No Bended Knee
The Battle for Guadalcanal
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4.2 • 9 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“A VIVID NARRATIVE . . . A splendid first-person account of the costly campaign that enabled Allied forces to wrest Guadalcanal from the Japanese in World War II’s Pacific theater.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“By reading and studying No Bended Knee, the military professional can gain an appreciation for war at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Twining writes as he served his corps—boldly and straightforwardly, with impeccable detail and superb understanding of things strategic.”
—Airpower Journal
“A VIEW FROM THE NERVE CENTER COMPLETE WITH TELLING PERSONAL ANECDOTES.”
—Journal Inquirer (Manchester, CT)
“Twining adds notably to the literature on Guadalcanal and provides one of the best accounts of war as seen from the perspective of the often maligned yet absolutely indispensable headquarters staff.”
—Booklist
“CANDID AND REVEALING.”
—Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The author of this candid and revealing memoir served as the 1st Marine Division's operations officer during the 1942 battle for Guadalcanal, one of the major campaigns of WWII. The literature of the campaign is based largely on his after-action report, which, as he now discloses, was written under severe handicaps, including malaria and the lack of an operations log. Setting straight the historical record, Twining here reveals that the division's commanding officer, Maj. Gen. A.A. Vandergrift, ordered the log to be burned when he thought the unit was going to be forced into the island's interior for a last-ditch stand. Twining expresses resentment over the faintheartedness of the operation's overall commander, Vice Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher, for his decision to withdraw the fleet only two days after the Marines' amphibious landing, leaving them stranded and taking with him a large part of their supplies and equipment. He also discusses the inept interference of Rear Adm. Kelly Turner, commander of the amphibious forces, and the bone-deep hostility toward the Marines by Army authorities who later campaigned to abolish the corps. Twining retired in 1959 with the rank of general. Illustrations.
