Victory Fever on Guadalcanal

Japan's First Land Defeat of World War II

De: William H. Bartsch

Narrado por: Bill Nevitt

Following their rampage through Southeast Asia and the Pacific in the five months after Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces moved into the Solomon Islands, intending to cut off the critical American supply line to Australia. But when they began to construct an airfield on Guadalcanal in July 1942, the Americans captured the almost completed airfield for their own strategic use. The Japanese Army countered by sending to Guadalcanal a reinforced battalion under the command of Col. Kiyonao Ichiki. The attack that followed would prove to be the first of four attempts by the Japanese over six months to retake the airfield, resulting in some of the most vicious fighting of the Pacific War.

During the initial battle on the night of August 20-21, 1942, Marines wiped out Ichiki's men, who - imbued with "victory fever" - had expected a quick and easy victory. William H. Bartsch draws on correspondence, interviews, diaries, memoirs, and official war records, including those translated from Japanese sources, to offer an intensely human narrative of the failed attempt to recapture Guadalcanal's vital airfield.

The book is published by Texas A&M University Press.

©2014 William H. Bartsch (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Bartsch succeeds in delivering another valuable glimpse into the lives of the average soldier. The depth of his research is on display throughout." (US Military Review)

This a great Guadalcanal book, with caveats.

**I was given this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review**

I have read and listened to several books on Guadalcanal and Operation Watchtower. This one stands out in some areas, however, it must be noted that it only covers infantry combat. There is no coverage of the sea battles in Iron Bottom Sound or mention of the doings over the Cactus Air force except for when their doings directly impacted the action already being covered.

There also is no operational coverage. You will not be taught about the strategic goals or there application in the greater war effort.

What you do get, and I particularly liked this, is visceral minute by minute descriptions of the action at the Tenaru. The first chapter does cover ship life in route to the Solomons. You will get a plethora of first hand accounts. Many of them are from notable people that have their own books. Robert Leckie, Sid Phillips, Eugene Sledge, ect.

So in short if you want an over view of Guadalcanal, don’t get this book. If you want vivid, excellent combat action and lots of it, this is for you and I highly recommend it.

This was also my first book narrated by Bill Nevitt, he is an excellent choice for the genre and I hope he does more military/history work. He also has a prefect pace for listening to 1x and 1.25x as well. Very well read in my opinion.

Another great Nevitt narration

I love LISTENING to military history books. Reading them would be hard for me, but listening is perfect. The details and names and times are perfect for Nevitt's voice. This one is spot on, great writer. Their is so much to learn.
I got a free coy of this book.

"Enjoy the last few minutes of your life!"

I requested and received a complimentary review copy of "VICTORY FEVER". My review of it is voluntary, without favor toward the author (whom I have never met nor read the work of) nor am I under any compulsion to write it. I'm writing this review because I really like this book and I heartily recommend it.

I increased the speed (to 1.25) as I often do with audiobooks, since narrators tend to read slow in order to avoid making mistakes, which are not allowed. This is a case, however, where even listening at normal speed is fine. The narrator himself (Bill Nevitt) has a pleasant voice to listen to for the 9 hours of the audiobook and does a great job.

I've always been interested in World War 2, but most of my attention was focused on the European theater. In "Victory Fever on Guadalcanal" I was able to expand my understanding of the war as a whole by learning, in this fascinating account, about the Pacific theater. I like how both sides of the war were presented rather than a one-sided overview. I also like how the personal touch from soldier diaries/memoirs added humor, such as how seasoned Marines would laugh at the new recruits training and say "Enjoy the last few minutes of your life". It makes me wonder how much humor helped them cope with the harrowing times they lived through. I wondered, toward the end of the book, if some of those heroes who died heroically in battle were some of those seasoned Marines who'd laughed about death. Regardless, they were all heroes and I enjoyed hearing their story.

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My rating scale:
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Excellent study

USMC, military-history, World-War-ll, Pacific-Theater-of-Operations, historical-research, historical-places-events

Eight months after the declaration of war on Japan by the United States, USMC green recruits, capable NCOs, and few officers were able to best determined Japanese forces on Guadalcanal in the Battle of Tenaru. This book is a detailed account of the events leading up to the battle and accounts obtained from records from each side and from survivors who were still alive at the time of research. The in depth meticulous research done by the author is clearly in evidence, and the value of the body of work to active duty military is clearly apparent.
Will I get in trouble if I mention its value to history buffs and RPG players?
I had to get an audio copy because my print copy was liberated by USMC grandson.
Bill Nevitt continues to be excellent as narrator for study subjects.

Both very well-written and very well-researched

I truly enjoyed this audiobook. The author has done a great job in not only his writing but in his research of the battle of Guadalcanal which followed the Pearl Harbor attack.