The vivid, powerful story of an almost forgotten campaign

books:

	• Into the Shadows Furious Brian Altobello Presidio Press, 2000 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Way it Was

I participated in this operation and was a member of the lst Raider Bn. The author was very detailed in his various reports of the battles and accurate. His description of the battle fields and terrain were exactly what I remembered. He wrote about the "grunts" their feelings and miseries - the heroes and those not quite as heroics. He pulled no strings for marines or soldiers or sailors. He called the shots. He was so detailed in his reporting that I swear he must have been there. I recommend this to veterans of that campaign especially. You will never know what was going on over there, even if you were there, unless you read this book.

Frank Gee

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The vivid, powerful story of an almost forgotten campaign

Brian Altobello's Into The Shadows Furious is the vividly presented story of the American battle to drive out the Japanese from New Georgia after the U.S. armed forces had finally secured Guadalcanal in the spring of 1943. The Japanese airbase at Munda on the island of New Georgia was a vital target and the focus of the Army's 43rd Division. The Japanese commander, Major General Sasaki, had prepared a series of strong defensive positions and roadblocks on the trails east from Munda directly in front of the American advance. The ensuing combat in difficult terrain slowed the Americans long enough that General Sasaki managed to evacuate the bulk of his forces. Into The Shadows Furious is compelling reading and a superb addition to the growing library of World War II Pacific Theater with its vivid, powerful story of an almost forgotten campaign that took a tremendous toll in blood and lives.

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A comprehensive history of the New Georgia campaign

Mr. Altobello's book does justice to a previously overlooked pacific campaign. Situated chronologically between Guadalcanal and Bougainville, it has become a footnote in history. It, unfortunately, was not a very well run campaign, lasting much longer and costing much more in men and material than anticipated. The reasons for this are several - inadequately trained, poorly led troops,a terrible attack plan that was made worse with modifications, poor intelligence, and a worthy opponent in defense. In all honesty, in 1943, the south pacific theater was low on the list for appropriations, most army troops available were national guard divisions with little or no combat experiance, and the navy was somewhat limited in its' support ability due to enormous losses at Guadalcanal - specifically no fleet carrier support. So, this campaign was a painful learning experiance for theses services ,and learn they did, with the much more successful campaigns in '44-45. The author has obviously done extensive research on this campaign and no facet of it is not well covered. I highly recommend this book to persons wanting in depth coverage of the Solomons campaign or someone with particular interest in the New Georgia campaign.

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Outstanding story of a forgotten campaign

Into the Shadows Furious is probably the BEST campaign history I've ever read. The greatest part of this book are the numerous first person accounts. Brian Altobello captures the fear, stink, mud and terrifying unknown that was the New Georgia campaign. This is an all but forgotten operation in the central Solomons that turned out to be a near disaster. Mr. Altobello includes very interesting exploits of the coastwatchers in this area and the role they played. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this "you are there" book.

A Great Read!

Altobello does a great job describing the true enemy in the battle of New Georgia, the merciless terrain. His vivid descriptions of the unrelenting jungle of New Georgia and its arsenal of weapons (mangrove swamps, giant crabs, mosquito swarms, and torrential rains) make it easy for the reader to visualize the obstacles our young soldiers faced. Into the Shadows Furious is at its best, however, when Altobello is describing the emotional battles the soldiers endured. Through his own easy to read and insightful prose and through the oral accounts of actual battle of New Georgia participants, Altobello is able to capture the frustrations and mental anguish that our yet untested soldiers faced. The resulting story is a compelling account of both the physical and mental journey each solider underwent during the costly battle of New Georgia.

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reviews: page 1, 2

By the spring of 1943, now that Guadalcanal had finally been secured, it was time to move farther up the Solomons in the drive against Rabaul.

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