|
| The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea--The Forgotten War of the South Pacific | 
 enlarge | Author: James Campbell
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $12.95
You Save: $13.00 (50%)
New (28) Used (17) Collectible (2) from $11.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 81515
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4
ISBN: 0307335968
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.542653
EAN: 9780307335968
ASIN: 0307335968
Publication Date: October 2, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Lying due north of Australia, New Guinea is among the world’s largest islands. In 1942, when World War II exploded onto its shores, it was an inhospitable, cursorily mapped, disease-ridden land of dense jungle, towering mountain peaks, deep valleys, and fetid swamps. Coveted by the Japanese for its strategic position, New Guinea became the site of one of the South Pacific’s most savage campaigns. Despite their lack of jungle training, the 32nd Division’s Ghost Mountain Boys were assigned the most grueling mission of the entire Pacific campaign: to march 130 miles over the rugged Owen Stanley Mountains and to protect the right flank of the Australian army as they fought to push the Japanese back to the village of Buna on New Guinea’s north coast.
Comprised of National Guardsmen from Michigan and Wisconsin, reserve officers, and draftees from across the country, the 32nd Division lacked more than training—they were without even the basics necessary for survival. The men were not issued the specialized clothing that later became standard issue for soldiers fighting in the South Pacific; they fought in hastily dyed combat fatigues that bled in the intense humidity and left them with festering sores. They waded through brush and vines without the aid of machetes. They did not have insect repellent. Without waterproof containers, their matches were useless and the quinine and vitamin pills they carried, as well as salt and chlorination tablets, crumbled in their pockets. Exhausted and pushed to the brink of human endurance, the Ghost Mountain Boys fell victim to malnutrition and disease. Forty-two days after they set out, they arrived two miles south of Buna, nearly shattered by the experience.
Arrival in Buna provided no respite. The 32nd Division was ordered to launch an immediate assault on the Japanese position. After two months of furious—sometimes hand-to-hand—combat, the decimated division finally achieved victory. The ferocity of the struggle for Buna was summed up in Time magazine on December 28, 1942, three weeks before the Japanese army was defeated: “Nowhere in the world today are American soldiers engaged in fighting so desperate, so merciless, so bitter, or so bloody.”
Reminiscent of classics like Band of Brothers and The Things They Carried, this harrowing portrait of a largely overlooked campaign is part war diary, part extreme adventure tale, and (through letters, journals, and interviews) part biography of a group of men who fought to survive in an environment every bit as fierce as the enemy they faced.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 A compelling story of a little known battle fought in the jungles of New Guinea during WWII October 8, 2007
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
James Campbell does an outstanding job of telling a heartbreaking story of loss and survival on the island of New Guinea during WW II. It is a very personal story of the men of the 32nd Infantry Divisions' Ghost Mountain Boys who were assigned the mission impossible -- to march 130 miles over the Owen Stanley Mountains -- and then, after being ravaged by malaria, dysentery, festoring sores and exhausted beyond belief, they were ordered to launch an assault on the Japanese position in Buna. It's a story that begins with the letters of the regimental surgeon, Major Simon Warmenhoven to his wife and ends with the defeat of the Japanese army at the expense of 9,688 US casualties from nearly eleven thousand troops.
I would highly recommend this well-documented account of a little known battle to WW II buffs, and to those who enjoy reading personal stories of survival against incredible odds.
 The best book I read in 2007 January 6, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I would not normally have read The Ghost Mountain Boys, but the book's subject intrigued me because a relative served in New Guinea in World War II. He returned safely, and then lived and died an alcoholic. Now I can understand the probable reason why. Author James Campbell is a superb historian and tells a fascinating, complex story with clarity and compassion. His research for the book was meticulous and personal. Even if, like me, you don't typically like books about war, give this one a try. I will be very surprised if this book does not win major awards for books published in 2007.
It doesn't get much better than this. October 27, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is an outstanding book about a remarkable story. It is well researched, thoroughly documented and hard to put down. The author actually walked the Ghost Mountain track from the Port Moresby side of New Guinea to Buna and captures the "voice" of the soldiers of the 32nd Division. After reading the book, I sent a gift copy to a friend who fought with the 127th Infantry at Buna. In his words: "...the trails, villages etc. that I had walked came back just like it was yesterday. I have read about 150 books on the pacific war and this is by far the best on I have ever read! It describes so well the real problems of the Infantry man--not the combat--being wounded etc., but the trying to survive the bugs, leeches, even crocodiles, on a daily basis--getting shot was a blessing!!"
At last, the New Guinea Story of the 32nd Infantry Division November 2, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
In "The Ghost Mountain Boys," James Campbell tells, at last, the WWII story about the heroes of the 32nd infantry Division, whose near impossible feats in New Guinea were overshadowed by the better known battle ground at Guadalcanal.
Through countless interviews with veterans and /or their families, research in military history of both American and Japanese troops, extensive resource reading, as well as having taken the arduous trek himself, James Campbell has written a compassionate, compelling, book that will surely be considered a must for WWII historians.
I read this book because of a personal interest in the 32nd Infantry Division, and it was my first time to ever read a detailed account about a military feat. The author has made this narrative read like a rich, exciting novel in which history comes alive. Not only was it an enjoyable read but also it was great to discuss it with my husband, a great history buff, who liked the book as much as I.
WONERFUL BOOK October 25, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book means so much to me cause my dad (Robert Hartman)was part of the subject matter and helped Mr Campbell with his book. We had always heard stories from my dad about his experiences in WWII but never knew all the details until this book came out. This is such a tribute to all the men and women too that suffered in New Guinea and Buna but that were heros ALL. Thanks to everyone who helped make this book so good!!!!
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
