We Were Going to Win, or Die There: With the Marines at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Saipan
North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series
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Narrated by:
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Mark Sando
About this listen
In 1940, native West Texan Roy H. Elrod joined the Marine Corps. By the time his unit, the 8th Marine Regiment, went into the fight at Guadalcanal, he was commanding a platoon of 37 mm gunners. They endured Japanese attacks, malarial tropical weather, and starvation rations. His combat leadership earned him a Silver Star and a battlefield promotion.
On D-Day, his platoon waded their 37 mm cannons ashore, each weighing nearly 1,000 pounds, through half a mile of bullet-laced surf to get to an island where the killing never stopped. His was the only platoon to get its guns ashore and into action that first day.
Saipan was not as intense, but just as deadly. Here Elrod commanded a platoon of 75 mm halftracks. Again, he kept his platoon in front-line combat, blasting enemy caves and pillboxes. It was a dangerous place to be - Elrod was riddled with shrapnel from an enemy artillery shell that ended the war for him.
The book is based on more than 50 hours of interviews conducted by Marine Corps historian Fred H. Allison, who also drew upon Elrod’s wartime letters home and provided annotations to the narrative. It is a view of the war from the perspective of a young Marine infantry officer, a job that had an extremely low survival potential.
The book is published by University of North Texas Press.
“Fascinating, true-life story of duty, service, and battles with a horrifically high mortality rate. Highly recommended." (Midwest Book Review)
"This exceptional work by Dr. Fred Allison ensures Elrod's sacrifices and experiences as a United States Marine will be remembered." (Leatherneck Magazine)
“Remarkable story of one marine's combat experience in three of the most iconic Marine Corps operations in World War II. Highly recommended...." (Military Review)
©2017 Roy H. Elrod and Fred H. Allison (P)2018 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Their Backs Against the Sea
- The Battle of Saipan and the Greatest Banzai Attack of World War II
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Thank you!
- By Robert on 01-29-19
By: Bill Sloan
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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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A Foot Soldier for Patton
- The Story of a "Red Diamond" Infantryman with the US Third Army
- By: Michael C. Bilder, James Bilder
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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A rarely frank account of the US infantry experience in northern Europe, A Foot Soldier for Patton takes the listener from the beaches of Normandy through the giddy drive across France to the brutal battles on the Westwall, in the Ardennes, and finally to the conquest of Germany itself. Patton's army is best known for dashing armored attacks; its commander combining the firepower of tanks with their historic lineage as cavalry. But when the Germans stood firm, the greatest fighting was done by Patton's long undersung infantry.
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Wonderful book
- By Dr. Z on 09-16-21
By: Michael C. Bilder, and others
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Into the Rising Sun
- World War II's Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat
- By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Patrick K. O'Donnell has made a career of uncovering the hidden history of World War II by tracking down and interviewing its most elite troops: the Rangers, Airborne, Marines, and First Special Service Force, forerunners to Americas's Special Forces.
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Vet accounts = 5 stars; Narrator = 1 star
- By Sean on 10-04-05
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Our Vietnam Wars
- As Told by 100 Veterans Who Served
- By: William F. Brown
- Narrated by: Eddie Frierson
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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This could be the most important audiobook you'll listen to this year. It isn't another war story. It is an audiobook about people, and it contains the personal stories of 100 Vietnam veterans who served there.
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Compelling
- By Richard D. Ellis on 10-05-19
By: William F. Brown
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Beyond Valor
- World War II's Ranger and Airborne Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat
- By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Previous books have promised to describe the combat experience of the World War II GI, but there has never been a book like Patrick O'Donnell's Beyond Valor. Here is the first combat history of the war in Europe in the words of the men themselves, and perhaps the most honest and brutal account of combat possible.
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Can't get enough.
- By C,L, Richey on 01-08-12
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Fighting With the Filthy Thirteen
- The World War II Story of Jack Womer - Ranger and Paratrooper
- By: Jack Womer, Stephen Devito
- Narrated by: John Allen Nelson
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In this long awaited work one of the squad’s integral members - and probably its best soldier - reveals his own inside account of fighting as a spearhead of the Screaming Eagles in Normandy, Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge.
