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The assault
Pocket Books mm paperback, 1958
234 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1947
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 6, 2024
This is one of the best first-person accounts of experiencing combat that I've read, and I've read many.
Matthews was a marine grunt in the 4th Marine Division, fifth wave, blue 1 beach, Iwo Jima as his entre to combat. He lasted 12 days, the only survivor of his squad, until he was ordered off the island to recover from his fatigue and wounds. He wrote the book while hospitalized in Guam. The book is rich in the full detail that only a former trained newspaper correspondent could write, being a former reporter for a Richmond newspaper. The attention to minor details, recorded immediately after the event, of his thoughts and observations of his environment were the most rewarding parts of this account.
Matthews was a marine grunt in the 4th Marine Division, fifth wave, blue 1 beach, Iwo Jima as his entre to combat. He lasted 12 days, the only survivor of his squad, until he was ordered off the island to recover from his fatigue and wounds. He wrote the book while hospitalized in Guam. The book is rich in the full detail that only a former trained newspaper correspondent could write, being a former reporter for a Richmond newspaper. The attention to minor details, recorded immediately after the event, of his thoughts and observations of his environment were the most rewarding parts of this account.
March 18, 2017
I'm at a loss as to why this book doesn't get the recognition and acclaim as other personal memoirs of the war in the Pacific. It is easily an equal to E.B. Sledge's With the Old Breed, Robert Leckie's Helmet for My Pillow, and William Manchester's Goodbye Darkness.
The Assault is an excellent account of the author's twelve days on Iwo Jima before his wounding and evacuation. It is a gritty and raw narration of battle action. It is one of the earliest personal accounts of the Battle of Iwo Jima, originally published in 1947. All-in-all, it is a brilliant and tearing account of men in battle.
I give 5-star ratings here very sparingly, only 57 out of 3798 books read since 2000. This book is certainly deserving such.
The Assault is an excellent account of the author's twelve days on Iwo Jima before his wounding and evacuation. It is a gritty and raw narration of battle action. It is one of the earliest personal accounts of the Battle of Iwo Jima, originally published in 1947. All-in-all, it is a brilliant and tearing account of men in battle.
I give 5-star ratings here very sparingly, only 57 out of 3798 books read since 2000. This book is certainly deserving such.
May 28, 2011
Overall I liked the book. Going into it all I knew was that it was a first hand account of the battle for Iwo Jima as told by a 4th Marine Division grunt. It was an enjoyable and informative read but seemed to end too early...overall a good way to end my 4 book pacific theater run.
September 24, 2025
Allen Matthews was a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima.
Though he was only in combat for twelve days, his memoir is one of the best accounts of combat in the Second World War.
Highly recommended.
Though he was only in combat for twelve days, his memoir is one of the best accounts of combat in the Second World War.
Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews