Open Fire

With over 700 large pages ( 8.5” by 11”) - it elequently displays the 1,000 plus photos that illustrate the spellbinding accounts of the most historical events of the twentieth century, Open Fire is a major addition to any discerning library. The author generously offers here some of the pages, to give you the flavor and sense of the days of war, and his adventures therein.

Click on the topics in RED to read them
Following is the Table of Contents.

Chapter 1: My Dream of Flying

• Aviation Heros
• My First Ride

Chapter 2: War in Europe Begins

Chapter 3: Pearl Harbor, The Day of Infamy

Chapter 4: Joining the Marines

Chapter 5: Boot Camp in San Diego

• Platoon 532 is Formed
• This is for Fighting - And This is For Fun
• Hello Jesus, I'm Coming
• The Rifle Range at Camp Mathews
• Graduation

Chapter 6: Combat Training at Camp Elliott - Not Pilot Training

• E Company, Sixth Regiment of Second Marine Division is Formed
• Sometimes, You Can't Trust Dogs
• How Tijuana Got a New Jail

Chapter 7: Leaving For New Zealand

• Pollywogs, Shellbacks and King Neptune
• Life Aboard a Troop Ship
• Wellington, New Zealand
• The Wonderful New Zealanders

Chapter 8: Camp Paekakariki, New Zealand

• The Burma Road
• Worlds Biggest Worms
• The Stolen Pie
• The Cecil Club
• Our Sentries Would Shoot

Chapter 9: Leaving For Guadalcanal

• Christmas Morning on the Docks
• Stopover at New Caledonia

Chapter 10: The Battle on Guadalcanal Before We Arrived

• A Most Historic and Hard Fought Battle - Our Longest in the War
• Japan's First Defeat in Over 2,000 Years
• Extreme Barbarism
• Native Sergeant Vouza
• Australia Bombed and Shelled in Preparation For Invasion
• Their Shame of Defeat on the “Island of Death”
• Japanese Soldiers Were Willing to Die
• Extreme Living Conditions on Guadalcanal

Chapter 11: Hitting The Beach at Guadalcanal

• Monsoons Coming
• Air Raids
• Washing Machine Charlie
• Pistol Pete
• The Fighter Strip

Chapter 12: Up To The Front

• Casualties Start
• Stay in Your Foxhole at Night
• Second Lieutenant Pomalow

Chapter 13: Open Fire

• The Shooting Starts
• Arkie is Killed
• Something Big is Out There

Chapter 14: Pushing on Through The Jungle

• The Jungle Closed In
• Encountering The Enemy
• A Memorable Night

Chapter 15: Missing A Chance At A Japanese Bomber

Chapter 16: On Towards The End

• A Matter Of Great Importance
• The Big Air Raid And Dogfight
• My Underwater Discovery
• Runyon Is Attacked One Night
• Foxholes Are Sometimes Hard To Dig

Chapter 17: The Army Relieves Us With The End In Sight

• The Grenade Trick
• Crash Of A Marine Wildcat

Chapter 18: Flying As A Gunner On A B-17 Bomber

• Almost Transferred To VMSB-234, A Dive Bomber Squadron

Chapter 19: Back To The Land We Adored

• More Training And Lots Of Healing
• The Malaria Bug
• Yellow Jaundice
• The Famous (Or Infamous) Foxton Hike
• Hawke's Bay Maneuvers
• Platoon Officer Byron J. Bird
• A Transfer To H&S Company
• A Fond Farewell

Chapter 20: Going To Tarawa, The Toughest Battle In Marine Corps History

• Stopover At Efate, New Hebrides
• Battle Briefings
• Tarawa Heavily Fortifies

Chapter 21: D-Day On Tarawa

• General Quarters
• Those Wonderful Amtracs
• Convoy Shelled
• Amtrac Flying Dutchman Would Not Give Up
• A Burial At Sea
• Taps At Tarawa
• Torpedo Planes Attack Our Convoy

Chapter 22: Issue Is In Doubt And The Reserves Are Called In

• Going Ashore To Join The Fighting
• The Horrible Stench
• Utter Chaos
• Sealing Up Their Bunkers
• Please Doc, No Morphine
• Helping To Evacuate The Wounded With Rubber Boats
• The Japanese Photographs
• A Sniper Shoots A Man Next To Me
• The Third Day
• Their Amazing Fortifications
• A Million Men In A Million Years Couldn't Take Tarawa
• Amtracs And Sherman Tanks Knocked Out
• A Sailor's Cap

Chapter 23: The Third And Final Day

• Bombs With My Name On Them
• Tarawa Announced Secured After 76 Hours Of Fighting
• A Proud Moment In My Life Standing With These Heros
• What Demoralized The Japanese
• What The Generals Saw On The Battlefield
• Marines Like These Can Never Be Defeated

Chapter 24: Our Battalion Fights A Remaining Battle

• The Long March To Find The Enemy
• Ambushed
• E Company Casualties

Chapter 25: The High Cost Of Victory

• Their Defenses Undamaged By Bombing And Shelling
• The Terrible Reef Took Its Toll
• The Water Was Red With Blood
• The Issue Is In Doubt, Defeat Possible - Retreat Is Not
• Come On, Follow Me
• Unleashed Ferocity - A Shoot-Out To End All Shoot-Outs
• Presidential Unit Citation Awarded Second Marine Division For Uncommon Valor
• Scenes Of Utter Death And Destruction
• Unburied Marine And Japanese Bodies Everywhere
• Tarawa More Costly Than Other Battles
• Sharks In The Reef
• Public Shocked By Casualty Reports
• A Synopsis Of Tarawa
• List Of Japanese Guns
• Unable To Save The Dying
• Heavy Banzai Attacks

