Edson's Raiders

the long version

"This is the story of the men of 1st Marine Raider Battalion, known by the name of its founding commander, the legendary jungle fighter Merritt A. "Red Mike" Edson. Edson's Raiders provided the vanguard of a U.S. Marine Corps experiment with special lightly armed mobile commando units in the Pacific. From 1942 to 1943, these highly trained volunteers fought seven critical battles with names like Tulagi, Tasimboko, the Matanikau River, and the Dragon's Peninsula in the Solomon Islands. They were desperate, bloody affairs against some of the most experienced jungle fighters in the Japanese empire. Twenty-four Raiders served with such valor that the U.S. Navy named ships in their honor - all but one designated posthumously."--BOOK JACKET.