Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1008964 in Books
• Published on: 1992-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 205 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This glossy, well-designed and -photographed (by the author) book should bring a proud glow to the collective cheek of the Corpsand make an ideal gift for any current or former Marine. Lawliss gives a brisk rundown of Marine history, with handy checklists of battles and engagements, describes the training (familiar from many movies) but devotes his most eloquent passages to the Marine mystique. (An officer, asked if Marines are a mirror of society, replies that, no, they think of themselves as better than society.) Inevitably, in a book done with its wholehearted cooperation, the Corps comes off looking splendid: better trained, educated and motivated today than ever, according to Lawliss. This is not a book where one can expect to find a serious examination of the Marines' historical role as the nation's imperial policemen overseas, "protecting America's interests" in Central America, for instance, in Lawliss's words. But as the valentine it is, it is well doneand has a delightful extra in the skillful line drawings of notable Marine heroes by Richard H. Brown.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
With an obvious affection for the corps, Lawliss recounts the history, training, and organization of the U.S. Marines. While the history is brief, the author gives a good account of training for both officers and enlisted personnel and describes how all the various elements--air, artillery, logistics, etc.--mesh together into one organization. This is not a critical analysis but rather a celebration of something the Marines have that other services lack. An added plus is Richard Brown's line drawings of notable Marines, which are scattered throughout the text. The appendix contains a wealth of information from a chronological list of Marine engagements, battle honors, and casualty tables to a roster of commandants from 1975 to 1988.
- George F. Scheck, Naval Underwater Systems Lib., Newport, R . I .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Who Cares
IF the author said that the marines did this, they did it as far as im concerned. I personally liked the book, even if there were a few inaccuracies, which were made to make the book and the marines more interesting. On the whole though, this is a good book on Marine Corps history, even if it is a little old.

Historical Inaccuracy
Much of what Mr. Lawliss says about the Marine Corps versus the Army in World War II simply is not true. There are three specific instances I cite.

He states that Marines fighting on Bataan resented General MacArthur for remaining on Coregidor during the fighting and that the 4th Marine Regiment fought on Bataan. Approximately 70,000 American and Philippino personel defended Bataan, approximately 0.15% of whom were Marines, fewer than 2 of every thousand. The 4th Marine Regiment never fought on Bataan. Like MacArthur, the 4th Marine Regiment remained on Corregidor.

He says that the Marines blamed MacArthur for Peleliu. The 1st Marine Division was tasked to take Peleliu to cover MacArthur's return to the Philippines. The 1st Marine Division fought a bloody battle to take Peleliu. It was then found that Peleliu was not important to MacArthur's invasion of the Philippines. He does not state that it was a Marine Corps decision that the 1st Marine Division go after Peleliu or that the battle was so bloody because of poor tactical decisions on the part of the division commander, MG William Rupertus. III Amphibious Corps, under Marine MG Roy Geiger, had the mission of capturing the southern Palaus which included Peleliu. III Amphibious Corps consisted of 1st Marine Division and the Army's 81st Infantry Division. 81st ID was not involved in the assault on Peleliu and was not committed to the fighting on Peleliu until several weeks after the invasion. Rupertus did not want the Army troops on Peleliu. Ruperetus had predicted that 1st Marine Division would capture the island in 3 to 4 days. The Japanes garrison withdrew to prepared positions in a rugged mountainous area of the island. Rupertus then attempted repeatedly to capture that position via the tactic of direct frontal assault. After three weeks, the Japanese still held their position, 1st Marine Division had taken thousands of casualties, 1st Marine Regiment had become combat ineffective and had to be withdrawn, and Rupertus was still objecting to having Army troops on Peleliu.

Finally, Lawliss describes the Banzai attack on Saipan as breaking through light Army defenses then being stopped by a Marine Artillery Regiment, the 10th Marines. What happened, is that a force of between 3000 and 5000 Japanese troops hit the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Army's 105th Infantry and did overrun them. The two Battalions took over 400 dead, over 500 wounded resisting the Japanese. After the battle, more than 2200 freshly killed Japanese were found in their area. Three members of those Battalions were awarded posthumous Medals of Honor for heroism in defending against the attack. The attack hit one Battalion of the 10th Marines, 3rd Battalion 10th Marines. According to official Marine Corps histories, only one battery of that Battalion managed to fire their guns at the Japanese. 3rd Battalion 10th Marines was overrun, the Marine gunners had to abandon their guns, form a perimeter and fight back infantry style to save themselves. According to Army Historians they fought gallantly. They did not stop the attack. No other unit of 10th Marines ever engaged the attackers. The 105th Infantry stopped the attack. Another Army Regiment, the 106th Infantry, then drove back the Japanese and, in the process, relieved the survivors of 3rd Battalion 10th Marines and recovered their guns.

I apologize for the length of this review. Whether intentional or not, Mr. Lawliss' gross distortions of historical fact need to be noted.

A great book on the Corps. Lots of info
This is a great book on the Corps. It talks about history and operations, and has a great section on the officer corps of the Marine Corps. Describes OCS and TBS quite well and describes an officer's typical career pattern. This was one of my first Marine Corps books and I still enjoy reading it.