Victory at Peleliu: The 81st Infantry Division's Pacific Campaign

By: Bobby C. Blair, John Peter DeCioccio

Narrated by: Grant D. Showalter

When the 1st Marine Division began its invasion of Peleliu in September 1944, the operation in the South Pacific was to take but four days. In fact, capturing this small coral island in the Palaus with its strategic airstrip took two months and involved some of the bloodiest fighting of the Second World War in the Pacific. Rather than the easy conquest they were led to expect, the Marines who landed on Peleliu faced a war of attrition from the island's Japanese defenders, who had dug tunnels and fortified the island's rugged terrain. When the Marines' advance stalled after a week of heavy casualties, the "Wildcats" of the 81st Infantry Division were called in, at first as support. Eventually, the 1st Marines Division was evacuated and the 81st Infantry secured the island.

Now Bobby C. Blair and John Peter DeCioccio tell the story of this campaign through the eyes of the 81st Infantry to offer a revised assessment. Previous accounts of the battle have focused on the 1st Marines, all but ignoring the 81st Infantry Division's contributions. Victory at Peleliu demonstrates that without the army's help, the marines could not have succeeded on Peleliu.

Blair and DeCioccio have mined the 81st Division's unit records and interviewed scores of veteran participants. The new data they offer challenges the orthodox view that the 81st Infantry merely mopped up an already broken enemy. Allowing their interviewees to tell much of the story, the authors also give a human face to a brutal battle.

The book is published by University of Oklahoma Press.

©2011 Bobby C. Blair and Marlene DeCioccio (P)2017 Redwood Audiobooks

incredible endurance amidst the brutality of war.

When one comes to know the squalid, brutal, and implacable conditions in which they fought, one becomes aware of the price of our freedoms. Let not these sacrifices be in vain... but inspire efforts toward a victory over dictatorship everywhere.

A Little Justice

I love the USMC but they brag way to much. Maybe their need to over inflate their accomplishments was rooted in a political necessity to avoid budget cuts or even total dissolution but historically it is misleading. The Marines did not win the Pacific theatre of war in WW2 alone. Unfortunately that's what the majority of books and movies portrays. It is about time inter service rivalry is put aside and a more balanced view showing the Army, Army Air Corps, and Navy helped the Marines - just a little. After that miscarriage of history is cleared up maybe we can start working on non US forces contributions to the Pacific war.

Filled in what Dad did not tell!

Provided information of the setting & much detail of what my father did not include in his few stories of the war or what he told my mother. This was especially helpful on the topics of army/marine tactics, the surrender, & occupation months. Son of an 81st "wildcat" Co B 306th Combat Engineers Battalion

Story is great, narrator kills it

As stated in the title, great story (that is a necessary and important addition to WWII historical understanding), but the narrator is horrible. Reads at an excitement level of a monotone second grader. Made it so I just put it on in the background just so I could get through it and be done with it...