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Invitation to a War
- My Early War Experience at Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal
- Narrated by: Steve Carlson
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
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Invitation to a War
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Publisher's summary
Invitation to a War, is a young shipyard worker's eye-witness experience of the war in the Pacific, at Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal.
Larry was invited by the Navy Labor Board to work in Hawaii, while he took time off from Ohio State University, to earn the finances needed for his junior year. On his first Sunday morning in Oahu, he planned to meet with his brother, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Waiting there at the Navy Yard, Dry Dock No. 1, taking in the sights of the harbor and the USS Pennsylvania, the scene changed astonishingly as Pearl Harbor was brutally attacked before his own eyes.
His story details the horror of the attack, its aftermath, and the courage and dedication of the survivors working to rebuild. After months of round-the-clock work, and with deep concern that the Japanese would attack again soon, Larry used the occasion of his first day off to join the US Army. This time, should the enemy invade, he wanted to be carrying a rifle.
Serving in the 25th Division as a forward artillery spotter, he was part of the effort to aid and relieve elements of the 1st and 2nd Marine Corps Divisions at Guadalcanal. Having spent weeks behind enemy lines, his memoirs describe the violent combat, tense missions, camp activities, and life of an American serviceman in World War II. This history celebrates the character, courage, and even the indomitable humor of those who fought.
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-
Ship of Ghosts
- The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of of Her Survivors
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Mark Cashman
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 369
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 264
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 260
Renowned as FDR's favorite warship, the cruiser USS Houston was a prize target trapped in the far Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Without hope of reinforcement, her crew faced a superior Japanese force ruthlessly committed to total conquest. But the men of the Houston fought back with dignity, ingenuity, sabotage, willpower, and the undying faith that their country would prevail.
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4 out of 5 stars
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interesting read
- By Laurie on 05-11-07
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Rescue at Los Banos
- The Most Daring Prison Camp Raid of World War II
- By: Bruce Henderson
- Narrated by: Brett Barry
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Story5 out of 5 stars 73
In February 1945, as the US victory in the Pacific drew nearer, the Japanese army grew desperate, and its soldiers guarding U.S. and Allied POWs more sadistic. Starved, shot and beaten, many of the 2,146 prisoners of the Los Baños prison camp in the Philippines - most of them American men, women and children - would not survive much longer unless rescued soon.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Edge of your seat story. Great narration
- By Stuart Bruce on 04-16-15
By: Bruce Henderson
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Gallant Lady
- A Biography of the USS Archerfish
- By: Don Keith, Ken Henry
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 94
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 50
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
The Archerfish, a diesel powered Balao-class submarine crafted in the 1940s, won a unique, heroic place in military history and the memories of her crew members. Here is her story: from her assembly in New England and her dedication by Eleanor Roosevelt's personal secretary, to her service in World War II, where she broke the back of the Japanese Navy, and her critical role in the Cold War.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Bilgewater
- By Richard on 04-01-06
By: Don Keith, and others
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D-Days in the Pacific with the U.S. Coast Guard
- The Story of Lucky Thirteen
- By: Ken Wiley
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 57
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 55
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Story5 out of 5 stars 55
The images of soldiers and marines coming ashore on hostile shores are embedded in our collective memory of World War II. But what of the sailors who manned the landing craft, going back and forth under fire with nowhere to take cover, their craft the special targets of enemy gunners? In this book, Ken Wiley, a Coast Guardsman on an Attack Transport in the Pacific, relates the intricate, often nerve-wracking story of how the United States projected its power across 6,000 miles in the teeth of fanatical Japanese resistance.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptional story depicting the US Coast Guard
- By Jay J. Powell on 03-21-19
By: Ken Wiley
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The Silent Service in World War II
- The Story of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force in the Words of the Men Who Lived It
- By: Edward Monroe-Jones, Michael Green
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins, Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 254
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 224
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 222
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US Navy had a total of 111 submarines. It was mostly a collection of aging boats. Fortunately, with the war in Europe was already two years old and friction with Japan ever increasing, help from what would become known as the Silent Service in the Pacific was on the way: there were 73 of the new fleet submarines under construction. The Silent Service in World War II tells the story of America's intrepid underwater warriors in the words of the men who lived the war in the Pacific against Japan.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing
- By Chris on 09-17-18
By: Edward Monroe-Jones, and others
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Shadows in the Jungle
- The Alamo Scouts Behind Japanese Lines in World War II
- By: Larry Alexander
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 105
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 75
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 75
Set on retaking the Philippines ever since his ignominious flight from the islands in 1942, General Douglas MacArthur needed a first-rate intelligence-gathering unit. Out of thousands, only 138 men were chosen: the best, toughest, and most fit men the army had to offer. Their task: silently slip onto Japanese-held islands, stalk through the thick jungles, and assess enemy locations, conditions, morale, and troop strength, all while remaining undetected.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Shadows In The Jungle.
