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Devil Dogs: King Company, Third Battalion, 5th Marines: From Guadalcanal to the Shores of Japan
Award-winning historian Saul David reveals the searing experience of the Devil Dogs of World War II and does for the U.S. Marines what Band of Brothers did for the 101st Airborne.
The “Devil Dogs” of King Company, Third Battalion, 5th Marines—part of the legendary 1st Marine Division—were among the first American soldiers to take the offensive in World World II—and also the last.
They landed on the beaches of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in August 1942—the first US ground offensive of the war—and were present when Okinawa, Japan’s most southerly prefecture, finally fell to American troops after a bitter struggle in June 1945. In between they fought in the “Green Hell” of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain, and across the coral wasteland of Peleliu in the Palau Islands, a campaign described by one King Company veteran as “thirty days of the meanest, around-the-clock slaughter that desperate men can inflict on each other.”
Ordinary men from very different backgrounds, and drawn from cities, towns, and settlements across America, the Devil Dogs were asked to do something take on the victorious Imperial Japanese Army, composed of some of the most effective, “utterly ruthless and treacherous” soldiers in world history—and defeat it. This is the story of how they did just that and, in the process, forged bonds of brotherhood that still survive today.
Remarkably, the company contained an unusually high number of talented writers, whose first-hand accounts and memoirs provide the color, emotion, and context for this extraordinary story. In Devil Dogs, award-winning historian Saul David sets the searing experience of the Devil Dogs into the broader context of the brutal war in the Pacific and does for the U.S. Marines what Band of Brothers did for the 101st Airborne.
The “Devil Dogs” of King Company, Third Battalion, 5th Marines—part of the legendary 1st Marine Division—were among the first American soldiers to take the offensive in World World II—and also the last.
They landed on the beaches of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in August 1942—the first US ground offensive of the war—and were present when Okinawa, Japan’s most southerly prefecture, finally fell to American troops after a bitter struggle in June 1945. In between they fought in the “Green Hell” of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain, and across the coral wasteland of Peleliu in the Palau Islands, a campaign described by one King Company veteran as “thirty days of the meanest, around-the-clock slaughter that desperate men can inflict on each other.”
Ordinary men from very different backgrounds, and drawn from cities, towns, and settlements across America, the Devil Dogs were asked to do something take on the victorious Imperial Japanese Army, composed of some of the most effective, “utterly ruthless and treacherous” soldiers in world history—and defeat it. This is the story of how they did just that and, in the process, forged bonds of brotherhood that still survive today.
Remarkably, the company contained an unusually high number of talented writers, whose first-hand accounts and memoirs provide the color, emotion, and context for this extraordinary story. In Devil Dogs, award-winning historian Saul David sets the searing experience of the Devil Dogs into the broader context of the brutal war in the Pacific and does for the U.S. Marines what Band of Brothers did for the 101st Airborne.
628 pages, Hardcover
Published September 13, 2022
80 people are currently reading
563 people want to read
About the author
Saul David
53 books176 followersSAUL DAVID was born in Monmouth in 1966 and educated at Ampleforth College and Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities (History MA and PhD).
An expert in the wars of the Victorian period, he began writing his first history book when he was twenty-five and has since completed eight more. They include: The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan (1997), a critically-acclaimed biography of the man who led the Charge of the Light Brigade; The Indian Mutiny:1857 (2002), shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature; Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (2004), a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year; and the bestselling Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire (2006). In 2007 he signed a three book deal with Hodder & Stoughton to write a series of historical novels set in the late Victorian period. The first, Zulu Hart, was published on 5 March 2009 to critical acclaim with The Times describing it as a 'rattling good yarn' with 'a compelling, sexy hero who could give Cornwell's Sharpe a run for his money'. He is currently writing a history of the British Army.
An expert in the wars of the Victorian period, he began writing his first history book when he was twenty-five and has since completed eight more. They include: The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan (1997), a critically-acclaimed biography of the man who led the Charge of the Light Brigade; The Indian Mutiny:1857 (2002), shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature; Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (2004), a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year; and the bestselling Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire (2006). In 2007 he signed a three book deal with Hodder & Stoughton to write a series of historical novels set in the late Victorian period. The first, Zulu Hart, was published on 5 March 2009 to critical acclaim with The Times describing it as a 'rattling good yarn' with 'a compelling, sexy hero who could give Cornwell's Sharpe a run for his money'. He is currently writing a history of the British Army.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 8, 2022
It started good, became great about midway through and then toward the end it was impossible to put down. Saul David can really paint a picture with his words, and the words of others he has chosen to include. Bravo!