Chapter 26: Our Battalion Is Left Behind To Guard The Island

• Transferred Back To E Company
• A Strange Story
• Captain W. S. 'Wild Bill' Schwerin
• Denge Fever And Malaria Strike
• The Next Ten Weeks
• The Honey Buckets And Giant Octopuses
• Runyon And I Raid The Air Corps Beer Dump
• Bombers With Cannons
• Hiking 11 Miles Through The Jungle At Night Alone And Unarmed - The Dumbest Thing I Ever Did
• The Wife I Left Behind
• Christmas On Tarawa

Chapter 27: To Hawaii For Intensive Combat Training

• Camp Tarawa
• A Transfer To F Company
• The Marine's Rodeo

Chapter 28: Leaving For Saipan And The Tragedy At Sea

• The Great Convoy Assembles At Eniwetok In The Marshall Islands
• Saipan, Japanese Territory Since 1914
• A Farewell Formation

Chapter 29: D-Day On Saipan

• Our Company Leads The First Wave In At The Extreme Left Flank
• An Amtrac Sinks With All Hands
• My Third Beach-Head
• Corporal Keiningham Destroys A Jap Tank
• One Of Our Spotter Planes Is Shot Down
• Lieutenant Bird Amputates His Own Leg
• The First Night - A Real Nightmare
• The Great Banzai Charge
• Command A Japanese Machine Gun Nest Alone
• Battle Fatigue

Chapter 30: The Second Day

• I Go To Bring Up Our Tanks
• A Jap Bugler Blows Charge For Another Attack
• There's Too Damn Many Japs Out There
• Corporal Keiningham Distinguishes Himself Again And Wins Another Medal
• That Big Ole Ugly Marine Was Me
• The Biggest Tank Battle In The Pacific War

Chapter 31: Three More Weeks Of Heavy Fighting

• I Am Assigned As Platoon Runner
• A Wounded Buffalo
• Replacements Were Usually The Next Casualties
• Lieutenant Leugo Has A Narrow Escape
• A Chicken For The Pot
• Surrounding A Large Group Of Japs
• Four Japs With Five Shots
• Civilians Encountered For The First Time
• The Famous Suicide Cliffs

Chapter 32: A Huge Banzai Attack Breaks Through The Army's Line

• A Marine Howitzer Crew (H Battery) Stops The Fanatical Attack
• A Point-Blank Artillery Duel
• Cleaning Out The No-Man's-Land
• Ambushed At A Farmhouse
• Japs In A Toilet Pit
• Hari Kiri On The Reef
• A Jap On A Horse?
• Saipan Is Announced Secured
• Runyon Gets Hit And Loses A Leg
• Captured Japanese Photographs
• Only Two Flies In My Coffee

Chapter 33: We Invade Tinian

• Was The Invasion Too Soon?
• 137 Percent Battle Casualties Already
• The Enemy Attacks In Force
• The GI Shoe
• The Japanese Last Stand
• Napalm Used For First Time In The War
• Tinian Announced Secured On 1 August 1944
• The Big Mop-up Begins
• War Department Mistakenly Reports Me Wounded In Action
• Thousands Of Japanese Civilians And Some Soldiers Still Hiding Out
• The Area Of A Lost World
• Civilians That I Found - A Family Tragedy
• The Suicide Cliffs Of Tinian
• We Finished The Job And Returned To Saipan

Chapter 34: Four More Months On Saipan Chasing Japs

• The Jungle Of Skeletons Below Suicide Cliffs
• How E Company Stole A Mess Hall From The Army

Chapter 35: Back To The States For Christmas

• Hawaii Again
• Heading For The Golden Gate
• Home For Christmas At Last

Chapter 36: Pensacola, Florida For The Duration

• Meeting My Old Recruiting Sergeant
• The Car Accident
• The Finger Sandwich
• The War Is Over In August 1945
• Bring 'Em Back Alive, Frank Buck
• An Honorable Discharge

Chapter 37: Flying Jet Fighters In The Air Force During The Korean War - My Dream Comes True

• College On The GI Bill
• The Korean War Starts
• Joining The U.S. Air Force
• Williams Air Force Base In Arizona For Jet Fighter Training
• Top Gun School At Nellis Air Force Base At Las Vegas, Nevada
• I Explode, Crash And Burn
• Trapped Inside
• Flying Northrop F-89 Jet Interceptors At Truax Air Force Base At Madison, Wisconsin
• The UFO Incidents
• Flying The F-51 Mustang - Our Last Propeller Fighter
• The Korean War Ends And I Am Discharged

Epilogue

• Quotable Quotes About U.S. Marines
• Marine And Japanese Infantry Weapons Of World War II
• Lest We Forget
• The Atomic Bomb - Should We Have Used It?

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Copyright© 2003, Roy William Roush. All Rights Reserved.

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