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With the Old Breed cover art

With the Old Breed

Written by: E. B. Sledge
Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Joe Mazzello, Tom Hanks (introduction)
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Publisher's Summary

The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries. James Badge Dale (who portrayed Robert Leckie) and Joseph Mazello (who played Eugene Sledge) bring all the passion and emotion of their riveting television performances to these new audio productions.

With the Old Breed is a modern classic of military history AND has been called "one of the most important personal accounts of war that I have ever read," by distinguished historian John Keegan. Author E. B. Sledge served with the First Marine Division during World War II, and his first-hand narrative is unsurpassed in its sincerity. Sledge's experience shows in this fascinating account of two of the most harrowing and pivotal island battles of the Pacific theater.

On Peleliu and Okinawa, the action was extremely fierce. Amidst oppressive heat and over land obliterated by artillery shells, the combat raged ferociously. Casualties were extreme on both sides, and by the time the Americans had broken through at Okinawa, more than 62,000 Japanese soldiers were dead. Against military policy, Sledge scribbled notes and jammed them into his copy of the New Testament. Those notes form the backbone of what Navy Times said "has been called the best World War II memoir of an enlisted man."

BONUS AUDIO: Tom Hanks, one of the executive producers, has written and narrated an original introduction to With the Old Breed where he describes his appreciation for the book's author, the narrators, and the soldiers who had fought in the cauldron of the Pacific Theater during World War II.

©1981 E.B. Sledge (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

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Amazing

Personal listen to this book after watching the pacific. Stunning really makes it an amazing listen or read. Narrator was amazing especially after associating that voice because of the pacific.

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Exceptionally vivid

I bought it on a whim and I am very glad I did. After slogging through the first two lord of the rings books I needed something with a little more action and this definitely fit that need. I felt like I was there beside Sledge the whole time.

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Best world war 2 memoirs

This is by far the most detailed account of life on the lines in ww2 that I have listened to. Amazing piece of history.

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Thank you Eugene.

incredibly important piece of work. Every highschool student in the USA should cover this book.

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  • ECK
  • 2023-02-28

The truth of war

Only those that have an experience about something can truly know what that feels like.

I really hope this gives people an idea about what war is like not some fantasy world bull crap.

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Top notch.

An excellent book. Provides a visceral, gritty, and nasty insight into a foot soldier's life.

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a heart and gut wrenching account

the detail and feeling that goes into this account has told me so much about the experiences of these men. more than anything I learned just how much I can't even begin to understand about this horror or modern war.

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Outstanding and Enlightening!

The narration of this important work of history is so well done! It isn’t often we get to read about the point of view of an infantry man. The detail of what he has seen is, in my mind, important for those learning about history and war, and why we should do our utmost to avoid war.

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Just amazing.

Listened to this right after the Band of Brothers Book. Paints such a real and different picture of war. So descriptive you feel like you’re actually there. Already recommended it to some friends. Overall the best war book I’ve listened to yet.

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Incredible story

An account that accurately details the reality of War, it’s affects & the ultimate sacrifices made.

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