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Interesting listen
- By Nick on 11-27-14
By: Jack Womer, and others
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The Mosquito Bowl
- A Game of Life and Death in World War II
- By: Buzz Bissinger
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, college football was at the height of its popularity. As the nation geared up for total war, one branch of the service dominated the aspirations of college football stars: the United States Marine Corps. Which is why, on Christmas Eve of 1944, when the 4th and 29th Marine regiments found themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean training for what would be the bloodiest battle of the war – the invasion of Okinawa—their ranks included one of the greatest pools of football talent ever assembled.
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War Story Interrupted Briefly by a Football Game
- By William G. Stuart on 10-14-22
By: Buzz Bissinger
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Twenty-Two on Peleliu
- Four Pacific Campaigns with the Corps: The Memoirs of an Old Breed Marine
- By: George Peto, Peter Margaritis - With
- Narrated by: Paul Brion
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Growing up on a farm in Ohio, George always preferred being outdoors and exploring. This made school a challenge, but his hunting, fishing, and trapping skills helped put food on his family's table. As a poor teenager living in a rough area, he got into regular brawls, and he found holding down a job hard because of his wanderlust. After working out West with the CCC, he decided that joining the Marines offered him the opportunity for adventure plus three square meals a day; so he and his brother joined the Corps in 1941.
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Good Story
- By Julie Hill on 06-11-20
By: George Peto, and others
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What Now, Lieutenant?
- By: Robert O. Babcock
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Every now and then a work comes along that is so simple and refreshing in its originality that it immediately captures the spirit of American fighting men throughout the ages. Such is this work by Bob Babcock. What makes this work unique is that it is based upon his wartime writing as it occurred, without the softening of time and the refining of modern memory applied to past experience. In it you will find the thinking of a young officer as he struggles to take in all that he is responsible for while experiencing everything himself for the first time.
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Robo Cop Lullaby
- By Gavin on 04-19-20
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The Marines of Montford Point
- America’s First Black Marines
- By: Melton A. McLaurin
- Narrated by: Adam Lazzare White, JD Jackson, Karole Foreman, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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With an executive order from President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, the United States Marine Corps - the last all-white branch of the U.S. military - was forced to begin recruiting and enlisting African Americans. The first black recruits received basic training at the segregated Camp Montford Point, adjacent to Camp Lejeune, near Jacksonville, North Carolina.
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Oohrah 🇺🇸👍🏼
- By Marine on 10-26-20
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Things I'll Never Forget
- Memories of a Marine in Viet Nam
- By: James M. Dixon
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Things I’ll Never Forget is the story of a young high school graduate in 1965 who faces being drafted into the Army or volunteering for the Marine Corps. These are his memories of funny times, disgusting times and deadly times. The author kept a journal for an entire year; therefore many of the dates, times and places are accurate. The rest is based on memories that are forever tattooed on his brain. This is not a pro-war book, nor is it anti-war. It is the true story of what the Marine Corps was like in the late 1960’s.
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Accurate Description
- By USMC VIETVET on 07-02-19
By: James M. Dixon
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We Who Are Alive and Remain
- Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers
- By: Marcus Brotherton
- Narrated by: George K. Wilson
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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They were the men of the now-legendary Easy Company. After almost two years of hard training, they parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and, later, Operation Market Garden. They fought their way through Belgium, France, and Germany, survived overwhelming odds, liberated concentration camps, and drank a victory toast in April 1945 at Hitler's hideout in the Alps.
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Filling in the blank spots
- By JW on 01-17-10
What listeners say about We Were Going to Win, or Die There: With the Marines at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Saipan
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Shawn from NC
- 01-02-19
Excellent account of WWII from V18 view
Account from a V18 hero who rose from private to captain in the same unit. Genuine and heartfelt with many pearls of wisdom. 5* and highly recommended to anyone who enjoys history or biographies.
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- Michael P. Duke
- 01-19-22
Fantastic
A wonderful audiobook
I really enjoyed this.
Hard work and determination to do the right thing really makes a difference in life.
Good job Elrod
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- John V. Obrien
- 12-29-21
The Worst….
You’ll die of boredom before any points of interest are covered. Utter waste of time.
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