Lonely Vigil: Coastwatchers of the Solomons - WWII Pacific Theater History Book (Bluejacket Books) | Perfect for Military History Enthusiasts & WWII Book Collectors

The Coastwatchers of the Pacific war have always fascinated me. To live on a remote, tropical island is somewhat of an amazing feat all by itself, but to do it hundreds of miles behind Japanese lines is quite another. And to do that while being a crucial part of the largest military force ever created-simply amazing. walter Lord does an excellent job of telling their story.=== The Good Stuff ===* This is not a book about the Pacific War, and there is little concentration on WWII strategy, major naval or land battles, or Allied or Japanese armed forces. Rather it is the story of the Coastwatchers, their struggles, successes and adventures. Lord captures the determination and bravery of these fighters, and many of the stories are enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck.* The Coastwatchers were quite a collection of personality types. There number included Colorado ranchers, miners, department store buyers and even the occasional missionary-certainly not the Special Forces commando you would expect. Lord captures the personalities and quirks of these men quite well. Imagine a man, living in on a remote jungle island, who expected, and often managed to achieve, having iced bowls to surround his butter dish. Certain standards must be maintained.* There is a nice balance of seriousness and the lighter side of things. The Geneva Convention was seldom observed in the reconnaissance war, and you know things are bad when members of the clergy see the justification of executing prisoners. On the other hand, Lord captures some of the day-to-day humor of the jungle. Imagine two shot-down US pilots, gesturing and trying to communicate to a group of natives that they are Americans...only to be formally greeted in the King's finest English.* Finally, and most importantly, Lord captures how the Coastwatchers were integrated into Allied strategy, and were an important part of the victory. On the side, they rescued quite a few fliers and occasionally large numbers of crew from ships. They even rescued the soon-to-be-famous commander of a PT boat, but never received credit until years later due to wartime secrecy rules.* I shouldn't have to add this, but there were pleasantly few typos and transcription errors for a Kindle book.=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===* The book needs some better maps. There were a few, but they were a bit tough to navigate, at least on my classic Kindle. Internet maps are of some help, but many of the place names are a bit of a challenge to find.* The narrative can get confusing and somewhat convoluted. Some of the longer descriptions could have been clearer and more concisely written, and I occasionally had to backtrack and reread a section to gain the context. However, Lord generally writes well, and the book is easy to read.=== Summary ===I enjoyed the book very much. It comes up a little short as a formal history of the Battle of the Solomon Islands, but more than makes up for that by capturing the spirit and tactics of the Coastwatchers. I'd certainly recommend it for any WWII fan, but even general history buffs will find it an enjoyable read.