The United States Marines Against Japan - Strong Men Armed

In Strong Men Armed, author Robert Leckie provides us with a narrative of the Marine Corps action throughout all their major campaigns of the Pacific War. Leckie was a journalist and author from Philadelphia who wrote many works of military history, the best known being the memoir of his own time serving as a Marine infantryman in WW2 entitled, "Helmet for My Pillow."

Strong Men Armed is not a scholarly work. It can best be described as a narrative, instead of a history. The author reveals in a bibliographical essay at the end of the book that his intention was that the book be "...written in a narrative style which might have been defeated by the use of footnotes..." The book is a tribute from Leckie to his fellow Marines and the unique type of fighting they performed in the Pacific. He showcases their hardships and devotion to duty and to each other. Time is taken during the narrative to recognize all Marine Medal of Honor winners, many of whom gave their lives smothering grenades to save their comrades.

There is good background information presented showing how the Marine Corps expanded from two to six divisions after the war started, and when and where all of these six divisions and their regiments trained and staged before battle, went into battle, and licked their wounds after battle. The heart of the story, however, is the Marine infantryman in combat. The story begins with Guadalcanal, and the travails the Marines have there of being assaulted via land, water and air by an enemy fully capable of bringing ashore reinforcements while contesting control of the sea and sky near that disputed island. As the war progresses, and the Marines move on to objectives ever nearer the heart of the Japanese empire, we see a fully industrialized, increasingly powerful United States war machine that can completely isolate Japanese island garrisons, denying them any hope of reinforcements or resupply. No matter how overwhelmingly the U.S. controls the sea around and the air above these battlefields, however, it still remains for Marine infantrymen to close with their well entrenched, concealed and determined enemy, to root him out and kill him.

Even as a long time reader of the Pacific War, I found a few bits of information in Strong Men Armed that I had not yet come across. I hadn't known, for example, that a son of FDR advisor Harry Hopkins was killed on Namur in the Marshalls. Nor had I known the name of the captain that raised the Confederate flag at Shuri on Okinawa, or heard the story of the Japanese pilot who got a surprise welcome at Yontan airfield on that same island. Fans of Eugene Sledge will recognize the name of the skipper of K/3/5, who Leckie mentions in his account of Cape Gloucester.

Whether a reader is a seasoned Pacific War enthusiast, or has only a general interest in the topic, there is much to appreciate in Strong Men Armed. It is written by a proven man of letters, proud of his own time as a Marine, and proud of the Corps he served.

Please Note - When this review was originally written the store did not link the various editions of this book, and two reviews appeared separately. However, they have now been linked together and both appear here.

Strong Men Armed in the classic narrative story of the US Marine Corps in WWII, written by a man who fought on the front lines and went on to become one of the premiere writers of USA military history. By narrative I mean that it concentrates on the stories of fighting men instead of the dryer political and overall strategic and tactical aspects of the fighting. Leckie writes with great passion and verve, creating a book that ranks with the best narrative military histories. Reading this book gives a clear picture of the great determination and heroism exhibited by the US Marine Corps and the tenacious, but fatalistic Japanese opposition. I think that it provides a balanced picture of Marines who did not necessarily immediately achieve victory through a heroic charge, but in many cases were driven back by determined Japanese resistance, but in the end exhibited the fortitude to attack again and again until they prevailed. Japanese tactics are discussed and how they evolved from the idea that a banzai charge could win the day, to a more realistic, and deadly, defensive strategy. While an exciting narrative, the book also cleared up many historical points for me. For instance, many books state that the Japanese deliberately allowed an unopposed landing on Okinawa, but Leckie shows that this is only partly true. The Japanese plan was to only fortify the Southern part of the island as the terrain there was much more suitable for defense. The US landings were on the largely undefended center part of the island, but had the landings been in the south they would have been strongly opposed. I also learned that there were 10,000 Japanese prisoners taken on Okinawa.

This book is not a complete history of the Pacific fighting in WWII, as it only covers the actions of the Marine Corps. Campaigns such as those in New Guinea and the Philippines that were led by General MacArthur are not covered at all, and in those engagements where the US Army fought alongside the US Marine Corps (such as in Okinawa) the US Army aspects of the fighting are only mentioned. The naval aspects of WWII are only covered to the extent that they impacted on the ground fighting. This book discusses Marine Corps Aviation as well as the ground fighting, but the emphasis is on the latter. The book discusses the less well known fighting at Bougainville, Western New Britain (Cape Gloucester and Borgen Bay), Kwajalein and Eniwetok; as well as all of the more well known major engagements (Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa). The actions of all of the Marine Corps Medal of Honor winners that led to their receiving this highest US decoration for heroism are mentioned and there is an appendix that lists all of them. There are also appendices that provide a chronology of the war (primarily the events associated with the Marine Corps, but with some attention to other events and a list of all of the Marine Corps flying aces along with the number of planes that they shot down. Fourteen maps are included, covering the Pacific and the islands discussed in the text, but while these cover the major features they are not battle maps showing the evolution of any of the fighting that is discussed.

