Fog of War

The Fog of War
In his novel, E.B. Sledge details in great precision the events of the war, but most of what happened as depicted by him is rushed and blurry. This is not due to some sort of historical inaccuracy or human error, but instead because it is truly difficult to understand and truly grasp what is happening in the “fog of war”. The most lasting impressions of the war that Sledge couldn’t completely wrap his mind around include the disorientation of the action, the merciless tactics and mentalities of the Japanese, and the internal struggles and disinformation within his own units.
The part of the book that really deals with the fog of war aspect doesn’t start until about 50 pages in, after he’s already been to boot camp and Camp Elliot. These first few pages deal mostly with preparation and the ideas of what will happen at war, about killing Japs and winning. The language he uses is almost romantic in a way when he discussed his bonds and friendships, especially in reference to his commander, Ack Ack and Hillbilly. It wasn’t until the day before D-Day that he sees the sunset and realizes, maybe, it will be his last (48, Sledge). This was all well and good, seeing as the description of basic training prepared me as a reader for the war to come. But much like Sledge’s real life experience, the training chapters in no way prepared me for what was to come.
The description of their landing on the beach, moving through the flaming inferno (56, Sledge) marks the first significant departure of the tone in the book. He describes landing on the beach and taking cover as the shelling fell down upon them hard. He mentions that it was the first time he ever truly felt helpless (63, Sledge). That emotion represents the pinnacle of human fear and how it affected him.   This was one of the first instances presented that exemplified the theme of disorientation in battle. While under fire by shelling, Sledge notes that he could not keep track of time and never really...