Rating: 
Summary: An excellent history of the turning-point battle.
Review: Mr. Frank's book is by far the most fascinating military history that I have read. He cogently ties the land, air, and sea campaigns into one narrative. He also treats both sides fairly, praising the successes and condemning the mistakes that went into the battle plans. If you have any interest in the battle, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Account
Review: Of course, the title of this review is easy - just copied from the book itself (I've seen quite a few reviewers done the same). In fact, it is more than a detailed account of the land/sea/air battles at Quadalcanal. It also reads like a war novel (except that the story is true). It is one of those rare historical accounts that will keep the reader captivated throughout. The complex interplay of numerous fighting units involved in the series of battle is unravelled in such an elegant manner.
Rating:
Summary: A gripping account of the campaign for Guadalcanal
Review: On August 7, 1942, eight months to the day after Japan's "dastardly attack" on Pearl Harbor and barely eight weeks after the Battle of Midway ended a 6-month-long string of defeats for the Allies in the Pacific, elements of the First Marine Division, supported by the largest U.S. fleet yet assembled, came ashore on the beaches of Guadalcanal and two nearby islands in a barely opposed initial landing. Their mission: to capture an airfield (which the Marines named Henderson Field, in honor of Maj. Lofton Henderson, who had died at Midway) that, if left in Japanese hands, could have helped cut the lifeline between Australia and the United States. The initial success of the landings, however, was followed by some of the fiercest land, air, and naval battles of the Pacific War. Japanese and American naval forces struggled incessantly for control of the seas around the Solomon Islands, and the U.S. Navy was unpleasantly surprised to come off as second best in some of the more famous fleet encounters, particularly in the Battle of Savo Island, where four Allied cruisers were sunk in one of the worst defeats in America's long naval history. On land, too, Guadalcanal became a living hell for the Japanese defenders and the Marines holding a perimeter around Henderson Field. Both sides endured not only the man-made horrors of battle, but also the ravages of life in the tropical jungle, including jungle rot, malaria, and -- for the Japanese -- hunger as American attempts to stem the trickle of reinforcements and supplies slowly but surely began to succeed. Richard B. Frank's book, Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle, not only covers the events that took place between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943, but also deals with the Guadalcanal campaign's genesis as part of the overall Pacific War's conduct by both the Japanese and the Allies. It's Frank's firm conclusion -- and the facts of the book seem to support his opinion -- that Guadalcanal, rather than Midway, was the true turning point of World War II in the Pacific. The book is extremely well done and impeccably researched, making full use of Japanese and American sources to present a fully balanced account of this extremely complex and vital campaign.
Rating:
Summary: A gripping account of the campaign for Guadalcanal
Review: On August 7, 1942, eight months to the day after Japan's "dastardly attack" on Pearl Harbor and barely eight weeks after the Battle of Midway ended a 6-month-long string of defeats for the Allies in the Pacific, elements of the First Marine Division, supported by the largest U.S. fleet yet assembled, came ashore on the beaches of Guadalcanal and two nearby islands in a barely opposed initial landing. Their mission: to capture an airfield (which the Marines named Henderson Field, in honor of Maj. Lofton Henderson, who had died at Midway) that, if left in Japanese hands, could have helped cut the lifeline between Australia and the United States. The initial success of the landings, however, was followed by some of the fiercest land, air, and naval battles of the Pacific War. Japanese and American naval forces struggled incessantly for control of the seas around the Solomon Islands, and the U.S. Navy was unpleasantly surprised to come off as second best in some of the more famous fleet encounters, particularly in the Battle of Savo Island, where four Allied cruisers were sunk in one of the worst defeats in America's long naval history. On land, too, Guadalcanal became a living hell for the Japanese defenders and the Marines holding a perimeter around Henderson Field. Both sides endured not only the man-made horrors of battle, but also the ravages of life in the tropical jungle, including jungle rot, malaria, and -- for the Japanese -- hunger as American attempts to stem the trickle of reinforcements and supplies slowly but surely began to succeed. Richard B. Frank's book, Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle, not only covers the events that took place between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943, but also deals with the Guadalcanal campaign's genesis as part of the overall Pacific War's conduct by both the Japanese and the Allies. It's Frank's firm conclusion -- and the facts of the book seem to support his opinion -- that Guadalcanal, rather than Midway, was the true turning point of World War II in the Pacific. The book is extremely well done and impeccably researched, making full use of Japanese and American sources to present a fully balanced account of this extremely complex and vital campaign.
Rating:
Summary: Guadalcanal Is The Definitive Account
Review: Quite simply this book ranks up there with Ambrose's D-Day June 6, 1944, and Fahrenbach's This Kind of War for comprehensive excellence in military history. It clearly explains all of the battle. I would wish for more detail about the individuals that fought there, but that is a quibble. This is the big picture that Guadalcanal Diary and The Thin Red Line could not (necessarily) provide. I wish this were the first Guadalcanal book I had read because it provides the full context that makes all the others immediately understandable.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping look at an overlooked turning point
Review: Reading "Guadalcanal" is the closest I have ever been, or ever care to be, to combat. I could almost feel the oppressive heat, almost hear the bullets whip-cracking over head. This is a book that is brutal in its truth, but that read like a novel. Never have I encountered narration of bravery and sacrifice, brilliance and blunder told so eloquently. The fact that I encountered it in a work of serious military history that captures the incredible strategic importance of a battle often overlooked makes it all the more remarkable. And important.
