James Jones

THE THIN RED LINE

PENGUIN CLASSICS

Published by the Penguin Group
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First published in hardback in the United States by Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1962
This edition published in Penguin Classics 2014

This edition reprinted by arrangement with the Estate of James Jones

Copyright © 1962 by James Jones

Copyright © renewed 1990 by Gloria Jones, Jamie Anthony Phillipe Jones, and Kaylie Anne Jones

Cover illustration by Mark Smith, 2013

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-0-141-39325-4

Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

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PENGUIN MODERN CLASSICS

THE THIN RED LINE

James Jones (1921–1977) was born in Robinson, Illinois, and enlisted in the US army in 1939, serving in the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii during Pearl Harbor and later in Guadalcanal in the Pacific, where he was wounded in action. He is the author of many acclaimed novels, including the National Book Award-winner From Here to Eternity.

Dedication

This book is cheerfully dedicated to those greatest and most heroic of all human endeavors, WAR and WARFARE; may they never cease to give us the pleasure, excitement and adrenal stimulation that we need, or provide us with the heroes, the presidents and leaders, the monuments and museums which we erect to them in the name of PEACE.

 

Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that,

An’ Tommy, ’ow’s your soul?

But it’s ‘Thin red line of ’eroes,’

When the drums begin to roll—

—KIPLING

There’s only a thin red line between the sane and the mad.

—OLD MIDWESTERN SAYING

Special Note

Anyone who has studied or served in the Guadalcanal campaign will immediately recognize that no such terrain as that described here exists on the island. “The Dancing Elephant,” “The Giant Boiled Shrimp,” the hills around “Boola Boola Village,” as well as the village itself, are figments of fictional imagination, and so are the battles herein described as taking place on this terrain. The characters who take part in the actions of this book are also imaginary. It might have been possible to create a whole, entirely fictional island for the setting of this book. But what Guadalcanal stood for to Americans in 1942–3 was a very special thing. To have used a completely made up island would have been to lose all of these special qualities which the name Guadalcanal evoked for my generation. Therefore I have taken the liberty of distorting the campaign and laying down smack in the middle of it a whole slab of nonexistent territory.

And naturally, any resemblance to anything anywhere is certainly not intended.

“Styron’s Acres”
Roxbury, Conn.
Thanksgiving Day
1961

Company Roster

(Partial)

“C” CO, UMTH INF

9 Nov 1942

—Stein, James I, Capt, “C” Co Cmdg

—Band, George R, 1st Lt, Exec

—Whyte, William L, 2d Lt, 1st Pl Cmdg

—Blane, Thomas C, 2d Lt, 2d Pl Cmdg

—Gore, Albert O, 2d Lt, 3d Pl Cmdg

—Culp, Robert (NMI), 2d Lt, 4th (Weapons) Pl Cmdg

E M

1st Sgt

—Welsh, Edward (NMI)

S/Sgts

—Culn, Guide 1st Pl

—Grove, Ldr 1st Pl

—Keck, Ldr 2d Pl

—MacTae, Supply

—Spain, Guide 3d Pl

—Stack, Ldr 3d Pl

—Storm, Mess

Sgts

—Beck, Sqd Ldr Rfl

—Dranno, Co Clk

—Field,     Sqd   Ldr   Rfl

—Fox,         ”        ”      ”

—McCron,  ”        ”      ”

—Potts,       ”        ”      ”

—Thorne,    ”        ”      ”

—Wick,       ”        ”      Mtr

Cpls

—Fife, Fwd Clk

—Jenks,   Asst   Sqd   Ldr   Rfl

—Queen,    ”       ”       ”        ”

Pvts 1cl

—Arbre, Rflmn

—Bead, Asst Fwd Clk

—Cash, Rflmn

—Dale, 2d Cook

—Doll,   Rflmn

—Earl,      ”

—Fronk,   ”

—Hoff,     ”

—Land, 1st Cook

—Marl, Rflmn

—Park, 1st Cook

Pvts

—Ash,	Rflmn
—Bell,	”
—Carni,	”
—Catch,	”
—Catt,	”
—Coombs,	”
—Crown,	”
—Darl,	”
—Drake,	”
—Gluk,	”
—Gooch,	”
—Griggs,	”
—Gwenne,	”
—Jacques,	”
—Kline,	”
—Kral,	”
—Krim,	”
—Mazzi,	Mtrmn,
—Peale,	Rflmn,
—Sico,	”
—Stearns,	”
—Suss,	”
—Tassi,	”
—Tella,	”
—Tills,	Mtrmn,
—Tind,	”
—Train,	Rflmn,
—Weld,	”
—Wills,	”
—Wynn,	”

REPLACEMENTS

—Spine, Morton W, Lt Col, 1st Bn Cmdg

—Bosche, Charles S, Capt, “C” Co Cmdg

—Creo, John T, 1st Lt, “C” Co

—Payne, Elman W, 2d Lt, “C” Co

—Tomms, Frank J, 2d Lt, “C” Co

OTHERS

—Barr, Gerald E, Rear Adm, US Navy

—Grubbe, Tassman S, Lt Col, Rgtl Exec

—Tall, Gordon M L, Lt Col, 1st Bn Cmdg

—Roth, Norman M, Lt Col, Asst Div Srgn

—Haines, Ira P, Maj, Rgtl Srgn

—Gaff, John B, Capt, 1st Bn Exec

—Task, Fred W, Capt, “B” Co Cmdg

—Carr, Frederick C, Capt, Rgtl S-1

—Achs, Karl F, 2d Lt, “B” Co

—Gray, Elijah P, 2d Lt, “B” Co

—James, Sgt, Bn Hq

—Hoke, Pvt, of Cannon Co

—Witt, Pvt, of Cannon Co