Lonely Vigil

by Walter Lord

Book Overview

Called a stirring tale of forgotten heroes splendidly told by a master narrator, this saga of the valiant coastwatchers of the Pacific War exemplifies that rare combination of careful research and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: B002FVGQMI
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: Viking Press
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

"Forty bombers heading yours"

A few hundred coastwatchers of the Solomon Islands, mostly Australians, played a crucial role in winning World War II in the Pacific. These men -- including one family and one woman missionary -- were mostly planters, officials, and missionaries who had been living in the Solomon islands before World War II and who remained in place in 1942 and 1943, often behind Japanese lines. They set up their cumbersome radios on mountain tops and reported the movements of Japanese aircraft and ships to the embattled Americans on Guadalcanal. In the early days of the Guadalcanal campaign it was the laconic radio reports -- "forty bombers heading yours" is an example -- of the coastwatchers who gave the American marines almost two hours notice of Japanese bombers heading their way. This enabled the ragtag "Cactus Air Force" to get into the air and swoop down on the Japanese planes when they arrived. Without the coastwatchers the vital battle for Guadalcanal might have been lost. Later the coastwatchers also became rescuers of downed US pilots and sailers, notably of a young naval lieutenant named John F. Kennedy whose PT Boat was sunk. Perhaps the most remarkable story in the book is that of Jacob Vouza, an island native who was shot, bayoneted, and left for dead by the Japanese but survived to report the advance of a Japanese batallion readying an attack on the Americans. Author Walter Lord tells in "Lonely Vigil" what had been the untold story of the coastwatchers. Much of the book is compiled from interviews with about 100 participants. It's a fascinating and exotic tale of unconventional warriors, heroes, and colorful characters that should be on the reading list of essential World War II books. Smallchief

Exciting story of forgotten battles

Notwithstanding the impression you might get from some of the other reviewers here, "Lonely Vigil" is not a book about John F. Kennedy. Far from the coastwatchers being a footnote in JFK's biography, I prefer to think of JFK -- at least during these years -- as a minor bit of trivia in the far more interesting story of the coastwatchers themselves. Fishing JFK out of the drink was far from their most important contribution, either to the war effort or to history.I first read this book when I was in my teens, and I was captured even then by the drama of the coastwatchers and their Melanesian allies, hiding in the jungles while reporting on Japanese convoy and aircraft movements through the evocatively named "Slot" through the Solomon Islands. If you're familiar with Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific," you already know a little about the coastwatchers, since the mission embarked on by Lt. Joe Cable and planter Emile de Becque was modeled on the true-life exploits described in this book.It's too bad that the exciting story of the coastwatchers is still all but unknown in the U.S. But if it's true, as Admiral Halsey said (and who are we to doubt Admiral Halsey?), that "the coastwatchers saved Guadalcanal, and Guadalcanal saved the Pacific," then this well-researched, well-written, and engrossing book by Walter Lord deserves to be read by all students of the war in the Pacific.

Coastwatchers save the Pacific during WWII

I am partial to this book becuase Walter Lord interviewed my Father during the writing of this book. My Father Benjamin F. Nash was the only full time American Coastwatcher during WWII and was with Reg Evans when they spotted the fire ball that turned out to be the wreck of PT 109 when the Jananese destroyer ran over it. I met Mr. Lord during the days he talked to my Father during the Summer of 1976. I think it was '76. I have read the book several times. It is a fascinating history filled with facts, so you have to take your time in reading it to get the full impact. My Father told me that the facts that he knew of where 100% accurate in the book. Great book.

Anyone know the name of the Coast Watcher who saved JFK?

Walter Lord's book, "Lonely Vigil: Coast Watchers of the Solomons," written in 1977, was written as a tribute to those brave Australians who stayed behind in the Solomon Islands to report on the activities of the Japanese at great personal risk to themselves. They helped the United States during the Battle of Guadalcanal. One of them even saved the life of JFK. During World War II, the Pacific was a Japanese lake. They controlled every country in Asia and Southeast Asia. The Coast Watchers were a vital link in Australia's defensive chain. They even aided VMF-214, the legendary Black Sheep Squadron, commanded by the late Major Gregory R. ("Pappy") Boyington. If it weren't for the Coast Watchers, then we probably would have lost World War II.

exciting,informative, well-researched, well-written.

If you like real-life action, intrigue, and hard-to-put-down reading about WWII, this book is for you. This is Walter Lord's great-moving account of WWII in the Solomon Islands, and the less-known, but critical role that the coast watchers played in the eventual come-back of the United States and it's allies in the Southwest Pacific in their drive to Japan.