Shots Fired In Anger

SHOTS FIRED IN ANGER by LT.COL. John George. 1981 reprint by the N.R.A.
This is an excellent book on the war in the Pacific,from a Rifleman's point of view. The author who was on the the Illinois State Rifle team before the war takes you on a journey through Basic training, Guadalcanal and finally into Burma.
In the middle of the book He describes both U.S. and Japanese small arms and equipment. He gives a good honest overview of what works and what did not.
The book also does not turn into one of those "There I was..." books where if it wasn't for the the author the war would have been lost.
If you are looking for a great book about the Army in the Pacific this is it.
I believe it is out of print so look on line or better yet your local used bookstore. Andy

Sounds great, thanks!

I first became aware of this book while reading Bruce Canfield's US Infantry Weapons of WWII. Mr. Canfield referred to passages from the book so I thought I'd give it a try. Not currently in print, I found it at Amazon.com and ordered a used copy. The company that had the copy was both fast and efficient, the book itself in excellent condition.

The author's shooting prowess at National Match Level is the foundation for his memoir. The critique of American and Japanese weapons is first rate and based solely on combat usage. The tale did slow considerably towards the end, the author having somewhat of a premonition that his luck was due to run out, he took far fewer chances than he did earlier in the war.

Do not mistake this last comment as an indication that courage was lacking, simply a progression that the war against the Japanese soldier was a hard an unforgiving one, George's health and previous injuries had given him pause in this war, he had been at it since the very beginning.

It was interesting to read that US troops would prefer some types of Japanese equipment to that of US. I believe he preferred the Japanese water bottle over our canteen, as well as the Arisaka ammunition pouches and the manner in which they were worn, I had not read such things before.