It is nice to see that this classic has been reissued in paperback. This review is based on the hardback version, which for some reason Amazon did not automatically carry over to the paperback reviews. I checked, and the text of both books appears to be identical. However, even though not on glossy photographic paper the photographs in the hardback version are printed with greater clarity.

Strong Men Armed in the classic narrative story of the US Marine Corps in WWII, written by a man who fought on the front lines and went on to become one of the premiere writers of USA military history. By narrative I mean that it concentrates on the stories of fighting men instead of the dryer political and overall strategic and tactical aspects of the fighting. Leckie writes with great passion and verve, creating a book that ranks with the best narrative military histories. Reading this book gives a clear picture of the great determination and heroism exhibited by the US Marine Corps and the tenacious, but fatalistic Japanese opposition. I think that it provides a balanced picture of Marines who did not necessarily immediately achieve victory through a heroic charge, but in many cases were driven back by determined Japanese resistance, but in the end exhibited the fortitude to attack again and again until they prevailed. Japanese tactics are discussed and how they evolved from the idea that a banzai charge could win the day, to a more realistic, and deadly, defensive strategy. While an exciting narrative, the book also cleared up many historical points for me. For instance, many books state that the Japanese deliberately allowed an unopposed landing on Okinawa, but Leckie shows that this is only partly true. The Japanese plan was to only fortify the Southern part of the island as the terrain there was much more suitable for defense. The US landings were on the largely undefended northern part of the island, but had the landings been in the south they would have been strongly opposed. I also learned that there were 10,000 Japanese prisoners taken on Okinawa.

This book is not a complete history of the Pacific fighting in WWII, as it only covers the actions of the Marine Corps. Campaigns such as those in New Guinea and the Philippines that were led by General MacArthur are not covered at all, and in those engagements where the US Army fought alongside the US Marine Corps (such as in Okinawa) the US Army aspects of the fighting are only briefly mentioned. The naval aspects of WWII are only covered to the extent that they impacted on the ground fighting. This book discusses Marine Corps Aviation as well as the ground fighting, but the emphasis is on the latter. The book discusses the less well known fighting at Bougainville, Western New Britain (Cape Gloucester and Borgen Bay), Kwajalein and Eniwetok; as well as all of the more well known major engagements (Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa). The actions of all of the Marine Corps Medal of Honor winners that led to their receiving this highest US decoration for heroism are mentioned and there is an appendix that lists all of them. There are also appendices that provide a chronology of the war (primarily the events associated with the Marine Corps, but with some attention to other events) and a list of all of the Marine Corps flying aces along with the number of planes that they shot down. Fourteen maps are included, covering the Pacific and the islands discussed in the text, but while these cover the major features they are not battle maps showing the evolution of any of the fighting that is discussed.

This remains one of the best of the histories of the marine Corps in WWII and I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the fighting in the Pacific in WWII.

Robert Leckie was there and he is one of the best authors out there on the Marines. What more could you ask for? STRONG MEN ARMED is a scholarly account of Marine action in the Pacific, from Guadacanal to Okinawa through Bougainville, New Britain, Tarawa and Iwo Jima. You get it all. The book has been around for ever and is still a definitive work. RECOMMENDED.

I read this once before as a teenager. It details the incredible heroism, bravery, and sacrifice of the United States Marines in the war against Japan. There is a reason why those who lived and fought are known as the "Greatest Generation!" If you are a World War II buff, this is a must read!