- By Charles on 12-27-09
By: Larry Alexander
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Pathfinder Pioneer
- The Memoir of a Lead Bomber Pilot in World War II
- By: Raymond E. Brim
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 67
In this engaging audiobook, we see how an 18-year-old miner shoveling ore from deep in the ground in Utah suddenly found himself, only two years later, 30,000 feet in the air over Nazi Germany, piloting a Flying Fortress in the first wave of America's air counteroffensive in Europe. Pathfinder Pioneer gives us vivid insights into the genesis of the American air campaign, told with the humor, attention to detail, and humility that captures the heart and soul of our Greatest Generation.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A Good Recounting of WW2 Bomber Missions
- By Sean on 07-25-17
By: Raymond E. Brim
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Descent into Darkness
- Pearl Harbor, 1941, A Navy Diver's Memoir
- By: Edward C. Raymer
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 293
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 267
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 266
On December 7, 1941, as the great battleships Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah lie paralyzed and burning in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A crack team of U.S. Navy salvage divers headed by Edward C. Raymer are hurriedly flown to Oahu from the mainland. Their two-part orders are direct and straightforward: (1) rescue as many trapped sailors and Marines as possible, and (2) resurrect what remains of America's once mighty pacific fleet. Descent Into Darkness tells their story.
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2 out of 5 stars
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A Massive Disappointment
- By Matthew on 10-14-15
By: Edward C. Raymer
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Bloody Ridge and Beyond
- A World War II Marine's Memoir of Edson's Raiders inthe Pacific
- By: Marlin Groft, Larry Alexander
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,317
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,203
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,193
On the killing ground that was the island of Guadalcanal, a 2,000-yard-long ridge rose from the jungle canopy. Behind it lay the all-important air base of Henderson Field. And if Henderson Field fell, it would mean the almost certain death or capture of all 12,500 marines on the island. But the marines positioned on the ridge were no normal fighters - they were the hard-fighting men of Edson's Raiders, an elite fighting unit within an already elite Marine Corps.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Masterful Account
- By Arthur on 01-25-18
By: Marlin Groft, and others
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Run Through the Jungle
- Real Adventures in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade
- By: Larry J. Musson
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 404
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 365
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 367
From Larry J. Musson comes an authentic account of combat with an airborne company in the waterlogged rice paddies and demanding jungles of South Vietnam. Share the experiences of fighting men under punishing conditions, extreme temperatures, and intense monsoon rains as they search for the enemy in the rugged mountains and teeming lowlands. Relive all the terror, humor, and sadness of one man's tour of duty with real-life action in spectacular, stunning detail.
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5 out of 5 stars
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One of the best!
- By Brendan O'Connor on 02-09-18
By: Larry J. Musson
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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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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 68
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 66
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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4 out of 5 stars
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True stories from real heroes
- By Darren on 07-16-15
By: Norman Black
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Vietnam Rough Riders
- A Convoy Commander's Memoir
- By: Frank McAdams
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
In the Vietnam War, American "rough riders" drove trucks through hostile territory delivering supplies, equipment, ammunition, weapons, fuel, and reinforcements to troops fighting on the war's ever-shifting front lines. But, all too often, the convoys themselves became the front lines. Frank McAdams, a Marine Corps lieutenant, learned that the hard way during a tour of duty that began right after the 1968 Tet Offensive and the siege at Khe Sanh.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Well written and well read.
- By Jennifer Jordan on 06-25-23
By: Frank McAdams
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Crossing the Line
- A Bluejacket's World War II Odyssey
- By: Alvin Kernan
- Narrated by: Ted Stoddard
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
A gifted storyteller, Kernan gives a candid account of his experiences during World War II, providing shrewd observations about the culture and ideology of an important era in naval history.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Good, But I Prefer Silent Running
- By Wolfpacker on 07-22-08
By: Alvin Kernan
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The Secret Rescue
- An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines
- By: Cate Lineberry
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 95
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 85
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Story4 out of 5 stars 85
When 26 Army nurses and medics - part of the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron - boarded a cargo plane for transport in November 1943, they never anticipated the crash landing in Nazi-occupied Albania that would lead to their months-long struggle for survival.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Well-told story of a WWII rescue
- By bkgrn on 07-01-13
By: Cate Lineberry
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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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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 83
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 73
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Story5 out of 5 stars 73
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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5 out of 5 stars
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Mesmerizing
- By Amazon Customer on 03-30-17
By: Bill Sloan