Summary of Eugene B. Sledge's With the Old Breed

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The 1st Marine Division’s assault on the Central Pacific island of Peleliu was a relatively minor engagement in the overall perspective of World War II, but for the men who were there, it was a bloody, wearying, and painful engagement.
#2 I enlisted in the Marine Corps on 3 December 1942 at Marion, Alabama. I had the month of June at home in Mobile before I had to report to Georgia Tech in Atlanta for training as an officer. Life at Georgia Tech was easy and comfortable, and I didn’t know there was a war going on.
#3 The Dago people – as those who were going to San Diego were called – boarded a train in Atlanta. We were on our way to war at last. The trip was uneventful, but interesting. We had never been west before, and we enjoyed the scenery.
#4 When we arrived in San Diego, we were greeted by a gruff first sergeant who told us which buses to board. We were then taken to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, where we were greeted by our drill instructor, Corporal Doherty.

Sujets

• Général
• World War II

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 20 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669355069
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Eugene B. Sledge's With the Old Breed
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The 1st Marine Division’s assault on the Central Pacific island of Peleliu was a relatively minor engagement in the overall perspective of World War II, but for the men who were there, it was a bloody, wearying, and painful engagement.

#2

I enlisted in the Marine Corps on 3 December 1942 at Marion, Alabama. I had the month of June at home in Mobile before I had to report to Georgia Tech in Atlanta for training as an officer. Life at Georgia Tech was easy and comfortable, and I didn’t know there was a war going on.

#3

The Dago people – as those who were going to San Diego were called – boarded a train in Atlanta. We were on our way to war at last. The trip was uneventful, but interesting. We had never been west before, and we enjoyed the scenery.

#4

When we arrived in San Diego, we were greeted by a gruff first sergeant who told us which buses to board. We were then taken to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, where we were greeted by our drill instructor, Corporal Doherty.

#5

The author recalls how his DI, Corporal Doherty, would march him and his fellow recruits around and make them drill for hours on end. He would also make them clean their rifles several times a day, but they learned quickly and well.

#6

During the first few days of boot camp, the recruits were constantly harassed by their DI. The DI would make them do ridiculous exercises instead of going to lunch, and when they returned, they would have to do even more push-ups.

#7

The training was thorough and effective. We were divided into two-man teams the first week for dry firing, or snapping-in. We concentrated on proper sight setting, trigger squeeze, calling of shots, and use of the leather sling as a shooting aid.

#8

The training was hard, and I was constantly being harassed by the drill instructors, but I was also constantly being praised for my progress. By the end of eight grueling weeks, it had become clear that the DIs had done their jobs well.

#9

On 24 December 1943, the last day of boot camp, we were graduationized as Marines. We were fated to fight the war first hand. We were cannon fodder.

#10

At Camp Elliott, we were given the freedom to explore the area. We spent the first few days there at lectures and demonstrations dealing with the various weapons in a Marine infantry regiment. We were amazed at how free we were.

#11

The 60mm mortar is a muzzle-loaded high-angle-fire weapon that is effective against enemy troops taking cover in defilades or behind ridges. The Japanese know how to use mortars, and they will be particularly anxious to knock out our mortars and machine guns because of the damage they can inflict on their troops.

#12

We were trained on how to use the mortar, from gun drill to hand-to-hand combat. We were also taught how to handle and use dirty tactics against the Japanese, such as kicking them in the balls.

#13

The 2d Marine Division carried out its famous assault on the coral atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands in November 1943. The battle for Tarawa is considered the first modern head-on amphibious assault.

#14

On the morning of 28 February 1944, the men of the 46th Replacement Battalion got off trucks at dockside in San Diego Harbor and lined up to board a troopship that would take them to the Pacific. The President Polk was a luxury liner of the President Line during peacetime.

#15

The ship’s crew conducted gun drills frequently, and the first time they fired live ammunition was exciting to watch. But the 3-inch and 5-inch cannons didn’t accomplish much other than hurt our ears.

#16

I was excited to be going to the South Pacific, and I was soon to see why. The Great Barrier Reef stretches for thousands of miles, and the President Polk passed through it to New Caledonia. I saw several hulks of wooden ships stranded high and dry, apparently blown there by some storm.

#17

I was sent to Camp Saint Louis, where I would undergo further training before being sent to the combat zone as a replacement. The training consisted of lectures and field exercises. I was taught how to defend myself against an opponent’s bayonet thrust.

#18

The training camp was a lot of fun. We made jokes about the officers, and even the Marine Corps in general, but we were all brothers in arms when it came down to it.

#19

The 46th Replacement Battalion was sent to Pavuvu in the Russell Islands in June 1944. We spent our time checking and rechecking our gear, making sure everything was squared away. The weather was hot, much more so than at New Caledonia. I went out on deck and slept in the open air.

#20

On 3 June 1944, the General Howze transported the Third Battalion, Fifth Marines to the island of Guadalcanal. The war was still ongoing for the veterans of the Third Battalion, but for us it was just beginning.

#21

The 1st Marine Division was the only Marine division to fight in both World War II and Korea. The 5th Marines still forms a part of the 1st Marine Division today.

#22

On Pavuvu, the most unpleasant insects were the land crabs, which were the size of a man’s hand. We would hunt them down and kill them with sticks, bayonets, and entrenching tools.

#23

The 1st Marine Division was an elite combat unit, and Discipline was strict. The men were proud of their unit, and they took everything in stride because they knew what they had to do. They were prepared to put up with a lot just to get back at the Japanese.

#24

The show put on by Bob Hope and his friends was the main topic of conversation among the soldiers on Pavuvu. They were training hard for the coming campaign.

#25

I began to appreciate the influence of the old breed on us newer Marines. Gunnery Sergeant Haney was a perfect example of their impact. He was about my size, with a sandy crew-cut hair and a deep tan. He was lean, hard, and muscular.

#26

Haney was the only man I ever knew in the Marine Corps who didn’t seem to have a buddy. He was completely obsessed with wanting to bayonet the enemy, and he cleaned his weapon daily. He was like Robinson Crusoe on an island by himself.

#27

The 5th Marines was the only Marine regiment to have fought in all of the nation's major wars in the 20th century. The regiment was sent to Pavuvu in August 1944, and many of the more thoughtful men I knew shared the philosopher's view that we were being trained to be mean and mad.

#28

The 1st Marine Division went to Melbourne, Australia, for rest and refitting after Cape Gloucester. They were then sent to a deserted island in the Russell Islands group, sixty miles from Guadalcanal.

#29