Guadalcanal diary, Landmark Books No. 55 by Richard Tregaskis (originale 1943; edizione 1943)

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 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. ( )

Quick, interesting read. ( )

They call it a classic. Maybe I've had enough of the war stories. It's an incredible story, and it must have been hell to be there. ( )

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 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. ( )