Battle Cry

An outstanding piece of WWII historical fiction. Unlike other great works of this genre' (Herman Wouk's "War and Remembrance" for instance), this tale is not told from the perspective of the colonels and generals, but rather as experienced by the U.S. Marine sergeants and privates. The tale thoroughly and patiently follows a group of young men from the train stations where they left their hometowns, through boot camp and training, and onto the beaches of Guadalcanal and Tarawa atoll where they fell in combat. Uris did not all neglect the issue of back home wives and girlfriends, who are so very important to men isolated so far from home. His first novel, Uris wrote this from his own experience. He was a WWII enlisted Marine combat veteran in the Pacific. First published in 1953, this book was written while memories were still fresh. In a way, it's a bit dated, with terminology and (superior) social values from an America of yesterday. On the other hand, Marine and Navy veterans will recognize the jargon and behaviors that are still in use today. Tradition. A reviewer has criticized the slow opening pace. I disagree. The device was used to well acquaint the reader with and help him/her to grow to know and love the players, just as these Marines loved their "buddies". I noted in the author's epilogue that he strongly and repeatedly disclaimed any connection of the fictional officers in his story (he even names them) to any real life personalities he had served under. Glaringly absent was a similar disclaimer regarding the enlisted men in his story. I infer from this that many of the colorful enlisted characters of the book might be representations of Pfc Uris' actual wartime colleagues. A memorial to them, if you will. Interesting. Uris used an unusual and successful style technique in "Battle Cry". The tale is sometimes written in third person narrative, and at other times narrated in first person by a veteran sergeant in the battalion named Mac. But it's really about the teenage boys that did most of the fighting . . . sometimes hand to hand. Again, Uris was not in a hurry and patiently let the story play out. At times it is slow and monotonous, as was the wartime Marine life. At other times the action is overwhelming. Writing realistically from life experience, the battle scenes are not an organized test of marksmanship between two opposing teams . . . the fighting is chaos. This is the kind of book that provokes the reader to alternately laughing out loud, cheering, or weeping. This is not a cheap blood and guts war story. It's a great tale of courage, leadership, brotherhood and humanity - Well told.

I first read this one in the late 1950s and have given it two read since that time. This is one of the better novels of WWII and follows the action of one group of Marines from boot camp through their horrible ordeal in the Pacific. This books is a tribute to the Marine Corps and is as pertinent today as it was in 1953 when it was published. I must admit to being a Uris fan as I love his story telling abilities and his character development. I highly recommend this work.

At first, I thought a book called "Battle Cry" might be fairly reminiscent of the comic strip, "Sgt. Rock and His Howling Commandos of Easy." In that, I was disappointed, which means I was very relieved. This book is a surprisingly good war story of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine (Pogey Bait) Regiment. From the call to arms to their decimation on a Pacific Island invasion, you learn about the backgrounds of several of the marines in the Communications section of their battalion. Uris demonstrates the knack for bringing characters to life where you feel their fears, hopes, dreams, and in this case, their intense esprit de corps. I have a few qualifications for giving a five-star rating: Do I still have the book? Yes. Would I ever pick it up, and read it again? Yes. Was I sorry that I came to the end of the book? Yes. I have only read two of Uris' books; I'm glad that this was one of them.

I've read a lot of Leon Uris's novels. The Angry Hills, QB VII, Armageddon, but Battle Cry is my favorite. It's the only Uris novel I've read more than once. Plus, being a former Marine, well, my views are a little biased here.Why four and a half stars? Well, the books is a touch slow in a few places, but it's such a fast moving read, that the slower parts don't last all that long.Based on Uris's own experiences with 2/6 (2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division), this novel follows the radio section of the battalion from Guadalcanal (the Canal in WWII Marine lingo) to Tarawa and climaxes with the bloody invasion of Saipan. There's plenty of combat action to satisfy the most blood thirsty reader, and enough romance to keep readers of a more gentle nature to keep turning the pages.It's interesting to note that many former World War II Marines said Battle Cry truly echoed their own wartime experiences. Uris's focus is not only combat, but the training and what the Marines did when they got liberty.What also makes Battle Cry unique is that it's told in BOTH first and third person. A most difficult thing to try to do, but Uris pulls it off.Marines past and present will see similarities of their service time here whether they were in Vietnam, Korea or the Gulf. There's a universal quality to this novel which explains why it's one of Uris's most popular books. The movie isn't bad either.Semper Fidelis Mr. Uris.

I am an woman Army Veteran who really had an inside into the military mindset, and how guys think. This book, was so great. It had me laughing, as I thought about the difference between what men tell women, versus what they are really thinking.I also loved this for the way the protagonist was captured, from the beginning through the end, as a really down to earth, and very proud Marine.Read this book to tap into the human condition.