Dee Miller > Recent Status Updates

Chapter two: Horrah!! Lymond returns. As do, Jerret Blythe (missed him in book 5), Marte, and Philipa. Looking forward to this... conclusion, but I am going to try NOT to race...through...this book. It will be a test of my willpower.
I wonder how Dunnett's early readers waited YEARS until her next book was published.

Ch 9 What was happening in San Francisco since Dec. 17-- a great expansion in shipbuilding. A look at the building of submarines, the improvement in submariners, and torpedoes. A look in particular following building of The Wahoo, her captain, and cruises.

Ch 8 Evacution of beleaguered Marines from Guadalcanal Their welcome in Australia. 1943 Wise decision to bypass well fortified islands held by Japanese. In May, Allies retake small Aleutian islands as a symbolic defeat. I never understood the vast territories held by the Japanese in the South Pacific. The Japanese had overextended themselves and were losing due inability to reinforce and resupply.

Ch 7 Analysis by Japanese of failures at Guadalcanal
Removal of Marines from the island. Improvements to the base. A realistic look at life by troops on the Solomon Islands. What was Admiral Halsey really like? A fighting man, self-deprecating, a great sense of humor, tender-hearted, loved by those he commanded. What was Admiral Tamamoto like? His attitude toward the war. His death.

Ch 7 Japanese high command at end of 1942 decides that capture of Guadalcanal must be forgone. After being unavailable to resupply its army on the island, three night evacutions removed fewer than 11,000 severely malnutrioned, diseased Japanese troops from the island, leaving behind 16,800 dead or dying. 36,000 Japanese troops total had been landed. On Feb 9, 1943, the new US commander on GC notified Nimitz of *win*

Ch 6 The US damaged 2 Japanese carriers, but the Japanese do serious damage to the Enterprise and cripple the Hornet, requiring it to be towed, then it was bombed again, then finally torpedoed and sunk. Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Mutual retreat. Airplanes lost about equal, but US recovered twice as many seasoned pilots as Japanese.

Ch 6 The Marines on the island hold their own, encouraged by the news that Admiral Halsey was now in charge. The Americans have only the Enterprise and the wounded Hornet in their battle fleet. Japanese have twice the number of ships as US and a plan to throw all they have-army, navy, air against Guadalcanal on Oct 23,24, 1942. A battle between the guns on the ships and the guns of the planes!

The Marines would remember it simply as THE NIGHT, October 13/14. The gigantic shells from two Japanese battleships pound Guadalcanal-unlike anything the Marines had ever experienced. The Battle for Guadalcanal begins.

The Marines would remember it simply as THE NIGHT, October 13/14. The gigantic shells from two Japanese battleships pound Guadalcanal-unlike anything the Marines had ever experienced.

Ch5 Description of Admiral Chester Nimitz, a great leader, fearless, no nonsense but personal decides Guadalcanal must be the island to defend. Admiral Turner personally observes the beleaguered Marines and finally agrees to send in another division of Marines. Meanwhile, the Tokyo Express continues to reenforce Japanese forces with men and supplies. The constant grind to keep Henderson Field functional.

Ch 5 "We MUSt"succeed at any cost to retake Guadalcanal! "Japanese underestimate the number of Marines on Guadalcanal at 7,500 (actually 15,000). Twenty thousand Japanese from all services deployed in a new battle plan that involve bombadment by naval guns, airforce destroying Henderson Airfield, followed by invasion.

Ch 5 What is happening in Tokyo? Who is Yamoto? The effects of the war on the Japanese people. The effects th draft. Critical shortages felt not only by the people but also by the dept of war, especially oil. US subs are targeting oil tankers in the China Sea successfully. Great pressure from the top to take Guadalcanal quickly. How? By invasion, naval, or air attack? Great chapter!

Chy 2 Marines successfully repel two attempted Japanese invasions to the island. Japanese sub sends seven torpedoes into a carrier group,returning from delivering vital supplies to the Marines. Four strike the aircraft carrier Wasp, great fire, explosions, loss of another carrier, and 2/3' s of her planes. One topedo hits a smaller ship also sunk. One torpedo hits the North Carolina. Planes from Wasp landed safely.

Correction: The "early" weeks were much different.
Ian Toll's writing is vivid and exciting. I've had this book for a year and have procrastinated reading because I thought it would be history presented straightforward and dryly. How wrong I was!

The Battle for Guadalcanal was quite different than I had imagined it. The coast watchers performed heroic acts by alerting ships and marines to the approach of Japanese planes. The pilots of Zeros had to fly over 600 hundred miles one way to straff or bomb the island, which led to air fatigue. The Marines were cut off from much needed supplies early when the Japanese navy destroyed 5 US transport ships.

Delightful writing! Poor little widow Lucy grows a backbone and is quite pragmatic about letting Gull Cottage with its accompanying ghost. I forsee a charming read.

Two more heroes. Ray Davis charged with rescuing Fox Company trapped on a hill selects "Kurt" Chew-En Lee, the first non-white and Asian-American Marine officer to lead the rigorous, nighttime ten-mile foot trip through a snowstorm with temps below 20° F.

This is a book filled with heroes. Jack Chapman, 17 year-old Oakie army grunt, was part of 320 British commandos and American Marines who faced attack by the Communist Chinese on Hellfire Alley. He was wounded 7 times, including a bullet to his cranium while manning an M20 abandonedby his sargent. Later, he and 200 others were taken prisoners of war and held in horrendous conditions for 3 years.

General Oliver Prince Smith begins to shine as the hero of the battle of Choison Reservoir. "I halted the attack because it manifested that we were up against a massive force out there. We couldn't do anything but defend, because I couldn't withdraw without permission from higher authorities." Oh, the ego of Douglas McArthur!

Ch 22 Easy Company faces the Chinese at the Choison Reservoir. Marine Lt. Jack Yancy loses 90% of his company in the first night,as well as being seriously wounded in his head. His eyeball had been knocked out so he pushed back in so he wouldn't lose it. He continued to lead until reinforcements arrived a day later. He finally agreed to go to sickbay, but his part in the war was ended.Just one example of bravery.

Arsene Lupin makes his mysterious appearance on the island at last!

Veronique has been hanged on the tree.at midnight. If Arsene Lupin is going to make an appearance, he needs to do it soon!

Set in 1917. "There is no remedy against fate." A mother faces death by crucifixion and the death for her son when she is trapped by Vrosky, her meglomaniac husband. "I am the god of the Fatherland and not to be defied!"

Chapter 4 The confrontation between Lupin and the 17 year-old student sleuth!