Their Backs Against the Sea
The Battle of Saipan and the Greatest Banzai Attack of World War II
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Narrated by:
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Dan Woren
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By:
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Bill Sloan
About this listen
In the midst of the largest banzai attack of the war, US Army Lt. Col. William O'Brien, grievously wounded and out of ammunition, grabbed a sabre from a fallen Japanese soldier and flailed away at a small army of assailants, screaming to his men, "Don't give them a damn inch"! When his body was recovered the next day, 30 dead enemies were piled around him.
The Battle of Saipan lasted 25 hellish days in the summer of 1944, and the stakes couldn't have been higher. If Japan lost possession of the island, all hope for victory would be lost. For the Americans, its capture would result in secure air bases for the new B-29s that would put them within striking distance of the Japanese homeland.
The outcome of the war in the Pacific lay in the balance. In this gritty, vivid narrative, award-winning author Bill Sloan fuses fresh interviews, oral and unit histories, and unpublished accounts to describe one of the war's bloodiest and most overlooked battles of the Pacific theater. Combining grunt's-view grit with big picture panorama (and one of the ugliest inter-service controversies of the war), Their Backs Against the Sea is the definitive dramatic story of this epic battle - and an inspiring chronicle of some of the greatest acts of valor in American military history.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 Bill Sloan (P)2017 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Although most people associate the term D-day with the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, it is military code for the beginning of any offensive operation. In the Pacific theater during World War II there were more than one hundred D-days. The largest - and last - was the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, which brought together the biggest invasion fleet ever assembled, far larger than that engaged in the Normandy invasion. D-Days in the Pacific tells the epic story of the campaign waged by American forces to win back the Pacific islands from Japan.
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Terrific one volume history of the Pacific war.
- By Bill on 12-01-12
By: Donald L. Miller
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The Lions of Iwo Jima
- The Story of Combat Team 28 and the Bloodiest Battle in Marine Corps History
- By: Major General Fred Haynes (USMC-Ret.), James A. Warren
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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It was the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history, claiming a third of all marines killed in World War II. The relentless fighting on Iwo Jima lasted for 36 days, but most of us only know the iconic photo of five soldiers raising the American flag on Mount Surabachi. For Fred Haynes, a young captain in Combat Team 28, Surabachi was one marker in a ferocious blood-letting against an enemy of 22,000 warriors who were dug into caves and tunnels.
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Excellent Account of the Battle
- By Jesse on 11-25-11
By: Major General Fred Haynes (USMC-Ret.), and others
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Dog Company
- The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc - the Rangers Who Landed at D-Day and Fought Across Europe
- By: Patrick K. O’Donnell
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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It is said that the right man in the right place at the right time can mean the difference between victory and defeat. This is the dramatic story of 68 soldiers in the US Army's Second Ranger Battalion, Company D - "Dog Company" - who made that difference, time and again. America had many heroes in World War II; however, few can say that, but for them, the course of the war would have been very different. The right men, the right place, the right time - Dog Company.
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On par with the best; Band of Brothers, etc
- By Addicted to Amazon on 04-30-14
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The Dead and Those About to Die
- D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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A white-knuckle account of the First Infantry Division’s harrowing D-Day assault on the eastern sector of Omaha Beach - acclaimed historian John C. McManus has written a gripping history that will stand as the last word on this titanic battle. Nicknamed the Big Red One, First Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors on the front lines and rabble-rousers in the rear. Yet on D-Day, these jaded combat veterans melded with fresh-faced replacements to accomplish one of the most challenging and deadly missions ever.
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Detailed Account of D-Day
- By Pamela Dale Foster on 07-04-14
By: John C. McManus
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Citizen Soldiers
- The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: George K. Wilson
- Length: 21 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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A masterful biography of the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations during World War II, Citizen Soldiers provides a compelling account of the extraordinary stories of ordinary men in their fight for democracy. From the high command on down to the enlisted men, Stephen E. Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories from men on both sides who were there.
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Required reading, excellent narration
- By Jeremy on 06-30-11
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Hell in the Pacific
- A Marine Rifleman's Journey from Guadalcanal to Peleliu
- By: Jim McEnery, Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In what may be the last memoir to be published by a living veteran of the pivotal invasion of Guadalcanal, which occurred almost 70 years ago, Marine Jim McEnery has teamed up with author Bill Sloan to create an unforgettably immersive chronicle of horror and heroism.
