MWSA Book Review

Coast Watching in WWII

Author: A. B. Feuer

Publisher:  Stackpole Military History Series

Reviewer: Rob Ballister--MWSA Board Member

Stories from behind the lines about the brave Australian coast watchers who kept "eyes on" the Japanese in the South Pacific.

A. B. Feuer again uses first hand accounts coupled with his excellent style to tell the story of those brave individuals who were the coast watchers of WWII.

Early on, the Japanese did not pay much attention to this handful of under-trained, under-fed, under-equipped Aussies who were trapped on the islands they invaded.  But despite their Australian heritage, these men were well experienced with the jungles of Buka and Bouganville, and with the help of local natives and the US Submarine Force, they soon developed an intelligence network which provided the Allied Powers with much needed information on Japanese ship and aircraft movements.  Eventually, the Japanese realized that these men and their radios must be put out of action, and the cat-and-mouse tale which ensued is one of the more exciting I have read.  A must-read for any WWII history buff.

Other titles by A. B. Feuer