Marine Raiders: The True Story of the Legendary WWII Battalions

by Carole Engle Avriett

FORGOTTEN NO MORE.

The American people revere their elite combat units, but one of these noble bands has been unjustifiably forgotten—until now.

At the beginning of World War II, military planners set out to form the most ruthless, skilled, and effective force the world had ever seen. The U.S. Marines were already the world’s greatest fighters, but leadership wanted a select group to conduct special operations at the highest level in the Pacific theater. And so the Marine Raiders were born.

These young men, the cream of the crop, received matchless training in the arts of war. Marksmen, brawlers, and tacticians, the Marine Raiders could accomplish their objective before the enemy even knew they were there.

These heroes and their exploits should be the stuff of legend. Yet even though one of their commanders was President Roosevelt’s son, they have disappeared into the mists of history—the greatest warriors you’ve never heard of.

Carole Engle Avriett’s thorough telling of the Marine Raider story

The Marine Raiders were one of the greatest forces ever to take the field under the American flag. After reading this book, you’ll know why.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, World War II, Nonfiction, War, Military History, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

Published August 31, 2021

About the author

Carole Engle Avriett is a former writer/editor for Southern Living Magazine. In addition to leading women's conferences throughout the United States, Canada, and Brazil, where she and her husband serve as missionaries during the summer months, Carole has also authored two Bible Studies. She currently resides in Florida.

Reviews

[Chris Basis]

Too General, Didn’t Learn Anything New

Too narrow of a perspective on the Marine Raiders experience. Lacked details and depth. Not sure why the author didn’t also share information on the tragic post-war lives and earths of Edson and Carlson. Because those are emblematic of the physical and emotional toll of battle.

I would have liked more background on missions and more details, interwoven with the bigger tactical picture of the battles and campaigns. Would have been nice to learn more about the 4 men profiled in the book.

[Beth]

I’m obsessed with marine raiders. While this book is nothing really new, it was entertaining non the less.

[Ronald]

The book was Ok. I learned a lot about this prolific group that remained a unit for seemingly too short of a time.
However, the editing could use some "going over." I neglected to note the page, but the reader is told that one engagement began on "June 31st!" Also, on p. 233 the text reads: "...Marine Raider Henry Burke and a fellow Marine with a BAR semiautomatic rifle..." Unless I'm wrong, "BAR" literally stands for Browning Automatic Rifle." Therefore, it CANNOT be a "semiautomatic" rifle.
Editing errors and omissions such as those were irritating to me.
Again, all in all, I'd recommend reading the book and simply to be prepared to overlook errors that ought not appear.

[John]

An important summary of a relatively unknown aspect of the Marines in WWII. The Raiders were formed to counter the Japanese who fought with viciousness and tenacity. The exceptional training and leadership of the Raiders allowed them to counter the enemy in amazing ways. Marines can be proud of these men who risked their lives and gave their all to win! Carole Avriett tells the story with skill and expertise. Her first-person accounts bring life to the text as we come to know individual Marines. Recommended for all.

[Ben Watson]

3.5/5 - A Solid book
This was my first dive into a book about the pacific theater in WWWII, and its short, length made it a good start.

The book focuses on the Marine Raiders, a short-lived special operations unit active in the Pacific. Their 3ish year existence makes it an easy book to write. no sprawling timeline to wrestle with, just a slice of history. The stories of their missions were compelling and kept me listening.

Why 3.5/5?
It’s a good book, but it didn’t quite super impress me. The bones of a great story are there—gritty raids, high stakes, unique characters—but the execution felt a little flat. More details in the writing or on the story would’ve been great.

I’d rec for anyone interested or reference it but wouldn’t go out of my way to talk about this book.

[Peter Decena]

Marine Raiders

The author did an excellent job of chronicling the heroes and heroic actions of the WWII Marine Raiders. In particular the individual stories of the Marine Raiders she interviewed personally were compelling and speaks to the character of the Greatest Generation in overcoming a committed enemy and forbidding terrain. The only aspect I wish she would’ve cover in greater detail is the weapons and equipment that were utilized by the Marine Raiders, but then I am an unabashed gear dork. Still an excellent read.

[Chuck]

As books about the Marine Corps go, this was in the middle. Having read several about the WWII Marine Raiders, it is at best OK. Sorry, not one I would recommend. Though I did enjoy learning more about the operations on New Georgia.

Oh and not that most will care but the "pin/badge" the new Raiders (actually MARSOC) are wearing is the dumbest looking thing going. But that not the author's fault.

[Steve Moran]

Decent enough book about the Raiders and their exploits. I thought the writing was a little disjointed at times and the author, in several places, used words that were inappropriate for what she was trying to get across. Someone with actual combat experience would probably do better. I also would have appreciated a little more detail on the overall Raider combat. By that I mean the author focused on 4 men, which is fine, but the context was a little lacking.