Rating:
Summary: virtual reality
Review: Rich Frank provides additional proof (if ever it was needed) that frequently the best history comes from nonprofessionals. "Guadalcanal" was researched and written on the author's own time over a period spanning years, and the result is often described as "definitive." That's likely an apt assessment. Frank's tremendous work may or may not remain "the last word" on the subject, but it will certainly stand the test of time.
I disagree with those who say that the book contains too much statistical data. Nearly all the stats are grouped in the notes and appendices, which is where they belong. In no way do they detract from the first-rate text, but they're provided in a logical manner, easily referenced.
In LSO terms, "Guadalcanal" is an underlined OK-3.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Word?
Review: Rich Frank provides additional proof (if ever it was needed) that frequently the best history comes from nonprofessionals. "Guadalcanal" was researched and written on the author's own time over a period spanning years, and the result is often described as "definitive." That's likely an apt assessment. Frank's tremendous work may or may not remain "the last word" on the subject, but it will certainly stand the test of time.
I disagree with those who say that the book contains too much statistical data. Nearly all the stats are grouped in the notes and appendices, which is where they belong. In no way do they detract from the first-rate text, but they're provided in a logical manner, easily referenced.
In LSO terms, "Guadalcanal" is an underlined OK-3.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive account of the Guadalcanal campaign
Review: Richard B. Frank has written what I consider to be the authoritative account of the Guadalcanal campaign of August 1942-February 1943. A military offensive undertaken by the United States seven months after the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbour, the Guadalcanal campaign was marked on both sides by successes as well as by setbacks. What I found particularly fascinating was Richard Frank's detailed description of the Imperial Japanese Navy's three areas of superiority over the U.S. Navy during their naval engagements: (1) highly trained naval gunners and commanders who were well-versed in night fighting naval tactics; (2) night optics/night vision capabilities; (2) the Long Lance torpedo. In a number of instances, Japanese naval lookouts were able to see approaching U.S. Navy ships long before the U.S. Navy could identify Japanese vessels! The superiority of the Long Lance torpedo over its American counterpart (the latter was virtually useless in sinking anything!) allowed the Imperial Japanese Navy to seriously damage or sink a number of American ships. Frank also points out that during the naval encounters off the coast of Guadalcanal, the U.S. Navy utilised radar with mixed results. Land masses - like Savo Island just off the north-west coast of Guadalcanal - produced misleading images on the U.S. Navy's radar screens at night. In addition, with the exception of U.S. Admiral Willis "Ching" Lee who commanded a battleship-based naval task force off the coast of Guadalcanal, few American naval officers had been trained in the use of naval radar and were thus unable to understand or properly exploit this new technology within the confined waters of "Iron Bottom Sound." I was particularly intrigued to read Frank's detailed descriptions of U.S. Marine Major General Alexander Vandegrift's calculated, strikingly bold, even risk-taking tactical dispositions and offensive operations against the Japanese Army, particularly the series of battles along the Matanikau River just west of the U.S. Marine base at Henderson Field. These actions, based on his and his staff's brilliant analyses of the strengths and shortcomings of the Japanese Army, allowed the U.S. Marines to keep the Japanese Army off balance. When the Japanese Army did strike, the Marines more than met the challenge. After all the setbacks and successes, victory came to the Americans in February 1943 with Japan's withdrawal from the island that the Japanese soldiers called "Starvation Island." A companion book to Frank's account of the Guadalcanal campaign, and one that I would highly recommend, is James Jones's autobiographical novel, "The Thin Red Line," based on Jones's experiences as a combat infantryman in the U.S. 25th Infantry Division during the Guadalcanal campaign. Richard Frank's book immortalises those Americans and Japanese who fought on the land, in the air and on the seas in this epochal military campaign.
Rating:
Summary: Cant put the book down
Review: The book is the definitive source on the Guadalcanal campaign. It covers all three aspects (air, land, sea) of the 6 month campaign in detail. It is obvious the Mr. Frank has done his homework and it was very refershing to see that Japanese sources were also used extensively. This is something that is sorely lacking in other books that discuss campaigns in the Pacific. He provides interesting breakdown tables of casualties after each major battle. I especially liked the way the author analyzes mistakes that were made by both sides. His critiques of Adms. Ghormley and Fletcher was especially interesting. The final concluding chapter was als very excellent as it gives a good tactical and strategic summary of the whole campaign. The only minor quibble I had was with the comparatively short (comapred to the land and sea) coverage on the air aspects. More personal details on the airmen who particpated would be better since the author himself stated that control of Henderson Field was instrumental to the Japanese inability to resupply their land forces, and the eventual win. The daily listing of air casualties over-claimed/suffered by both sides gets a bit numbing after a while.
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