Native American Code Talker in World War II

Description

'Were it not for the Navajo Code Talkers the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima and other places' (Anonymous, Marine Corps signal officer). Ed Gilbert uses personal interviews with veterans to tell their fascinating story. Beginning with the first operational use of Native American languages in World War I, he explores how in World War II the US again came to employ this subtle, but powerful 'weapon.' Despite all efforts, the Japanese were never able to decode their messages and the Navajo code talkers contributed significantly to US victories in the Pacific. Approximately 400 Navajos served in this crucial role. Their legend of the 'code talker' has been celebrated by Hollywood in films, such as Windtalkers, and this book reveals the real-life story of their extraordinary involvement in World War II.

Ed Gilbert was a Marine artilleryman and a Battalion Training NCO in the Marine Corps Reserve. He holds a Ph.D. in geology, and is now a geologist and geophysicist involved in petroleum exploration in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America. Ed has written for hobby, historical, and veteran's magazines, and is the author of oral and operational histories of the Marine Corps' armored units in World War II and the Korean War. He is currently at work on a history of the Marine Corps tank battalions in the Vietnam conflict. Richard Hook was born in 1938 and trained at Reigate College of Art. After national service with 1st Bn, Queen's Royal Regiment, he became art editor of the much-praised magazine Finding Out during the 1960s. He has worked as a freelance illustrator ever since, earning an international reputation particularly for his deep knowledge of Native American material culture; and has illustrated more than 50 Osprey titles.

"When Hollywood presented the film Windtalkers, it generated a lot of interest on this topic. This book would be an excellent companion to those who enjoyed the film, as one could never trust Hollywood to present history with a satisfactory degree of accuracy... Native American Code Talker in World War II is a great resource to learn more about the code talkers." --C. Peter Chen, World War II Database (April 2008) "Were it not for the Navajo Code Talkers the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima and other places." --Anonymous, Marine Corps signal officer "Undoubtedly entertaining, supremely authoritative, the Osprey military histories for World War II are essential research tools for hobbyists and professionals." --Brian John Murphy, America in WWII (August 2008) "There is further enhancement of the reading experience with period photos and the illustrations of R. Ruggeri. It is a book that I know you will find to be an excellent read and one that I can highly recommend to you." --Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (April 2008) "Ed Gilbert's Native American Code Talker in World War II [uses] personal interviews with veteran code talkers to tell of their use during World Wars I and II." --California Bookwatch (May 2008)