MICROCOSMIC BATTLE - INCREDIBLY HONEST, NUANCED, AND ACCURATE | Mission Raise Hell: The U.S. Marines on...

Riviting Personal Account! | Mission Raise Hell: The U.S. Marines on Choiseul, October-November 1943 | James F. Christ

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	• Mission Raise Hell: The U.S. Marines on Choiseul, October-November 1943 James F. Christ US Naval Institute Press, 2006 - 257 pages average customer review:based on 16 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Mission Good Job!

I found the book extremely good at recounting events from over 60 years ago. The writer did a wonderful job of locating so many survivors of this Solomon Island activity and recording their stories. More of us need to talk to those left of that generation and record (on paper, audio and/or video) their life stories. I thought Mr. Christ did a good job in telling the stories - jumping from group to group to show actions in an almost hour-by-hour retelling. He transported me through time and space to make me feel as if I was there at the time, dodging the bullets along with the men of the 2nd Marine Parachute Battalion.

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MICROCOSMIC BATTLE - INCREDIBLY HONEST, NUANCED, AND ACCURATE

It was reported that this 255 page book, "Mission Raise Hell" is flawed, sophomoric, and unduly repetitive. I never picked that up. James Christ's approach keeps you in the tempo of the movement of young Marines in Choiseul. It is a gripping account.

Having fought in a war as a Marine Corps Officer, I'm grateful that the author reports the constant acts of the men he interviewed. And that's the point: it's an interview of microcosmic scale that focuses on every significant act of men engaged in a desperate ruse to win the macro war effort against the Japanese on Bougainville.

James Chrst. Remember the name. He's touched so accurately the hearts of those Marines on Choiseul as-well-as war fighting Marines everywhere.

Mr. Christ's literary approach in tone and tempo matches the WWII Marines I've conversed with as a life member of the Marine Corps League.

And if this is not enough to assert Christ's fine book as nuanced and sophisticated in the capture of reality, don't forget the name "Krulak."

Retired Marine Corps General Victor Krulak, who was the Lieutenant Colonel commanding officer of those men on Choiseul, has supported and continues to support this fine author.

I recommend on the basis of my experiences as a Marine Enlisted and as a Marine Officer that you read James Christ's book, "Mission Raise Hell". You will not be disappointed.

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Riviting Personal Account!

This book shows what it was like from several marines perspective, not just one individual marine. That is what makes it unique. I found it riviting and shocking at the randomness of survival. My father was on the island and took part in the operation. He has told me his account, but this book takes you into the minds of all those still around to re-live a long forgotten battle, complete with the honesty of relating a story from 63 years ago.

If you want fiction, or a beautifully "produced" story, you'll have to check elsewhere.

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A Gripping Glimpse of History

I found this book fascinating. It reveals a brief but pivotal period in the lives of real soldiers, faithfully chronicled by the author. In it I found a captivating glimpse of our history. I am impressed by the dedication it must have taken to seek out and interview so many survivors of the mission on Choisul, after so many years. This is authentic history. I hope James Christ will continue to pursue our past with the same intensity and purity of this first effort. It is an invaluable record.

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Fascinating Account of WWII Battle

Mission Raise Hell is an unforgettable tribute to the courage and fortitude of the men of the 2nd Marine Parachute Battalion. What an incredible gift James Christ has! With riveting details, vivid imagery, and palpable sentiment, he makes history come alive. Christ lets the story unfold naturally--the plot reads much like a WWII veteran recalling the events of the raid on Choiseul. I look forward to reading Battalion of the Damned and other books by this author.

With Guadalcanal firmly in American control by October 1943, the Allies decided to invade Bougainville, another island in the Solomon chain, to tighten their stranglehold on the Japanese in the area. To divert the enemy's attention, a raid was ordered on the nearby island of Choiseul. Success relied on making the Japanese think that a Marine division had landed on Choiseul so that they would rush reinforcements there while a much larger American Marine force would land on Bougainville. But Allied resources were scarce, so the Choiseul raid fell to the 2nd Marine Parachute Battalion. An aggressive unit of paratroopers under the command of the now legendary "Brute" Krulak, they were well trained in guerilla warfare and night fighting. This is the story of the paratroopers' courageous fight, told from their unique perspective.

Told to make the noise of an entire division, the Marines knew that if they got into trouble, there would be no reinforcements. For seven days they raised hell, bringing the fight to the Japanese along the coastline and deep into the jungle. Then, on November 3, as a large Japanese force closed in, the Marines slipped off the island, mission accomplished. Bougainville had been secured. This hour-by-hour account of what happened is based on an exhaustive gathering of all possible eyewitness accounts and includes a rescue by John F. Kennedy's PT boat and the death of a Marine in Kennedy's bunk. It is a page-turner more akin to a novel than a work of nonfiction.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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