OLD BREED GENERAL: How Major General William Rupertus Broke the Back of the Japanese from Guadalcanal to Peleliu is a 2022 biography and work of military history about Major General William H. Rupertus who commanded the 1st Marine Division in the Pacific War in World War II, and also authored the USMC Rifleman's Creed. [1]
Believed to be the first biographical work on Rupertus, and the first in-depth work on the historical account of the Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo, America's first ground victory in World War II, OLD BREED GENERAL is co-authored by military author and historian Don Brown, and Amy Rupertus Peacock, who is General Rupertus's granddaughter, and written in a style of creative nonfiction.
Largely using Rupertus's wartime diary and other first-hand sources as historical guides, the authors recount Rupertus’ command in the Pacific from 1942–1944, including not only Tulagi but also the Battle for Henderson Field, the largest and final land battle on Guadalcanal, with U.S Marine ground forces falling under the command of General Rupertus, largely because Major General Alexander Vandegrift who at that time was still the overall commander of the 1st Marine Division, had left Guadalcanal to Noumea, New Caledonia to meet with Vice Admiral William Halsey Jr., at Halsey's direction. [2]
The book also chronicles the 1st Marine Division's respite in Australia in early 1943, where much of the division was recovering from malaria, and where Rupertus served as a military escort for former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on her visit to Melbourne and concludes with the final two battles under Rupertus's Command, the Battle of Cape Gloucester in late 1943, and the Battle of Peleliu in late 1944.
On Flag Day, June 14, 2022, Brown & Rupertus-Peacock were invited to speak at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, where they shared Rupertus's wartime story, as recounted in the book. [3] [4] Later, on August 17, 2022, they were invited to speak about the book at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California [5] [6]
On September 17, 2022, C-SPAN aired a national broadcast of Brown & Rupertus-Peacock's presentation about Old Breed General from the National World War II Museum [7]
Old Breed General is published by Rowman & Littlefield, through Stackpole Books. [8]
The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II by the US military, was fought between the United States and Japan during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign of World War II, from September 15 to November 27, 1944, on the island of Peleliu.
The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater of World War II. It was the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan.
The Battle of Rennell Island took place on 29–30 January 1943. It was the last major naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II. It occurred in the South Pacific between Rennell Island and Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands.
The Guadalcanal Campaign, called Operation Watchtower, was the first major Allied offensive in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II. The campaign lasted from the initial American landings on 7 August 1942 until the final Japanese evacuation on 9 February 1943, a period of six months, far longer than was expected by Allied planners.
Vice Admiral Robert Lee Ghormley was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as Commander, South Pacific Area during World War II. Ghormley was long considered to be an ineffective leader–overly cautious, pessimistic, and even defeatist–but recent scholarship has shown that while he may not have been an inspiring leader, he performed well under difficult circumstances.
The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st Marine Regiment is also sometimes referred to as "Regimental Combat Team 1" or "Inchon".
The 5th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the most highly decorated regiment in the Marine Corps and falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force.
The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and capture of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, during the first six months of 1942. The Japanese occupied these locations and began the construction of several naval and air bases with the goals of protecting the flank of the Japanese offensive in New Guinea, establishing a security barrier for the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain, and providing bases for interdicting supply lines between the Allied powers of the United States and Australia and New Zealand.
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and consists of approximately 1,000 Marines and Fleet Marine Force Navy personnel. The 3rd Battalion falls under the command of the 5th Marine Regiment which falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division.
William Henry Rupertus was a major general in the United States Marine Corps, who commanded the famed 1st Marine Division in the Pacific in World War II and also authored the USMC Rifleman's Creed.
Lewis William Walt was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Walt was decorated several times, including two Navy Crosses for extraordinary heroism during World War II, one for leading the attack on "Aogiri Ridge" during the Battle of Cape Gloucester ; the ridge was renamed "Walt's Ridge" in his honor.
The Battle for Henderson Field, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal or Battle of Lunga Point by the Japanese, took place from 23 to 26 October 1942 on and around Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The battle was a land, sea, and air battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and was fought between the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy and Allied forces, mainly U.S. Marines and Army. The battle was the last of three major land offensives conducted by the Japanese during the Guadalcanal campaign.
The Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo was a land battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, between the forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied ground forces. It took place 7–9 August 1942 on the Solomon Islands, during the initial Allied landings in the Guadalcanal campaign.
The Koli Point action, during 3–12 November 1942, was an engagement between U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army forces and Imperial Japanese Army forces around Koli Point on Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal campaign. The U.S. forces were under the overall command of Major General Alexander Vandegrift, while the Japanese forces were under the overall command of Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake.
Gordon Donald Gayle was an American officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general and historian. A veteran of World War II and Korea, he distinguished himself as commanding officer, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and received Navy Cross, the United States military's second-highest decoration awarded for valor in combat.
Donald Mitchell Brown, Jr. is an American author, attorney, and former United States Navy JAG Officer. He has published fifteen books on the United States military, including eleven military-genre novels, the best known of which is Treason (2005) in which radical Islamic clerics infiltrate the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. He has published four works of military nonfiction, including his national bestseller, The Last Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Final Combat Mission of World War II (2017). Brown may be best known for his work as legal counsel to convicted war criminal Army Lieutenant Clint Lorance, and his authorship of the 2019 book Travesty of Justice: The Shocking Prosecution of Lt. Clint Lorance. On November 15, 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned Lorance, and the book is considered to be a major factor in leading to that pardon. Between the release of Travesty of Justice on March 31, 2019, and Lorance's pardon on November 15, 2019, Brown made numerous national television appearances and penned a number of national Op-eds arguing that President Trump should free and exonerate Lieutenant Lorance. On the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, November 27, 2019, Brown and Lorance appeared on Hannity, the nightly national broadcast on the Fox News Channel to discuss the presidential pardon and release.
William Stanley Fellers was a decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of major general. He is most noted as Director of the Staff of the Inter-American Defense Board or as Supply officer of the 1st Marine Division during World War II.
William Hartwell Harrison was a decorated officer of United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. He is most noted as commanding officer of 11th Marine Regiment during Battle of Peleliu in September 1944. Harrison later commanded the Automotive Section within Service Command, Fleet Marine Force Pacific.
Edwin Bliss Wheeler was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of major general. He served with famous Marine Raiders during World War II and earned the Silver Star for gallantry in action. Wheeler served two tours of duty in Vietnam, as commanding officer of 3rd Marine Regiment in 1964–1965 and later as commanding general of 1st Marine Division in 1969–1970.
On 15 September 1944, United States Marine Corps forces landed on the southwestern shore of the island of Peleliu in the Palau island chain, 470 nautical miles due east of the Philippine island of Mindanao. This action, called Operation Stalemate II by American planners, was a phase in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Whether possession of the island was necessary for the Allied cause has been the source of much controversy.