audiobook The Battle over Peleliu: Islander; Japanese; and American Memories of War (War; Memory; and Culture) by Stephen C. Murray in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A "Must Read" for an understanding of this battleBy David K. McquillenThis is a "must read" for those with a serious interest in the WWII battle for the island of Peleliu. I have a personal interest in the Peleliu battlefield as a close family member died there. I've read most--if not all--of the books about the battle written in English and am familiar with the island. Sometimes I'm asked for a reading recommendation and generally it comes down to E.B. Sledge's "With The Old Breed" and the USMC monograph; "The Assault On Peleliu" by Frank Hough. "The Battle Over Peleliu" is now on--if not first on--that short list. The story it tells of the destruction by the warring nations of this small island and the impact of the war on the inhabitants(continuing to this day) is authoritative; well-written and highly readable. I highly recommend it to those who want to understand the battle for Peleliu and the impact of war on local populations. As a bonus; the author includes a critical survey of the literature on the Peleliu battle.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This is the culmination of a lifetime of study and ...By John GiarratanaThis is the culmination of a lifetime of study and passionate; scholarly effort concerning the place and the people of Palau. The flora; the fauna; the culture and history of the the islands and the islanders make an in depth backdrop to the central theme of the book. Murray focuses on the events leading to the WW2 battle for the island of Peleliu and the aftermath of that conflict. The period is viewed from the varying perspectives of the Japanese; the Americans; and the people of Palau. It is an eye opening analysis and a fascinating read.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Three ways of interpreting history; and maybe the Palauan approach is best. A thought-provoking book.By lyndonbrechtThis is a complicated book; and an exceptionally good one. It's partly military history; partly anthropology/ ethnology; part personal retrospective. Murray has deep knowledge of this place; going back to his Peace Corps days decades ago; and he seems to have family connections with the people on the island. Murray bases the book on American and Japanese documents; many interviews with Palauans (Peleliu is part of Palau; note that spellings vary). The weakest spot; and I don't think it's much of a weakness is that he does not read or speak Japanese and so relied on materials translated; some of them by Japanese fellow researchers. I have not read a book quite like this; but in a general way it's similar to some of the work of John Dower. Murray is laying out three differing interpretations of events; within the context of describing the way people in Peleliu and Palau view history--and just maybe their way is better than ours. Murry will make the attentive reader think.There's also the element of was the battle really necessary? Current historical views tend to think not.The island is about 5 square miles; with a current population of around 550. The battle in the war saw 11;000 Japanese and 1;600 American dead. In this small space the Marines alone expended 16 million rounds of ammo; 116;000 hand grenades; with much more from naval gunfire and from the Army units replacing the Marines--to say nothing of the Japanese. The native folks had been evacuated before the battle. Am important aspect is that the Palaun way of life; stretching back 2;500 to 3;500 years; is deeply intertwined with the land; and with the near-obliteration of the land; much of the base of the people's existence was destroyed. Peleliu is in some ways a memory.It gets yet more complex. The islands (all of Palau) have endured through several sets of outsiders. Spain established rule (based on old claims) 1885 to 1899 when the islands were sold to Germany; which ruled until 1914; when they were taken by the Japanese (it is widely forgotten that rhe Japanese were allies in the first world war). The Japanese ruled until 1945 (Americans took Peleliu but the balance of Palau was occupied by the Japanese until the end of the war). The US Navy ruled 1945-47; then a more benign civilian US administration until independence in 1994--the term independence" has to be somewhat qualified given agreements with the US. The Japanese ruled under a mandate from the League of Nations; but treated the place as a colony; achieving considerable prosperity in the 1930s; and immigration from Japan (and Okinawa and Korea) means that the native Palauans were heavily outnumbered. The Japanese era saw an ethnic stratification of Japanese-Okinawan-Korean-Palauan remembered with ambivalence today (some Palauans have Japanese family connections).A further element is that the traditions in Peleliu and Palau reflect very complex land use patterns; administered by clan tradition. The idea of land as a commodity that can be bought and sold is vastly different. This notion together with uncertain land titles from the various colonial regimes has made a mess of ownership in the islands; still being worked out. Much of the traditional economy based on cultivation of taro was obliterated. Currently the economy is partly based on tourism.Memory is important in the consideration of Japanese and Americans reflecting on and visiting the battle scenes. Murray notes that most Americans have bought into the "good war" concept; and that the Japanese remain deeply divided on the war. Despite American beliefs that Asians think that life is cheap; Japanese have been visiting and honoring their battle dead since the 1960s to view battle scenes and hunt for bones--apparently the US administration placed sharp limits on tourism till then. Murray describes local guides leading groups of Americans and Japanese and how they see things differently. Interestingly; Japanese memorials on Peleliu can have wording that might be politically controversial back in Japan. Memory of course is fading with the passing of the generations involved. Murray notes that the Japanese and American histories have many documents and published histories; but that the history of Peleliu by the people who live there is a different matter; and that they also have a deeply different way of telling history. From Peleliu; the view is of outsiders fighting to the death on someone else's turf--it wasn't their war; really. Relatively few died; most from the last year of Japanese rule; when Palau was cut off and starvation became real; with constant harassment by US aviation (which in this book comes across as almost malevolent).