From Library Journal
Peleliu is a tiny coral island 500 miles from the Philippines on which over 1500 Americans lost their lives in World War II. The invasion, furiously opposed by Admiral Halsey as unnecessary and costly, was championed by Maj. Gen. William H. Rupertus, who predicted a simple two-day victory but during the vital planning took a month's furlough in Washington to visit his new wife and infant son. The battle took over two months, and thousands of soldiers and marines were seriously wounded in pursuit of a dubious prize: 6400 acres of inverted coral. The Pacific war was moving too quickly, and Peleliu became an afterthought even before it was invaded, a tragedy for the many heroes who died there. Hallas writes with meticulous care and intense feeling for the courageous men who fought a war where there never should have been one. His anger permeates his description of administrative defects and the eventual awarding of the Distinguished Service Medal to Rupertus. The pity is that Peleliu is a stranger to most of us, even those who have fought in the war. Recommended for public libraries. [Previewed in "World War II: Fifty Years After D-Day," LJ 4/1/94, p.110-111; for more titles on the war in the Pacific, see "The Day of Infamy in Print," LJ 9/1/91, p.206-207.]-Ralph DeLucia, Willoughby Wallace Lib., Branford, Ct.
--Ralph DeLucia, Willoughby Wallace Lib., Branford, Ct.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
?The Devil's Anvil brings to the forefront the human struggle that is indicative of not only war, but of a battle that was forgotten even before it was printed in the annals of history. From the eyes of famous men like Colonel Lewis Puller down to the lowest private, Hallas has offered military buffs and serious academicians alike an opportunity to experience what it was like to be a U.S. Marine in the South Pacific. This book is an essential part to any WWII library.?-Military
