Battalion of the Damned The 1st Marine Paratroopers at Gavutu and Bloody Ridge, 1942

"In May 1942 the Japanese landed on a number of islands in the British Solomons and began constructing an airfield on Guadalcanal. Their actions threatened Australia and her vital American supply lines and could not be tolerated by the Allies. The 1st Marine Division, with its attached 1st Marine Parachute Battalion, was directed to spearhead the assault on Gavutu Island and take the Guadalcanal airfield, even though it was not prepared for such an offensive action. The result was a bloodbath, and when it was over, fewer than one in five of the Marines paratroopers walked off Bloody Ridge. Here, telling the story, James F. Christ draws not only on government documents but also on hundreds of hours of interviews with the men who were there."--BOOK JACKET.Christ, James F. is the author of 'Battalion of the Damned The 1st Marine Paratroopers at Gavutu and Bloody Ridge, 1942', published 2007 under ISBN 9781591141143 and ISBN 1591141141.