"For 40 years from 1961, the late Eric Hammel interviewed more than 150 American participants in the air campaign at Guadalcanal, none of whom are still alive. These interviews are the most comprehensive first-person accounts of the battle assembled by any historian. More importantly, they involved the junior officers and enlisted men whose stories and memories were not part of the official history, thus providing a unique insight. The battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive operation undertaken by the US and its allies in the Pacific War. "Cactus," the code name for the island, became a sinkhole for Japanese air and naval power, experienced forces whose losses could never be made good. The three months of air battles between August 20, 1942, when the first Marine air unit arrived on the island, and November 15, when the last enemy attempt to retake the island was defeated, were perhaps the most important of the Pacific War. After November 15, 1942, the US never looked back as its forces moved across the Pacific to the war's inevitable conclusion. The Cactus Air Force is a joint project between the late Eric Hammel and Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, and is unlike any other of the many histories of this event that have been published over the years."--Amazon.
Eric M. Hammel Book order
This author crafts compelling military histories, inspired from a young age by a seminal narrative work. His approach masterfully blends official records with the vivid recollections of those who experienced events firsthand, creating an accessible and immersive reading experience. He focuses on meticulously reconstructing key historical moments, aiming to bring the reader directly into the past. His writing is characterized by thorough research and a commitment to delivering accurate and engaging historical accounts.






- 2022
- 2019
The definitive account of the epic retreat under fire of the 1st Marine Division from the Chosin Reservoir.
- 2019
Ambush Valley is an unforgettable account of bravery and survival under impossible conditions during the Vietnam War.
- 2018
Two Flags Over Iwo Jima
- 175 pages
- 7 hours of reading
The full story of the lead up to and aftermath of the iconic raising of the American flag by the 28th Marine Regiment on Iwo Jima in 1945, using recent investigations to show what really happened. číst celé
- 2018
Khe Sanh
- 376 pages
- 14 hours of reading
The highly-acclaimed history of the siege of Khe Sanh from January to April 1968, using the accounts of 100 participants.
- 2018
Fire in the Streets
- 276 pages
- 10 hours of reading
The definitive and highly-acclaimed account of the battle for Hue during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
- 2014
War in the Western Pacific
- 306 pages
- 11 hours of reading
First published in 2010 as Islands of Hell: the U.S. Marines in the western Pacific, 1944-1945.
- 2011
76 Hours: The Invasion of Tarawa
- 306 pages
- 11 hours of reading
76 Hours The Invasion of Tarawa By Eric Hammel and John E. Lane On the morning of Saturday, November 20, 1943, the U.S. 2d Marine Division undertook the first modern amphibious assault against a well-defended beachhead. The objective was tiny Betio Island in Tarawa Atoll. The result was an immortal story of tragedy and near defeat turned around into an epic of victory and indomitable human spirit. Although the admirals commanding the Tarawa invasion fleet had assured the Marines that Betio would be pounded to coral dust by a massive naval and air bombardment-the largest of its kind ever seen to that time-the first waves of Marines found the Japanese defenses intact and manned by determined foes. Within minutes of the start of the head-on assault, the American battle plan was a shambles and scores of Marines had been killed or wounded. The assault virtually stopped at the water's edge, its momentum halted before many Marines ever dismounted from the amphibian tractors that had carried them to the deadly, fire-swept beach. Follow-up waves of Marines suffered grievous casualties when they were forced to wade more than 500 yards through fire-swept, knee-deep water because tidal conditions had been miscalculated by the invasion's planners. Follow the bloody battle for Betio in graphic detail as heroic American fighting men advance every life-threatening step across the tiny island in the face of what many historians agree was the best and most concentrated defenses manned by the bravest and most competent Japanese defenders American troops encountered in the entire Pacific War.
- 1987