June 17, 2024
This was one of the rare books that has off the charts positive ratings on Goodreads that I did not love. Overall the books does a great job sharing the stories of the soldiers who fought, but I could not at all follow where they were or any individual people beyond a few. There were simply too many names, places, military groups, etc... to easily follow. Also it would have helped greatly for me if there were maps included throughout the narrative. Basically - and this could just be my mind while reading - the entire book was just one story after another of invading an island, trying to take hills and caves, and then doing it again. The personal stories of the down times were my favorite parts.
February 1, 2023
I am unashamed to say that I did not finish this book with dry eyes. David took a little while to really hook me in, perhaps because of the slightly misleading "first in, last out" subtitle - the "two campaign" replacement policy meant that no individual served in K Company for the whole war - so there is a lot of characters to keep track of and remember.
However, once the core members of K Company were well established in my head, this book really took off for me. Each completed campaign highlighted the relief of those that survived as well as their sadness for those they had lost - and then quickly the realisation that they would soon have to go through another campaign anew. The last quarter of the book was the most haunting, as key veterans of K Company are injured or killed and the fighting becomes more desperate and costly. This section of the book also benefits from the influence and excerpts of Eugene Sledge's work.
The final chapters detailing the end of the war and the notes on the characters or their families was devastating. Overall, a fantastic book for a first dive into the Pacific theatre of WWII - and one that deserves a goodReads review! - I will return to it in the future.
However, once the core members of K Company were well established in my head, this book really took off for me. Each completed campaign highlighted the relief of those that survived as well as their sadness for those they had lost - and then quickly the realisation that they would soon have to go through another campaign anew. The last quarter of the book was the most haunting, as key veterans of K Company are injured or killed and the fighting becomes more desperate and costly. This section of the book also benefits from the influence and excerpts of Eugene Sledge's work.
The final chapters detailing the end of the war and the notes on the characters or their families was devastating. Overall, a fantastic book for a first dive into the Pacific theatre of WWII - and one that deserves a goodReads review! - I will return to it in the future.
January 27, 2023
A very well done “biography” about a Marine Rifle Company during WW II. Unusually for a unit like K/3/5, a number of its survivors wrote accounts of the war. The author provides an excellent narrative of King Company’s combat in 4 major battles, with lots of personal stories of the Marine participants. Highly recommended.
March 24, 2024
Don’t usually write reviews, but it deserved saying that Devil Dogs is a staggeringly impressive work of scholarship and truly one of the best, most engaging, comprehensive books I’ve ever read. An essential history of the war in the Pacific, brought to life through the lens of an incredibly exceptional company. Fantastic, fantastic book.
September 17, 2024
maybe a bit of a biased rating, but this is exactly the type of book i would've torn through in 2020, just as i was really beginning to become interested in learning about the pacific war. definitely the book i was looking forward to most for my comprehensives list & i'm sad i finished it but also excited to get through the rest of my list 🙈
August 19, 2025
Fantastic book by an author that knows how to grip the reader in story of one company (King Company/5th Marine Regiment/1st Marine Division) from Guadalcanal to Okinawa.
A story from one of the companies in the fight throughout the Pacific in four battle campaigns that was also displayed in the HBO miniseries “The Pacific”. The story is one that gripped myself from start to end. If you’re a fan of James Holland, Saul David has a similar style telling the operational aspects of the story telling the ‘nut and bolts’ aspect of the struggles of the Marines through the war from 1941-45.
If I have to give a comparison, this book holds up with “Band and of Brothers” on personal aspects of the story. It was one that I couldn’t put down at times.
I don’t wish to give any spoilers, but covers one of the elite regiments that was the tip of the spear in the Central Pacific campaign. A book that won’t be a letdown that I’ll definitely read again in the future.
A story from one of the companies in the fight throughout the Pacific in four battle campaigns that was also displayed in the HBO miniseries “The Pacific”. The story is one that gripped myself from start to end. If you’re a fan of James Holland, Saul David has a similar style telling the operational aspects of the story telling the ‘nut and bolts’ aspect of the struggles of the Marines through the war from 1941-45.
If I have to give a comparison, this book holds up with “Band and of Brothers” on personal aspects of the story. It was one that I couldn’t put down at times.
