World War II Memoirs

As we mark the passing of the Greatest Generation, a definitive edition of three classic memoirs that capture the courage, endurance, and humanity of Americans fighting in the Pacific in World War II For the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Library of America presents an authoritative collector's edition of three powerful and evocative memoirs of the fighting in the Pacific on land, sea, and air. E. B. Sledge's With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa bears unflinching witness to the horror, fear, and degradation of modern infantry combat. It's a haunting testament to Sledge's personal struggle to hold onto sanity and decency and a moving tribute to the esprit de corps of the U.S. Marines. Samuel Hynes's Flights of Passage vividly recounts the joy and danger of pilot training and the beauty, excitement, and fear Hynes experienced flying combat missions over the Pacific. Crossing the Line is Alvin Kernan's gripping account of wartime service on aircraft carriers as ordnance man and turret gunner. Kernan sailed into Pearl Harbor the day after the attack, participated in the launch of the Doolittle Raid and the battle of Midway, survived the sinking of the Hornet, and witnessed the last flight of fighter ace Butch O'Hare, namesake of the Chicago airport.