<br> From Robert Leckie, the World War II veteran and <i><i>New York Times</i></i> bestselling author of <i><i>Helmet for My Pillow</i>, </i>whose experiences were featured in the HBO miniseries <i><i>The Pacific</i></i>, comes this vivid narrative of the astonishing six-month campaign for Guadalcanal.<br>  <br> From the Japanese soldiers' carefully calculated—and ultimately foiled—attempt to build a series of impregnable island forts on the ground to the tireless efforts of the Americans who struggled against a tenacious adversary and the temperature and terrain of the island itself, Robert Leckie captures the loneliness, the agony, and the heat of twenty-four-hour-a-day fighting on Guadalcanal. Combatants from both sides are brought to life: General Archer Vandegrift, who first assembled an amphibious strike force; Isoroku Yamamoto, the naval general whose innovative strategy was tested; the island-born Allied scout Jacob Vouza, who survived hideous torture to uncover the enemy's plans; and Saburo Sakai, the ace flier who shot down American planes with astonishing ease.<br> <br> Propelling the Allies to eventual victory, Guadalcanal was truly the turning point of the war. <i>Challenge for the Pacific </i>is an unparalleled, authoritative account of this great fight that forever changed our world.