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Lying due north of Australia, New Guinea is among the world’s largest islands. In 1942, when World War II exploded onto its shores, it was an inhospitable, cursorily mapped, disease-ridden land of dense jungle, towering mountain peaks, deep valleys, and fetid swamps. Coveted by the Japanese for its strategic position, New Guinea became the site of one of the South Pacific’s most savage campaigns. Despite their lack of jungle training, the 32nd Division’s Ghost Mountain Boys were assigned the most grueling mission of the entire Pacific campaign: to march 130 miles over the rugged Owen Stanley Mountains and to protect the right flank of the Australian army as they fought to push the Japanese back to the village of Buna on New Guinea’s north coast.
Comprised of National Guardsmen from Michigan and Wisconsin, reserve officers, and draftees from across the country, the 32nd Division lacked more than training—they were without even the basics necessary for survival. The men were not issued the specialized clothing that later became standard issue for soldiers fighting in the South Pacific; they fought in hastily dyed combat fatigues that bled in the intense humidity and left them with festering sores. They waded through brush and vines without the aid of machetes. They did not have insect repellent. Without waterproof containers, their matches were useless and the quinine and vitamin pills they carried, as well as salt and chlorination tablets, crumbled in their pockets. Exhausted and pushed to the brink of human endurance, the Ghost Mountain Boys fell victim to malnutrition and disease. Forty-two days after they set out, they arrived two miles south of Buna, nearly shattered by the experience.
Arrival in Buna provided no respite. The 32nd Division was ordered to launch an immediate assault on the Japanese position. After two months of furious—sometimes hand-to-hand—combat, the decimated division finally achieved victory. The ferocity of the struggle for Buna was summed up in Time magazine on December 28, 1942, three weeks before the Japanese army was defeated: “Nowhere in the world today are American soldiers engaged in fighting so desperate, so merciless, so bitter, or so bloody.”
Reminiscent of classics like Band of Brothers and The Things They Carried, this harrowing portrait of a largely overlooked campaign is part war diary, part extreme adventure tale, and (through letters, journals, and interviews) part biography of a group of men who fought to survive in an environment every bit as fierce as the enemy they faced.
So close you can almost feel it...
| Customer Rating:  | Over the past few years I've tried to expand my knowledge of America's early struggle in WWII, before we were the arsenal of freedom. One of my focus points has been the war in the South West Pacific (for those not familiar, New Guinea). To further this effort, I picked up The Ghost Mountain Boys.
The Ghost Mountain Boys deals with the 32nd Infantry Division (ID) (the 32nd ID was made up of Michigan and Wisconsin National Guardsmen who were Federalized), their training, deployment to Australia, and exploits in the battle for Buna (Buna is a small village on the north coast of New Guinea). While Mr. Campbell tells us the story of the 32nd ID, the real focus is on the 2nd Battalion, 126th Regiment and the supporting units that hiked over the Owen Stanley Mountains via native trails. The reason for this focus is the grueling nature of the hike; going from sea-level to about 10000 feet, then back down to sea-level while carrying your equipment in a tropical jungle environment was exceedingly grueling. This merged with the telling of the battle for Buna makes for an excellent read.
For the New Guinea portion, The Ghost Mountain Boys covers the Japanese advance down the Kokodo and their eventual halt (due to the Australians and the 5th Air Force). In writing about the Australian contribution, Mr. Campbell relies solely on documented historical record. This is an interesting counter-point to the rest of the book because there Mr. Campbell weaves an interesting blend of documented history with oral and letters and diaries from soldier to tell this story. Most sections open with Mr. Campbell setting the stage and then bringing in the additional material to complete the story (always at the appropriate moment. This mixture paints a very desperate environment where war is at its worst; soldiers suffering from malaria and other tropical disease crawling thru the kuni grass without a machete to take out dug-in Japanese positions makes for something of a heart wrenching story (yes, it's shocking at times the conditions the men were in and expected to fight). Making matters worse was that General MacArthur (nick-named Dug-out Doug) was putting incredible pressure on Generals Harding and Eichelberger to capture Buna at the soonest (later General MacArthur said schedule was not a factor) without being aware of the situation (MacArthur never came north of Port Moresby).
Rating wise, this one's a solid 4.5 star book that I'm rounding up to 5. First, this is a fairly unique subject to write on. The only other book I've read on this campaign was Bloody Buna and this one blows Bloody Buna away in many ways. This leads directly to Mr. Campbell's writing style; it's compelling, you can't wait to turn the page to see what happens next. I found myself sucked into the story of Major Stuttering Smith, Private Jastrzembski, Sgt. Bottcher and the rest. Yes, the Ghost Mountain Boys are compelling and so are the rest of the 32nd ID. The only real weakness is the maps. There're four maps, one showing the Pacific, one showing the path from Port Moresby to Buna, and two show the general situation around Buna. What really would have completed this book though is a couple of maps that showed the tactical situation where the 32nd Id was attacking and the Japanese defensive positions. Other than that though, this is a superb book documenting a little known subject in American history.
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Wonderful story that illustrates the true cost of freedom
| Customer Rating: | | This is one of the best written historical books that I have ever read. It reads more like a novel but is fully and carefully documented with historical notes. James Campbell tells a compelling story of the bitter fight between the American/Australian forces and the Japanese in a little known area in the southwest Pacific. The level of detail is perfect, giving a grim view of the terrain and hardships encountered. You truly feel the mud, the heat, the bugs, and the hunger as you read about the deprivations on both sides. The diaries and letters make it very real. Campbell also provides the reader with plenty of interesting background and details to explain the significance of both the men who fought and the meaning of the battle. Make sure that you take out an atlas to find the location of New Guinea to Australia to understand the significance of this battle. Here's to the Red Arrows and all the other heroes who fought to protect their homeland! |
"Gost Mountain Boys" DVD
| Customer Rating:  | Good sound rendition of "Gost Mountain Boys" on CD/ROM DVD.
During his life my father, HQ Coy - Special troops, 32nd Infantry Division, He did not speak much about his service.
This DVD provides insight of the trials and tribulation
and commemorates his New Guinea service. It is a good sound rendition of the book "GhostMountain Boys".
He did not talk much about his WW2 service.
He did, however, march on ANZAC Day commemoratiomns with Australian vets he fought alongside at Gona and Buna. Purple Heart awarded there. Returned to recover at Townsville and returned to go to Leyte and the Grosse Verde Trail and then into recover Manila. Another Purple heart there and then onto Japan after the surrender and demobilisation.
Charles Schuster,
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Ghost Mountain Boys Remembered
| Customer Rating: | Along with the great U.S. sacrifices at Iwo Jima, a little known action of Americans and Australians fought well dug-in Japanese forces in Papua, New Guinea. The green troops of the 32nd Division (Wisconsin and Michigan men) withstood the withering fire from the Japanese, the plague of malaria and jungle rot, and the complete misunderstanding of the state of affairs by MacArthur. They crossed over on foot the nearly impassable Owen Stanley Mountains, referred by them as Ghost Mountain, only to be met with chest deep swamps, flesh cutting grass while an invisible enemy poured machinegun fire onto them.
With the greatest of efforts, the Ghost Mountain Boys surmounted all the obstacles, both natural and human, at a great price in blood and death. Only after the conclusion of the action did the American high command come to realize what the facts were concerning the conditions the 32nd had to face.
Although I know of no monuments in Washington commemorating this event, readers should know about the Ghost Mountain Boys and other lesser known actions that didn't make the newsreels. Their sacrifices were as real as those that made the headlines. |
The Ghost Mountain Boys
| Customer Rating: | | Great book. I couldnt put it down. Well written. Anyone interested in history should read this. DR |
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