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With the Old Breed  By  cover art

With the Old Breed

By: E. B. Sledge
Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Joe Mazzello, Tom Hanks (introduction)
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Publisher's summary

The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries. James Badge Dale (who portrayed Robert Leckie) and Joseph Mazello (who played Eugene Sledge) bring all the passion and emotion of their riveting television performances to these new audio productions.

With the Old Breed is a modern classic of military history AND has been called "one of the most important personal accounts of war that I have ever read," by distinguished historian John Keegan. Author E. B. Sledge served with the First Marine Division during World War II, and his first-hand narrative is unsurpassed in its sincerity. Sledge's experience shows in this fascinating account of two of the most harrowing and pivotal island battles of the Pacific theater.

On Peleliu and Okinawa, the action was extremely fierce. Amidst oppressive heat and over land obliterated by artillery shells, the combat raged ferociously. Casualties were extreme on both sides, and by the time the Americans had broken through at Okinawa, more than 62,000 Japanese soldiers were dead. Against military policy, Sledge scribbled notes and jammed them into his copy of the New Testament. Those notes form the backbone of what Navy Times said "has been called the best World War II memoir of an enlisted man."

BONUS AUDIO: Tom Hanks, one of the executive producers, has written and narrated an original introduction to With the Old Breed where he describes his appreciation for the book's author, the narrators, and the soldiers who had fought in the cauldron of the Pacific Theater during World War II.

For more from Audible and Playtone, click here.

©1981 E.B. Sledge (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Featured Article: The 10 Best WWII Audiobooks for Every History Buff


World War II, although well-documented through various mediums, is the basis for a wide range of little-known stories from Europe and beyond that deserve to be heard. From firsthand accounts of soldiers on the front lines to stories of brave women behind the scenes, these are impactful stories of humans coming together in this time of global conflict. We’re sure you’ll find something captivating on our list of the best WWII audiobooks.

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What listeners say about With the Old Breed

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A hard look into the brutality of war

war today is too romanticize. Sledgehammer gives a no pulled punches view of the war against Japan in WWII

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Amazing!

If you watched The Pacific please buy this and watch it again as you listen. Simply amazing!

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This is the best account of the war in the Pacific

I’ve read many books on World War II and this is the one that I keep going back to. This is a play by play, experience by experience, detailed account of a soldier’s time in the Pacific theater of World War II. Originally, I was interested in the European theater of World War II and would only read books that highlighted the war in Europe. After watching HBO’s Band ofBrothers, I heard about Band of Brothers: The Pacific and was glued to the screen. Then, I heard about this book and found myself learning more and more about the Pacific theater. i thoroughly enjoyed listening to each detail that was presented and will continue to read about the Pacific.

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amazing all the way through

I absolutely loved this! the performance just made it a million times better. I cried and laughed! but it also was so deep and so insightful and amazing

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Essential combat memoir.

Sledge is a legend, plain and simple. The book is as haunting and descriptive as can be.

For anyone into combat memoirs, it’s an essential read if you haven’t yet. Book or audio.

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Excellent !!!🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠

I have watched many movies, talked to retired military, but this book gives All! Outstanding!!!

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Fantastic

Real good. Superb. The best WW2 book I have had. You will not be disappointed

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Pacific ww ii

This is an excellent personal account of the detailed boots-on-the-ground World War II story of the Pacific War.

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I couldn't stop thinking about this narrative

There's not much else to say that hasn't been said already. If you've had a war experience this is a 'must read.'

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WOW

Just Amazing not glorified just raw anf factual it is astonishing how bravely these men fought to protect each other and the American way.

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