Peleliu received little public notice back in the States even as it was being fought and was virtually injustice, Brotherhood of Heroes will stand withGhost Soldiers and Flags of Our Fathers as a modern classic in military history and a riveting read.WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYINGS ABOUT SLOAN:A vivid recreation of the saga of Wake islandBill Sloan is a natural storyteller. --The Dallas Morning NewsABOUT THE AUTHOR:Bill Sloan is a former investigative reporter and feature writer for the Dallas Times Herald where he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. The author of nearly a dozen books, he lives in Dallas, Texas. ISBN: 0-7432-6009-0 publish date: 05/15/2005