I don’t wish to give any spoilers, but covers one of the elite regiments that was the tip of the spear in the Central Pacific campaign. A book that won’t be a letdown that I’ll definitely read again in the future.
December 28, 2024
Overall a very good compilation of first-person accounts of the title unit (the same unit from the Pacific mini-series). As a supplement to "The Pacific" I liked that it included a lot more members of the unit and the book was actually far superior to the mini-series. I thought that David had a more informal, less academic writing style that was a little off-putting at first, but over time it fit in very well with the accounts and events he was writing about. The book is well-documents (plenty of citations) with a lot of books and accounts I now want to read.
I thought that David captured the experiences and miseries of the Marines in the island hopping campaign, which provided an interesting compare-contrast with the experiences of the paratroopers in Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" book. One of the take-aways from this and a recommendation for reading both books, is that in Europe, the infantry-paratroopers were usually well fed due to relatively stable front lines, were able to regularly "liberate" supplies of alcohol, and were able to obtain relatively reasonable shelter in towns and farms. And German soldiers were far more likely to surrender peacefully when beaten compared to the Japanese. In contrast, the Marines were living in foxholes and fighting positions in high heat, humidity, and heavy rains against a foe who would not surrender and fight to the death. I highly recommend reading both books back to back.
Finally, while David focuses on the individual experiences at a tactical, company level, he still manages to weave the strategic planning and decision-making into his narrative to provide an understanding of events not available to the average Marine rifleman.
I thought that David captured the experiences and miseries of the Marines in the island hopping campaign, which provided an interesting compare-contrast with the experiences of the paratroopers in Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" book. One of the take-aways from this and a recommendation for reading both books, is that in Europe, the infantry-paratroopers were usually well fed due to relatively stable front lines, were able to regularly "liberate" supplies of alcohol, and were able to obtain relatively reasonable shelter in towns and farms. And German soldiers were far more likely to surrender peacefully when beaten compared to the Japanese. In contrast, the Marines were living in foxholes and fighting positions in high heat, humidity, and heavy rains against a foe who would not surrender and fight to the death. I highly recommend reading both books back to back.
Finally, while David focuses on the individual experiences at a tactical, company level, he still manages to weave the strategic planning and decision-making into his narrative to provide an understanding of events not available to the average Marine rifleman.
April 7, 2025
This is the second book of Saul David I have read after the excellent Crucible of hell a few years ago. This was absolutely fascinating. The story telling within a non fiction narrative and also how he was able to tell the complete story by straddling the multiple strategic layers was seamless. From the very senior political level where strategy was being formulated right down to the fighting marine level. The stories behind the individuals on the frontlines were at times heart breaking, from the marine who wrote a very poignant letter to his parents after a bob hope concert (and who was then KIA a week later) to the officer RV Burgin who throughout his fighting experience in the Pacific was continuously writing to his sweetheart in Australia. I was so relieved to find out at the end that they did reunite eventually and marry. There is a lot of information to consume but I think one of the strengths of the book are the relatively short chapters which helped me to read it gradually and still take on board a lot of the information. I look forward to reading the other 3 books by the author that I already have along with his next books.. Now need to rewatch several episodes of the Pacific!!!
March 29, 2024
Following in the vein of Stephen Ambrose, the author depicts the journey of a company of Marines during their service in World War II. This book provides a well-done "biography" of a Marine Rifle Company during WW II. It's unusual for a unit like K/3/5, but a number of its survivors wrote accounts of the war. The author offers an excellent narrative of King Company's combat in four major battles, including many personal stories of the Marine participants.
The unit K/3/5 took part in four amphibious landings in World War II: Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa. Unlike Vietnam and modern wars, most Marines went through at least three of these landings before there was any hope of being rotated back. David does an excellent job of explaining and interpreting the war from a "grunt's" level while interweaving what was happening in the outside world. He details the fighting, disease, and combat fatigue felt by the men as they went through the war.
The unit K/3/5 took part in four amphibious landings in World War II: Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa. Unlike Vietnam and modern wars, most Marines went through at least three of these landings before there was any hope of being rotated back. David does an excellent job of explaining and interpreting the war from a "grunt's" level while interweaving what was happening in the outside world. He details the fighting, disease, and combat fatigue felt by the men as they went through the war.