I have had a hardbound copy of this book for more than twenty years and read it so long ago that I had forgotten it. Seeing a paperback copy reminded me of it and caused me to read it again, and I am very glad that I did. I have compared both the hardback and paperback versions and as near as I can tell the text is identical, but the photographs are reproduced with greater resolution in the hardback version.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the fighting in the Pacific in WWII.

"Strong Men Armed", Robert Leckie's superbly readable narrative history of the United States Marine Corps in the struggle against Japan in World War II's Pacific theater, was first published in 1962. It has since been reprinted several times, most recently in conjunction with the release of the HBO Miniseries "The Pacific".

Robert Leckie, himself a veteran of the bloody combats on Guadalcanal and Peleliu, writes in the tradition of Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote for an earlier conflict. His account easily manages both the operational picture of successive campaigns on Pacific islands and vignettes illustrating the heroics of individual Marines. Leckie had access to at least some of the Japanese archives, and his account provides a rounded view of Japanese actions in each of the major battles.

Leckie writes in a highly personalized style, bringing home the horror of combat. His narrative also highlights the heroic performance of the US Marine Corps as an organization, expanding to six divisions while mastering amphibious and jungle warfare, and the Japanese themselves. This edition includes a nice selection of maps and photographs. "Strong Men Armed" is highly recommended to the student of Marine Corps combat in the Pacific, as a fuller version of the story told by HBO's "The Pacific."

Three veterans of the First Marine Division have written accounts of WWII. E.B. Sledge in "With the Old Breed," William Manchester in "Goodbye Darkness," and Robert Leckie in "Strong Men Armed."
"With the Old Breed" and "Goodbye Darkness" are personal reminiscences, but "Strong Men Armed" is a scholarly study. It doesn't dwell on personal experiences, but gives the vast panorama of the Navy/Marine Corps island hopping campaign, and helps to put Sledge's and Manchester's personal memoirs into the context of the whole war in the Pacific. Leckie does give his chronicle a personal touch by occasionally stopping to pay tribute to some of the matchless individual deeds heroism and sacrifice. One arresting theme is his account of each and every Medal of Honor awarded to Marines who threw themselves onto live hand grenades to save their comrades. ("Greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.")
Sledge's book ("With the Old Breed") is a plain spoken account of one man's view of the horrors of the war in the Pacific. Manchester's book ("Goodbye Darkness") reads something like the out-loud ruminations of a mental patient working through unresolved issues on the psychiatrist's couch. Leckie's book is an epic account of a titanic struggle.
For the Big Picture of the war in the Pacific, "Strong Men Armed" can't be beaten. For a more personal look at the war, read "With the Old Breed."

Robert Leckie's vivid account of WWll Marine Corps history is a must read for any military enthusiast. Reading this gripping tale of Leathernecks fighting their way through the steamy jungles of the far east isles with such distant names as; Guadacanal, Saipan, and Iwo Jima, will leave you with an unequvical respect for the valient men who sacrificed their lives for our country. As a former Marine I have a greater appreciation for the price that was paid in the Pacific Theater. This book will never let me forget the cost in blood and lives my beloved countrymen paid, so that we may have our freedom. Leckie's book memorializes our fighting Marines: Men like, Manila John Bastilone, Chesty Puller, Red Mike Edson, and countless others who,"went above and beyond the call of duty", for the love of our country, God, and Corps. STRONG MEN ARMED, should be read by every boot, NCO, and Commissioned Officer of the United States Marine Corps as a reminder of the heroic and gallant sacrifice our Marines paid for our way of life. May the Marine Corps live forever!

Those of you who are unfamiliar with Mr Leckie have been missing out. He is one of the premier military historians, not only because of his excellent writing style, but because he is a combat veteran and can therefore associate with his subject. He has written wonderful general histories of all of America's wars, including the best WWII summary, Delivered from Evil.
But this book stands tall among all of his other writings because this one was personal. Leckie is a veteran of many bloody battles with the first Marine division in WWII and therefore knows quite well what he is talking about. Here he takes you on a sweeping journey, as the marines battle the japs across the Pacific. His writing is awesome! He always keeps you on the hook, and as you speed through his very short chapters, you find it hard to find a place to stop. This is a very easy read, including well drawn maps, that will give you a good overall history of the Pacific campaign and still show you the war from the individuals perspective on every page.
One of the classics of Pacific WWII literature!!!

Robert Leckie is one of the best writers of history and this maybe his best work. This is a clear, concise, comprehensive account of the Island War in the Pacific. Clearly written, Leckie puts his reader into the picture while teaching, producing a potent combination of entertainment and learning. You can get hooked on history reading Leckie; I did as a teenager.

Robert Leckie lived many of these actions and his personal experiences makes the narration more real as the reader senses his feelings and experiences. However, this is a history not a personal account and we never get lead down the path of experience. This is the best account of the Island War ever written by a top-flight author.

As a former marine my experiences during my 16 years of service pale in comparison to the experiences of these men who carried the war to the Japanese. Written by a infantryman, Mr. Leckie know's better then anyone what those experiences are like. This book brings the reader right to the beaches and jungles where Marines wrote a new page in their history. With the passing of time fewer and fewer of these men are alive. This book should be required reading of every high school and college student. We must never forget what these men gave to every American and every person in the world. We must never forget the sacrifices they made, and they made these sacrifices without question. Mr. Leckie should be commended.

