Bloody Beaches

Marine Raiders History in the Pacific War (WW2 Pacific Military History Series)

By: Daniel Wrinn

Narrated by: Gary Williams

Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

A powerful account of the Marine Raiders during World War II

Marine Raiders were special operations forces established during the Pacific campaign to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. "Edson's" Raiders of 1st Marine Raider Battalion and "Carlson's" Raiders of 2nd Marine Raider Battalion were the first US special operations forces to form and see combat during World War II.

Despite the original intent for Raiders to serve in a special operations capacity, most combat operations saw the Raiders employed as conventional infantry. This, combined with the resentment within the rest of the Marine Corps that the Raiders were an "elite force within an elite force", led to the original Raider units being disbanded.

This narrative recounts the story of the Marine Raiders in vivid, gritty detail. Explore the fascinating feats of strategy, planning, and bravery, handing the Allies what would eventually become a victory over the Pacific Theater and an end to Imperialist Japanese expansion.

©2021 Griffin Smith (P)2021 Griffin Smith

The true story of “Gung Ho”

I have to say I am a big fan of historical war books especially those of
The pacific theater(my grandfather fought there). However this one has an even bigger connection for me. One of my father’s favorite movies had been Gung Ho. So we watched it frequently. To now listen to the true story of the raider battalion makes it an even more fascinating listen for me. As usual Daniel Wrinn delivers a large amount of facts interspersed with the personal touches that make the battle and its participants come to life. I can’t recommend his books enough. They are a must for any history/war buff. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher

OG Para Marines

Fantastic book about their legacy, tactics and equipment. Additionally it shows the forming of amphibious raids doctrine

Tight History of the Marine Raiders in WW2

Daniel Wrinn writes short tight histories of various aspects of the Pacific Theater during World War II. This time he tackled the fabled Marine Raiders, introducing why they were formed, how they were trained, and then following them through their many insertions into enemy occupied territory. The Marine Raiders acted as paratroopers without the parachutes, making stealthy amphibious landings to use surprise to penetrate Japanese defenses. It didn’t always go well and they suffered very heavy casualties throughout the war.

Wrinn recounts the history of the Marine Raiders with a laudable level of detail that swings back and forth from the tactical problems to the larger strategic significance of their battles. If you’re looking for a quick overview of this important element of the Marine Corps, you should definitely read this book.

Great listening

Bloody Beaches.
Is a great history of a slightly forgotten unit of the Marine corps.
The marine raider battalions were in their short existence involved in some very bloody landings.
Their heroism should never be forgotten
A concise history of some of the landings in the Pacific.
Well written and informative.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily left this honest review.

Poor

The reader should be able to correctly pronounce words such as "commandant" when chosen to read a book on the Marines. Drove me nuts! Also his rhythm of reading was unusual

Semper Fi

This documentary-style audio book walks and runs you through the beginnings of the "modern" USMC. If fact, you could argue that these first 2 divisions of "special" Marines were the precursor to all the current Special Forces, especially the Navy Seals. It's not all pretty, as war never is, but the triumphs of all our forces in the Pacific during WWII are awe inspiring. There is also an interesting China element that was a surprise to me...Gung Ho!

Excellent!

WW2, Pacific-theater-of-operations, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, commando-raids, military-history, USMC*****

I learned more than usual this time. This episode begins in 1942 with the development of commando trained US Marines turning them into raiders and the epithet gung ho (all together) adapted from the Chinese. I had just learned about British commando training which was existent prior to our jungle warfare in the Southern Hemisphere. The documentary style is well suited to reporting on the bravery and trials of our Marines.
The narrator is no-nonsense Gary Williams who infuses it with interest while making it clear that this is a nonfiction account.
I won this audiobook in a giveaway.

The Story of the Marine Raiders in the Pacific War

This is an interesting and informative account of the formation of the Marine Raiders and their impact on WWII operations in the Pacific. This was a group I knew very little about and I found the information provided to be well organized and very useful.
I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about the role the Marine Corps, an particularly the Raiders, played in the war.