"By the summer of 1942, American morale was extremely low. Despite the navy's victory at Midway, the Japanese continued their advance in the Southwest Pacific. To provide a diversion to the invasion of Guadalcanal by the 1st Marine Division, Evans Carlson's 2d Marine Raider Battalion executed one of the most daring attacks of the war. Departing Pearl Harbor on 8 August 1942, 219 men of "Carlson's Raiders," including the president's son, Maj. Jimmy Roosevelt, traveled 2,000 miles to the Gilbert Islands in the submarines Nautilus and Argonaut. Landing on Makin Atoll on 17 August, the Marine Raiders captured the atoll in two days of heavy fighting. Before leaving, they destroyed a radio station, burned Japanese equipment, and captured a trove of documents that proved to have significant intelligence value. At the time, the Makin Raid was hailed as a great victory and the Marine Raiders were lionized by the American press and public hungry for any sign of victory against the Axis. The raid's long-term consequences were less than fortunate, however. Stirred up by the attack, aggressive Japanese patrols were able to flush out New Zealand coast-watchers who had been providing valuable intelligence. More significantly - alerted to the strategic importance and vulnerability of the Gilberts - the Japanese began to reinforce and fortify the Islands. At the end of November 1943 when the United States returned to the Gilberts in the form of the 2d Marine Division, the result was seventy-six bloody hours at Tarawa, which came close to ending in U.S. defeat."-- From the book jacket.

Getting off the canvas -- The "sundowner" -- Birth of the raiders -- Growing pains -- Gung ho -- Life on the farm -- One step closer to the war -- Target makin -- The real deal -- Sardines at sea -- "Organized grabass" -- Death from the Palms -- Behind the lines -- "A ghastly nightmare" -- The surrender note -- Finally, a little luck -- "Surf swimmers" -- "Peanuts, Popcorn, Navy crosses" -- The long patrol -- End of the raiders -- A piece of folly? -- Many questions, few answers.