Bitter Peleliu: The Forgotten Struggle on the Pacific War's Worst Battlefield

The book "Bitter Peleliu" explores the forgotten battle of Peleliu in the Pacific War, highlighting intelligence failings and the bravery of the Marines. The island was seized to prevent a Japanese airfield from threatening the invasion of the Philippines, but the defense of Peleliu represented a significant shift in Japanese strategy. The 1st Marine Division faced intense mortar and artillery fire, and the battle lasted 74 days. The book dissects American intelligence and strategic failings, analyzes the shift in Japanese tactics, and recreates the Marines' horrific experiences on the worst of the Pacific battlegrounds.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 13 October 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The Pacific War's forgotten battle of Peleliu, a tale of intelligence failures and incredible bravery, is explored in this important new book. In late 1944, U.S. military analysts chose to capture the little island of Peleliu in order to ensure that the Japanese airfield there could not jeopardize the invasion forces. This book delves into the dramatic story of this 'forgotten battle and the campaigns strategic shortcomings. Bitter Peleliu exposes how U.S. intelligence officers failed to detect the intricate network of caves, tunnels, and pillboxes hidden within the island's coral ridges. More importantly, they did not foresee – nor could they before it occurred – that the defense of Peleliu would represent a tectonic shift in Japanese strategy. No more contested enemy landings at the water's edge, no more wild banzai attacks. Now, invaders would be raked on the beaches by mortar and artillery fire. As the enemy penetrated deeper into the Japanese defensive systems, he would find himself on ground carefully prepared for the purpose of killing as many Americans as possible. For the battle-hardened 1st Marine Division, Peleliu was a hornets' nest like no other. Yet, thanks to pre-invasion overconfidence on the part of commanders, 30 of the 36 news correspondents accredited for the campaign had left prior to D-Day. Bitter Peleliu reveals the full horror of this 74-day battle, a battle that, due to the reduced media presence, has never received the attention it deserves. Pacific War historian Joseph Wheelan dissects American intelligence and strategic failures, analyzes the shift in Japanese tactics, and recreates the Marines' horrific experiences on the worst of the Pacific battlegrounds. This book is a brilliant, compelling read.

Weight: 686g
Dimension: 162 x 241 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472849502