This
addition to the Images of War series concentrates on the invasion of the Palau
Islands in 1944 and especially the fighting on Peleliu. There has been much
discussion since the end of the war as to whether this invasion actually needed
to take place. One thing for sure is that the Japanese were well prepared and
the resulting very high casualty rate amongst the Marines is proof of that. The
entire reason for the invasion was that MacArthur wanted to be sure that the
Japanese would not be able to send bombers against his landing forces in Leyte.
However, Japanese air power in the Palau chain had been completely destroyed by
naval air months before the invasion and there was nothing on the chain's
airfields but wrecks.
About the only benefit of the Palauan invasion was the capture of Ulithi, which
served as a fleet anchorage until the end of the Pacific war. However, that
atoll was completely bare of Japanese as the Japanese Army had removed what
forces were there to help with the build up and defense of Peleliu and
Bebelthuap. The latter island held a fair percentage of Japanese Army forces and
was bypassed. In fact, the only Caroline islands occupied aside from Ulithi were
Peleliu and Anguar, an island to the south of Peleliu.
In line with other titles in this series, the author has divided the book into several sections,
each covering a certain part of the campaign. The first third or so is all
background stuff. This is followed by a section on Terrain, Fortifications and
Weapons. As is normal in this series, we have a section on commanders on both
sides. Then we get into the invasion of Peleliu itself, which covers the last
two chapters and includes the invasion of Anguar.
Though mostly a photo book, this one has a fair amount
of historical background to give the reader a feel of what the images are
portraying. All in all, it makes for an excellent read and the sort of book that
should inspire modelers as well. Well worth picking up.
September 2020
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