Guadalcanal Diary

2nd Edition

By: Richard Tregaskis

Narrated by: Pete Cross

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

This celebrated classic gives a soldier's-eye-view of the Guadalcanal battles; crucial to World War II, the war that continues to fascinate us all. Unlike some of those on Guadalcanal in the fall of 1942, Richard Tregaskis volunteered to be there. One of only two on-location news correspondents, he lived alongside the soldiers: sleeping on the ground - only to be awoken by air raids - eating meager rations, and braving some of the most dangerous battlefields of World War II. He more than once narrowly escaped the enemy's fire, and so we have this incisive and exciting inside account of the groundbreaking initial landing of US troops on Guadalcanal. This second edition features a new introduction by Mark Bowden, renowned journalist and author of Black Hawk Down.

©2000 Richard Tregaskis (P)2016 Dreamscape Media, LLC

WOW, GREAT TRUTH FOR THOSE POOR BOY'S

If you could sum up Guadalcanal Diary in three words, what would they be?

WOW!!!

What other book might you compare Guadalcanal Diary to and why?

HELMET FOR MY PILLOW

Have you listened to any of Pete Cross’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NO BUT IT WAS WONDERFUL

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

CRY!!!

Any additional comments?

I LOVE WWII DOCUMENTARIES. IN HISTORY WE HAD 1 CHAPTER WHICH ONLY COVERED THE EUROPEAN CONFLICT! TERRIBLE, I ONLY HOPE ALL GENERATIONS WILL LEARN FROM THIS & ALL WARS.

Great first person account of the Marines on Guadalcanal

Until I encountered "Guadalcanal Diary," I had only read books about WWII in Europe. After reading Richard Tregaskis' description of what it was like for himself and for the Marines who lived and fought in the terrible terrain and wretched conditions there, I knew I had to find out more about the theater of operations where WWII began and ended for the US. Years later, it was fascinating to listen to this account of the first months on Guadalcanal in the context of greater knowledge of that aspect of the war. In my opinion, however, a different narrator would have made it even more pleasurable to listen to. Mr. Cross seemed to me to sound both too young and too detached to do justice to the people and events described in this book.

What our kids should be learning about in School

A window on what our predecessors went through to save the World. The selfless sacrifices by Americans shows the true American Spirit. Not the anti-American sentiments our children hear too much of now!

Great Story, Execution a Bit Off

If you could sum up Guadalcanal Diary in three words, what would they be?

Great first-hand account

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I don't think so. The narrator was hard to get used to. He seems to be bored at times, especially in light of the fact that he was retelling battle scenes.

Any additional comments?

This was the first meaningful offensive ground action in the Pacific theater in WWII. I don''t believe that this was ever intended to be a comprehensive account of the campaign. I first encountered this book in the 60s while researching the campaign for a high school paper. Not everything is told in this book, but it does tell the stories of individual Marines in times of stress and distress. What Tregaskis has done is to tell the tale in a realistic, yet uplifting manner. I doubt that, even if he had wanted to, the Defense Department would have allowed the publication in 1943 of a book that shows how the chaotic "Operation Shoestring" developed from inception and the lessons to be learned from those who became expert in the difficult task of amphibious assault actually was.

Classic account of ww2 Guadacanal combat

Narration is a bit ponderous but otherwise acceptable (3/5).

Content consists of day-to-day accounts of small unit engagements. Descriptions of fights between individual marines is vivid and gruesome.

One gets a gut wrenching feel for what these brave young men endured and their rising to the challenge of fighting in a horrible place, what with the heat, humidity, relentless rain, nasty bugs, disease, scant rations, etc.

Recommended.

Life Changing

This work provides a close up, view, of combat, death, and life. Unless you know, unless you’ve been fired at fired upon, you can never understand. This book may help you with that.

A treasure!

What a record of the fighting in the Pacific. His method of almost ignoring the fact that he was in as much danger as our troops, but focusing on their plight is wonderful.

Eyewitness To History

Tregaskis wrote this book in the honest account of one who was there. Suffering and serving with the troops on the ground. It remains as an unvarnished account of a dire pivot in our nations path to Pacific Victory.

Semper Fidelis

As I enjoy personal memoirs over historical accounts, if you enjoyed this check out Bloody Ridge and Beyond.

Interesting but not compelling

This book was very interesting in so far as it provided one individuals recordation and observations of the battle of Guadalcanal. However because it only provided a diary sort of narrative, those who are not familiar with the geography, battles, and other information from a broader perspective, it left a lot to be desired.