The Liberation of Guam: 21 July-10 August 1944

by Harry A. Gailey

The only full-scale account of the liberation of the island of Guam in 1944.

Genres: World War II, History, Military History

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 1997

About the author

A specialist in the history of Britain's African colonies, Harry Alfred Gailey served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, after which he worked as a civil and mechanical engineer. After earning a Ph.D. in history at UCLA in 1958, Gailey taught at Northwest Missouri State University for five years before joining the faculty at San Jose State University, where he taught until he assumed emeritus status. In his retirement, Gailey wrote several books about the Pacific campaigns in World War II.

Reviews

[Dan McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good blow-by-blow account of the Battle of Guam.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Granfather served with the 22nd Marines on Guam. This book was an excellent way to follow his footsteps. #GreatestGeneration!! Excellent book.

[History Geek · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Great Uncle was a Marine that lost his life on Guam. His story was a mystery to our family and we never really knew what the invasion was all about. The battle for Guam doesn't get the press that Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, or Okinawa get, but it's still an important part of our eventual victory and for families like ours it's a defining moment in our history as my Great Uncle is the only one of my family that has never came home. Reading this detailed account, I was able to follow his units actions from landing to how they were engaged on the day he was killed. It really tied some of the rumors and mystery together for me and was a wonderful book to dive into.

[Kendall Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a handful of books about the war in the Pacific and specifically about the war in Guam. This one dealt more with the technical aspects of the liberation of Guam and didn't spend a lot of time personalizing it.

It was pretty fascinating to read particularly because the Marines established their beach head in Asan and Agat. From our home we overlook Asan Bay and frequently walk down to Asan Memorial Park where the marines came ashore. Based on the maps it appears over 4,000 Japanese soldiers were killed within less than a mile of our home in a 24 hour time period.

[James]

Liberating Guam from the Japanese was one of the most important battles of the Pacific. It allowed the US to develop a base of operations for the newly deployed B-29's. From Guam the US was able begin non-stop bombing raids on the Japanese homeland. Ultimately, this brought Japan to their knees.