Robert Leckie is the best author I have ever seen detailing the wars in U.S. History. This book is another great story detailing the Marines struggle against the Empire of Japan. Because Mr. Leckie was a participant, this offering provides greater detail of the battles than most of his books. He really gives good descriptions of the people and places where the battles were fought and the courage of the Marines and Japanese as they were locked in a life or death struggle. This is an excellent book on the ground war in the Pacific.

A great historic document of Marines against Japan in World War II.
Good perspective after watching the mini series PACIFIC. Leckie tells it like it was and gives us a true vision of how brave young Americans adapted to fight gruesome battles against enormous odds. How wars were fought by average guys, led by great field commanders and without interference from politicians and TV news reports.

This is the definitive book about the United States Marine Corps during the Second World War. Leckie vividly tells their stories in a clear, personal style that brings their honor and courage alive for those of us fortunate enough to live in the world they saved. As the daughter of a Korean War Marine and the great-niece of a Marine who fought on Iwo Jima, I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone interested in the Marines and their contribution in World War Two.

A brilliant and very dedicated account of every Marine action, where and how. It enlightened me of campaigns such as Choiseul, Cape Gloucester, Eniwetok and Kwajalein. I had looked for that in other works but found nothing until now. The narrative itself is very well written and left me with a very clear picture of how the Pacific war was fought. A must for anyone who needs to know about the Pacific Theatre of Operations

This is a must read for any student or interested person if reference to WWII and the Pacific Campaign. The author is actually rather inspirational, wonderful descriptions, excellent syntax keep you turning the pages. This work gives wonderful insight to the USMC and the entire Pacific Campaign. I highly recommend the read and very much suggest you add this one to your collection. Thank you Mr. Leckie.

Robert Leckie's vivid account of WWll Marine Corps history is a must read for any military enthusiast. Reading this gripping tale of Leathernecks fighting their way through the steamy jungles of the far east isles with such distant names as; Guadacanal, Saipan, and Iwo Jima, will leave you with an unequvical respect for the valient men who sacrificed their lives for our country. As a former Marine I have a greater appreciation for the price that was paid in the Pacific Theater. This book will never let me forget the cost in blood and lives my beloved countrymen paid, so that we may have our freedom. Leckie's book memorializes our fighting Marines: Men like, Manila John Bastilone, Chesty Puller, Red Mike Edson, and countless others who,"went above and beyond the call of duty", for the love of our country, God, and Corps. STRONG MEN ARMED, should be read by every boot, NCO, and Commissioned Officer of the United States Marine Corps as a reminder of the heroic and gallant sacrifice our Marines paid for our way of life. May the Marine Corps live forever!
Semper Fidelis, Roger Lemus (Cpl.USMC)

Just finished this book this morning. Very colorful writing style. Really describes the horror of the pacific campaign. At times a real page turner, but never dull nor tedious. Based on this, I look forward to reading more of Leckie's works. However, as it was very intense, will switch back to books about ETO for a while (I read almost exclusively about WWII). Happy to recommend it to anyone with an interest in "The Greatest Generation".

The author himself fought as a Marine and firsthand accounts plus research on battles he missed made this book as real as it gets. Finish it and give the Marines a hard salute for the work they have done and with swift results. If only it comes with more photos but you can get other books to complement it such as This Is Guadacanal

I read this book before 1975; remembering the title is endorsement enough of its impact. This is a well written story and history of the truth and gruesomeness of all out war written from inside the crater that served as a foxhole. A "should read" for everyone of us that is accustomed to the sanitary wars of our modern era. (Written before 9/11)

Leckie writes well, and knew first hand whereof he spoke. No fighting force before or since has equalled the challenges and the accomplishments of U.S. Marines against the Japanese in the Pacific island invasions of WWII, with the sea at their backs, and long before body armor, kevlar, unmanned aircraft overhead, and satellite phones to call home home were available. Their story deserves to be told unendingly, and Leckie's work is among the best. GMD formerly 087762 USMCR

This book is fantastic. I have recommended this book to many senior Marine Corps officers...to my surprise most have never read it. If you want a better perspective of the USMC and the sacrifices of the Sea Soldiers and the heroism of their leaders, this is the book for you.

From the bloody shores of Guadalcanal to Okinawa you follow the brave marines as they give it their best. If you liked "Saving Private Ryan" you'll love this book. On D-Day the brave rangers fought hard and some even bravely gave their lives, but they did it once...The marines did it two or three times over in the heat of the jungle with a fearless ememy. This book tells the sad horror of the truth of marines in battle. To the marines who "foremost fighting fell".

AN OUTSTANDING PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF MARINES FIGHTING FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS, YOU ARE THERE, YOU WONDER HOW THE AUTHOR SURVIVED, YOU ADMIRE THE TENACITY OF THE JAPANESE, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE US MARINES ARE COURAGEOUS, WITH A WILL TO WIN WITHOUT EQUAL.