Cited: Sides, Hampton. Ghost Soldiers: the Epic Account of World War II 's Greatest Rescue Mission. New York: Anchor, 2002. Print.…
In the book “Warriors of Japan as Portrayed in the War Tales”, as the title suggests, author Paul Varley studies numerous war tales from hundreds of years of Japanese history, throughout the rise of the samurai warrior culture and the societal change that went along with it. From ancient war tales like the Shōmonki to tales firmly in the medieval times like the Taiheiki, the changes in battlefield customs and warrior society are presented and studied as they change and evolve. Despite all the social changes occurring in these time periods, a certain element stays the same throughout all these tales, the warriors themselves.…
A lot of men see the differences in generations within the military, but few can see that early military formed everything in to the way the military is today. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the Marine infantryman’s basic weapons of the 1940s and today, to include the rifle, machine guns and anti-tank weapons.…
The book “War Without Mercy” is a study of the wartime attitudes between the Japanese and American forces against one another, by John W. Dower. The book is divided into four parts: Enemies, The War in Western Eyes, The War in Japanese Eyes, and Epilogue. Each section plays a vital role in the book, that without any of these, the book would change entirely.…
Herr tells the Marines' stories, some bizarre and others touching, with a deep sense of respect and admiration for what the young men do and think in a foreign country full of danger. With significantly less admiration, the author relates the propaganda of the Vietnam War and sketches the portraits of those promoting the official lines. While other correspondents think of the Marines as unworthy for story material, Herr finds…
Rottman, Cardon L. Hell in the Pacific The Battle of Okinawa. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing, 2008.…
“I’m Sgt. Thompson! We need to move up! We are far too vulnerable! Help me find a good location,” he said to me as he handed me an M1 Garand, the standard issue rifle for infantrymen (Laurenceau). We began to scout a possible area of cover further up the beach. I spotted a small group of four men taking cover in a bomb crater in the sand about 150 yards in front of us (Worrld War II).…
I had just arrived to my destination: Gallipoli, Turkey. As nervous as I was already with shivers down my spine nearly every minute I didn’t want to lose my young life tomorrow. It was a long ride but my troops and I were prepared for what could come our way. We jumped off the half sunken ship due to the enormous amount of soldiers. It was going to be a long and hard battle. The water we had to walk through to set up our camps was muddy and clumpy I was hoping I don’t get trench foot. Me, as the leader leaded on where we have to set up our camps. We set up our tents around the gruesome field of dead, yellow, sun dried grass next to the sandy rough hills. Rain had just started sprinkling and the next minute, hailing, it lit out our fire along with a deathlike thunderstorm. The dogs started howling under the glowing half-moon that gave us the only light left. I knew the next day only brought frightful visions of what will come to us tomorrow….…
In chapter four, Assault into Hell, Sledge details the initial assault on Peleliu. H Hour is 0800; numerous 16" and 8" naval guns open fire from the band of warships brought along for the attack on Peleliu, along with smaller naval guns, airplanes, to pulverize the landing zone. Sledge watches in fascination while nearly collapsing with fear. The bombardment lifts moments before the amtracs hit the beach. Sledge and the other marines jump over the side of the amtrac and rush inland, finally putting into practice all of that training they had been through in order to move as quickly and efficiently off the beach. The Japanese fire they receive upon arrival is intense and effective, leaving behind a frightening path of destruction, slowly wreaking havoc as they assaulted the shore. Moments later on the shore Sledge watches a marine DUKW explode from a direct hit and notes how the sea lit up with Geysers prickling across the ocean surface as enemy mortar fire peppers the waves in hopes of sinking more of the assaulting vehicles emerging from the surf in droves. Sledge than briefly alludes to what amounts to a splintering of the mental state as another veteran calmly stands as motor fire falls all around him, proclaiming, “Calm down sledge, they’re not even close. They’re grazing the leaves “despite the fact that the nearest vegetation was 800 yards away from them. This dissociation from reality was but the first of the many results from the battle to come. After fighting hard into the advance a momentary lull in the fighting allows for a slow breath to be taken. Amidst this lull a group of veteran’s come up to Sledge as he stands near a fallen Japanese corpsman who was apparently administering aid to some of the Japanese soldiers that were littered around him, as indicated by his medical box being open and all the neat bandages ready to be grabbed from their neat little compartments, when the blast from a mortar ended his life before his mission…
Consequently, the reader learns more about the personal, unpolished side of the life of a World War II soldier. Through a passage in the third chapter of the book, Leckie tells about other soldiers taking gold fillings from the mouths of the Japanese men they killed. “He would kick their jaws agape, peer into the mouth with all the solicitude of a Park Avenue dentist- careful, always careful not to contaminate himself by touch- and yank out all that glittered” (Leckie, 85). A glimpse of this unknown life is something that is only alluded to in other literary works of war. Leckie again shows an often hidden side of military life when he writes about his experience of being sent to the Marine Corps brig for being drunk while holding the role of sentry for his fellow marine, Chuckler; for this offense, he is sentenced to five days without bread and water, as well as being made a private. “The brig receives you, and you are nothing; even the clothes you wear belong to the brig and bear its mark; your very belt and razor blades have been entrusted to the brig warden- you have nothing- you are nothing (Leckie, 172-173). Through this excerpt, Leckie offers an inside look at military life that readers otherwise would not know about or…
Bibliography: Nalty, Bernard C. With Courage: the United States Army Air Force in World War II. Darby; Diana Publishing. 1993 (57)…
“Band of Brothers: E. Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne From Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle Nest”…
Baker, Carlos. Twentieth Century Interpretations of A Farewell to Arms: The Mountain and the Plain. New York: The Viking Press, 1944. Print.…
As you can see, I’m researching about a bloody battle. This battle took place in World War II, and it was the final battle. This battle killed a lot of people, and it took a whole year for the battle to end. You’re probably how I got interested in the bloody battle. My father was a marine, and he wanted to watch Hacksaw Ridge, and it was very interesting and I wanted to keep learning about this battle, so I started researching about it. When people think that the Battle of Okinawa ( Hacksaw Ridge), they think of something terrifying, but also happy. Throughout this essay, I will easily show that the story of Hacksaw Ridge, is one of the most amazing stories about World War II.…
McDonough, James R. The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat. California: Presidio, 1993.…