With the Old Breed - Eugene B. Sledge

With the Old Breed

By Eugene B. Sledge

  • Release Date: 2015-08-23
  • Genre: Military History
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 241 Ratings

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In his own book, Wartime, Paul Fussell called With the Old Breed "one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war." John Keegan referred to it in The Second World War as "one of the most arresting documents in war literature." And Studs Terkel was so fascinated with the story he interviewed its author for his book, "The Good War." What has made E.B. Sledge's memoir of his experience fighting in the South Pacific during World War II so devastatingly powerful is its sheer honest simplicity and compassion.
Now including a new introduction by Paul Fussell, With the Old Breed presents a stirring, personal account of the vitality and bravery of the Marines in the battles at Peleliu and Okinawa. Born in Mobile, Alabama in 1923 and raised on riding, hunting, fishing, and a respect for history and legendary heroes such as George Washington and Daniel Boone, Eugene Bondurant Sledge (later called "Sledgehammer" by his Marine Corps buddies) joined the Marines the year after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and from 1943 to 1946 endured the events recorded in this book. In those years, he passed, often painfully, from innocence to experience.

Sledge enlisted out of patriotism, idealism, and youthful courage, but once he landed on the beach at Peleliu, it was purely a struggle for survival. Based on the notes he kept on slips of paper tucked secretly away in his New Testament, he simply and directly recalls those long months, mincing no words and sparing no pain. The reality of battle meant unbearable heat, deafening gunfire, unimaginable brutality and cruelty, the stench of death, and, above all, constant fear. Sledge still has nightmares about "the bloody, muddy month of May on Okinawa." But, as he also tellingly reveals, the bonds of friendship formed then will never be severed.

Sledge's honesty and compassion for the other marines, even complete strangers, sets him apart as a memoirist of war. Read as sobering history or as high adventure, With the Old Breed is a moving chronicle of action and courage.

Comments:

12 Comments
Taylor Mackenzie
Amazing! I love this site
Aston Ayers
Only Signup is easy and free, finally I can read this book With the Old Breed with good quality. Thank you!
Ashley Ann
Been waiting to download this book for months. and finally came out too
Cheryl Lynn
This book With the Old Breed is very nice, with quick read and download
Erin Cochran Cole
Great selection and quality is better than many Book Store, no kidding.
Kyle Magner
yes, i am also through this to download books
Eric Mn
Yes this really works! Just got my free account
Terry Barnes
One of the best book I've seen this year!
Pastor Shahuano
Excited, Happy Reading guys !!!
Laura Velez Garcia
Thanks, I'm so glad to be reading this book
Wouter van der Giessen
Laura Velez Garcia yes same me too
Janet McCann
Sign up was really easy. Less than 1 minute I was hooked up

Reviews

  • Great Book!

    5
    By Soy lds
    I was touched by the authentic explanation this man gives of the horrific experience he had on those island. Thank you to all who endured the unendurable for the man next to him. We all know now it was for a better world and a country that is still worth living in.
  • Gripping read!

    5
    By Thenry1
    Found this book through the TV series the Pacific.
  • A must read

    5
    By plukesurfs
    Brutal but truthful first hand account of war. Every American needs to read this book and not take for granted the freedoms these men fought and died for. Thank you Marines
  • Unforgettable, Astounding, Amazing..

    5
    By joloscope4477
    Absolutely incredible account of one marine’s experience fighting a type of war that will never be seen again. The viscousness and savagery the 1st Marine Division and others in the central Pacific had to face defy description, but Sledge perfectly and eloquently details for all future generations what he and his 3/5 comrades had to endure in defense of freedom rid the world of tyranny. His writing displays a grit and directness that befits his military training but also a gentleness and sophistication that reflects his heritage and up-bringing. Immensely engaging read I couldn’t put down. With the Old Breed is not only a massive literary achievement but a benchmark for future generations to assess how well they are doing measured against the competence, character, and commitment displayed by the men and women who saved the world 80 years ago. Unforgettable.
  • Incredible

    5
    By Fshnutz
    Even though I’ve watched The Pacific, I felt I owed it to Sledge to read his book. It’s utterly unbelievable and tragic what these men went through. Amazing read, I highly recommend.
  • This is a real account of war at it’s darkest.

    5
    By Wiskey6
    This is a must read for all.
  • In the Furnace

    5
    By Gordian Caesar
    Glory is over rated, the cost extremely costly. President Truman saved a lot of lives by ordering two atomic bombs dropped on Japan.