March 2, 2023
Devil Dogs is an outstanding book but I am finding it a hard one on which to comment. Saul David did a masterful job in researching primary sources and then writing a gut wrenching story about the horrors and dehumanizing aspects of the Pacific war. My main thoughts now are about the many men in their late teens and early twenties who were put through the hell of the Pacific campaign. Saul did a magnificent job of telling these mens' stories, a bit about their origins and their experiences growing to become "brothers" to their fellow Marines and, in some cases, their devolution to savages when dealing with the enemy. I came to admire many of the men whose stories were told, and then experienced the feeling of tragic waste and loss on reading of their deaths in subsequent chapters.
I have read many books about WWII...this is easily one of the very best.
I have read many books about WWII...this is easily one of the very best.
May 15, 2025
Pulling together an impressively comprehensive list of sources, which include a number of significant memoirs, Saul David has created a compelling narrative describing the activities of King Company (the Devil Dogs), 1st U.S. Marine Division during the Second World War Pacific Campaign. The author has blended strategy, tactics and the experience of war into a holistic account which articulates really well the necessity and the horrors of the fights for Guadalcanal, New Britain, Peleliu and Okinawa. I'm a great admirer of the work of John Keegan, in particular his book 'The Face of Battle'. To my mind this later book from Saul David, with its' vivid descriptions of the reality of battle, is comparable and is worthy of similar accolades to those that Keegan received. Recommended.
November 9, 2022
A great book!!! The "Old Breed" is a historical Marine Division. Many of the operations in the Pacific during WWII were done by the 1st Marine Division. This is true also as the first American unit sent into Korea was the 1st Marine division, as well as most of the 1st Provisional Brigade.
Saul David does a masterful job telling about infantry warfare in the Pacific. Telling much about the "Mistake" of Peleliu in detail. The island was not of much use after the battle as Tinian became the home of the B-29.
This book has an easy reading style and moves along at a good, informal pace. This book has been looked for for a long time.
Saul David does a masterful job telling about infantry warfare in the Pacific. Telling much about the "Mistake" of Peleliu in detail. The island was not of much use after the battle as Tinian became the home of the B-29.
This book has an easy reading style and moves along at a good, informal pace. This book has been looked for for a long time.
November 1, 2024
Hard to put down. A brutally honest history of K/3/5 Marines in the Pacific and the horrors they saw. An absolute must read for any WWII history buff. The only critique I have of the book is that it would have been very helpful to have maps at the beginning of each chapter showing the various invasions and the following assaults.
One of the book's main characters, Eugene Sledge, is author of "With the Old Breed", which I will make a point to pick up. That book was also the inspiration for the HBO mini-series and "Band of Brothers" companion piece "The Pacific".
One of the book's main characters, Eugene Sledge, is author of "With the Old Breed", which I will make a point to pick up. That book was also the inspiration for the HBO mini-series and "Band of Brothers" companion piece "The Pacific".
April 11, 2025
Such a valuable book. Truly fascinating to follow a single Marine company's journey throughout the Pacific theater from the Marine's first battles at the outbreak of the war to the final battles. The way Saul David weaves information from so many first hand sources in a way that is cohesive, yet allows the reader to experience the war from so many eye witness perspectives is truly an amazing accomplishment. I highly recommend this book!
January 5, 2023
An excellent book following a company of Marines through the island hopping campaign of WWII
July 7, 2023
A great read very informative and plenty of unknown facts. I enjoyed that it follows a single unit through the war and then tells you what they got up to when they made it home
November 23, 2024
Absolutely superb!
July 19, 2025
I found this to be an excellent account of one Marine Company and it's actions in the Pacific in WW2.
Horrifying in its subject but kept me rapt throughout.
Horrifying in its subject but kept me rapt throughout.
November 8, 2022
This is a fascinating - if disturbing- read. It does a great job in taking the points from the strategic to the tactical and illustrates the impact of the big picture decisions on the troops on the front line.
October 21, 2024
I loved this (in audiobook version). It was well written, detailed, and at the same time, it managed to stay "in character" for all the action parts.
After reading (well, listening to) this, damn - we have an easy life nowadays.
After reading (well, listening to) this, damn - we have an easy life nowadays.
November 1, 2024
Saul David is another writer who can really bring history to life. A well-written book that captures your attention from beginning to end. What the Marines, Navy and Army experienced in the Pacific during World War II was horrific. A must read! It kept my attention throughout!
March 1, 2023
Certainly an equal to Band of Brothers.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews