Description
Wartime edition of Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis, signed by three distinguished Marines who fought at the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Octavo, [6], 263pp. Red cloth, title in gilt on spine, illustration blind stamped on front cover. Solid text block, top edge dyed green, illustrated endpapers with maps of the Guadalcanal Islands, wear at spine and tips, a very good example. In the publisher’s dust jacket, archival repairs to verso, closed tear to rear panel, bright illustrations on the spine and covers, a very good example. Inscribed by three marines who fought at Guadalcanal, including Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Mitchell Paige, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Jefferson J. DeBlanc and one of the “flag-raisers” of Iwo Jima, Corporal Charles W. Lindberg.
Colonel Mitchell Paige (1918-2003) was a Platoon Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic service during the Battle of Guadalcanal. After losing 33 Marines in his platoon, he operated four machine guns and single-handedly stopped a Japanese regiment from overrunning their position. Jeff DeBlanc was a Marine fighter pilot, who received the Medal of Honor when he shot down 5 Japanese aircraft before being shot down himself. DeBlanc spent the rest of his career in the Marines, retiring in 1972. Corporal Charles W. Lindberg, during the Battle of Iwo Jima, was a member of the patrol that captured Mount Suribachi and helped to raise the first United States flag on the island on February 23, 1945.