[Teresa M Justice]

If you love military history then you are going to love this book. I am a Navy veteran married to a Marine Corps veteran and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the veterans who came before me. Especially those of the Greatest Generation! This story held me captive, I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book.

[Jessica Domitrovich]

Everyone should read this book. I had no idea the history of the Marine Raiders. These young men were incredible and were the birth of our special ops of our military. So thankful for every single man that gives their life for our country in our special ops divisions.

[Carl Palmateer]

This is a book to Marines, about Marines, to praise Marines (ok so the last two words are redundant) . Even though it is toned down a bit for the wider audience you may find it a bit over the top if you're not used to Marines. An appropriate read both for Veterans Day and the birthday.

[John A.]

This is a phenomenal look at the four Raider battalions through the eyes of four men as told to and by Carole Avriett. Much more than a war story.

[Rob Stafford]

Follows a general overview of the Marine Raiders in WW2 and the events of four Marines. The audiobook was an easy listen.

[Jim]

Marine Corps history well told

[Philip Hollenback]

Pretty decent narrative but kind of short and lacking detail.

[Don]

Great overview of Raiders.

[Julie Pint]

A history of the Marine Raiders in a nutshell. We learn of their trials and tribulations, but also the remarkable heroism that this elite military group displayed.

[Steven]

Good read, but got a bit long at the end. Author included how God's influence was present which is amazing because most biographies omit this fact.

[Macy]

3.7 - good story but wasn’t as detailed as I was expecting.

[Max Skidmore]

Most interesting thing I learned was that FDR's son, James, was a battalion commander of one of these elite units.

[A. Howard]

Inspirationak

S
emper Fi Marines!!! A riveting story in another chapter of a storied service.
Makes one proud to be an American, especially a Marine.

[Jer]

A focused and forceful history of an intensely born and applied group of Marines, it leaves little aside in detailing the violence and horrors of WWII in the Pacific. A reminder that war is hell.

[David Couvillon]

concise, engrossing and informative.

[David Barnes]

Interesting details. A nice history of these special marines

[Matthew Hughes]

The book "Marine Raiders" by Carole Engle Avriett was a very interesting read. The backstory on the Marine Raiders is very interesting and makes me want to do more research into the first special forces group in the US military. Over all a very good book and would highly recommend.

[Aloysius Teng]

Carole Avriett’s book gave a very basic overview about the actions that the Marine Raider Battalions and the experiences of four men that were fighting in each individual Raider Battalion. However the book lacks any insightful analysis about the strategies that were employed by the Raider Battalions during their battles in the Pacific Campaign. Most accounts of the battles were written in broad strokes and any detailed information about these battles were scant. Furthermore, while I understand that the main focus of the book was the Marine Raider Battalions and their achievements, I think that it is quite disingenuous to say that Colonel Harry Liversedge was willing to assault an enemy's position in the battle to capture Bairoko Harbour just because he had two understrength Marine Raider Battalions. I am sure that the two Army infantry battalions that were part of the landing force also had a role to play in his decision to carry on with the assault.

Also, the writing was inconsistent and the narrative can become very messy with huge jumps in time between events that occurred during the Pacific Campaign, it would have been nice if more detail about Minier's andMerrill's time spent in the rear was given. This uneven flow of the storytelling is most glaring when Avriett wrote about the raising of the 3rd and 4th Raider Battalions. Due to the lack of any detailed information, one may have thought that the 3rd and 4th Raider Battalions were raised just months prior to the battle to capture New Georgia. However, the 3rd was actually raised more than eight months ago on 20th September 1942 while the 4th was raised just one month later. Furthermore, the flow between paragraphs are disjointed and often contain information that isn't related to the current event. Elsewhere, the narrative about certain characters can be repetitive without adding any meaningful detail that will help the reader remember the character (e.g. Lieutenant Ray Luckel; pg 189). Also, due to the shallow descriptions about the order of battle, many of the characters that Avriett mentioned seldom seem to play a significant role in the battles the Marine Raiders were involved in.

Lastly, Avriett's attempts at drawing in readers to feel a sense of connection with the four main characters and their experience ultimately fell short and after finishing the book, I was left with the feeling that the author could have picked four other random Marine Raiders and the book would not have been any worse or different for it. Ultimately, I won't recommend this book for anyone that wants to read about the exploits of the Marine Raider Battalions in WWII as I am sure there are more detailed and insightful accounts written about this unit.

[Jared Schott]

Really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and was informational. I wish they collected more stories from other raiders but given the depleting amount of ww2 veterans it’s understandable.