Coral Comes High

Archival Summary & Scope

On September 15, 1944, the First Marine Division launched a fierce assault on Peleliu, a Japanese-held island defended by an estimated 10,000 soldiers. In this raw and unflinching firsthand account, Captain George Hunt, commander of Company "K," plunges readers into the pivotal 48-hour struggle of his unit during one of World War II's most brutal battles. Lauded by Marine Corps Commandant Alexander A. Vandegrift, this memoir offers an intimate, ground-level perspective, focusing not on grand strategy but on the desperate fight, terrible casualties, and extraordinary courage of fighting men against overwhelming odds. Hunt, a Navy Cross recipient for his actions on Peleliu, recounts these harrowing events using the real names of those who fought alongside him.