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Badass
- By Rebecca Bennett on 11-06-15
By: Jim McEnery, and others
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Combat Veterans' Stories of World War II: Volume 1
- North Africa and Europe, November 1942-May 1945
- By: Norman Black
- Narrated by: Capt. Kevin F. Spalding USNR-Ret
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The stories of 20 combat veterans in this book tell experiences of average Americans that fought enemies of the US in World War II. They relate much previously unavailable information about the military in which they served and the battles they fought, from North Africa to Europe, where the possibility of death and permanent physical and mental injury was their common experience. This book is a "must listen" for those that think they have learned all there is to know about World War II.
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True stories from real heroes
- By Darren on 07-16-15
By: Norman Black
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Undefeated
- America's Heroic Fight for Bataan and Corregidor
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Abandoned by their government, the men and women of the American garrison struggled against impossible military odds, rampant disease, and slow starvation to delay inevitable surrender by the largest American military force ever. Rather than picturing these defenders as little more than helpless victims of an overwhelmingly powerful and sadistic enemy-as most previous books about the Philippines campaign have done- Undefeated credits American troops with the unexcelled heroism and indomitable spirit they displayed under the worst imaginable conditions.
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Mesmerizing
- By Amazon Customer on 03-30-17
By: Bill Sloan
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If Chaos Reigns
- The Near-Disaster and Ultimate Triumph of the Allied Airborne Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944
- By: Flint Whitlock
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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So said Brigadier S. James Hill, commanding officer of the British 3rd Parachute Brigade, in an address to his troops shortly before the launching of Operation Overlord - the D-Day invasion of Normandy. No more prophetic words were ever spoken, for chaos indeed reigned on that day, and many more that followed.
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Allied Airborne in Normandy
- By Doc on 07-13-18
By: Flint Whitlock
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The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told
- Unforgettable Stories of Courage, Honor, and Sacrifice
- By: Iain Martin, Colonel Joseph H. Alexander - introduction
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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On Friday, November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress approved a resolution for the organization of the Corps, creating what would become the hallowed few, the proud - the Marines. Since then, the men and women of the United States Marine Corps have created the finest traditions of service and honor, and supplied a pantheon of heroes who have upheld them.
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Marines Will Hate This Narrator.
- By Blaine E. Moyer on 04-18-17
By: Iain Martin, and others
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Landing on the Edge of Eternity
- Twenty-Four Hours at Omaha Beach
- By: Robert Kershaw
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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When Company A of the US 116th Regiment landed on Omaha Beach in D-Day's first wave on June 6, 1944, it lost 96 percent of its effective strength. Sixteen teams of US engineers arriving in the second wave were unable to blow the beach obstacles, as first wave survivors were still sheltering behind them. This was the beginning of the historic day that Landing on the Edge of Eternity narrates hour by hour.
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Good introduction to first hours of D-Day.
- By Barry Davis on 10-19-24
By: Robert Kershaw
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War Stories II
- Heroism in the Pacific
- By: Oliver North, Joe Musser
- Narrated by: Joel Leffert
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author Oliver North, popular host of FOX News Channel's top-rated War Stories program, provided an insightful look at Operation Iraqi Freedom in the first hard-hitting book based on his show. Now in this second book, North shares the accomplishments of the heroic men who fought in the Pacific theater of World War II.
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Another winner
- By Kindle Customer on 04-20-05
By: Oliver North, and others
What listeners say about Their Backs Against the Sea
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tamara
- 12-29-18
avid reader
not as well written as his others but still full of good stories of the service men who fought the battles.
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- Robert
- 01-29-19
Thank you!
My father was a member of the second Marine division and fought at the battles of Saipan and Tinian. He talked very little about the battles, but the stories that he told match what is written in this book. Thank you Mr. Sloan for explaining to me what my father endured.
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2 people found this helpful
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Poorly written
The narration is amateurish in that the accents are affected and caricatured.
The poorly written battle descriptions are harrowing, especially the descriptions of civilian casualties.
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- Robert
- 10-21-17
It was fine
It was not the best account I have read about a Pacific battle. It seemed a little disjointed at times and is almost strictly accounts that are not always woven together well. But some of the accounts were interesting.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Dad
- 11-05-23
Poorly written. I wish I could return it.
The timeline jumps around from person to person with no clear linear path, and sounds like little more than a collection of baseless claims.
The dialogue is pure nonsense.
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