Summary of EP33 Sledgehammer and Big Shot

Overview of EP33 — Sledgehammer and Big Shot (Dan Carlin with Henry “Big Shot” Sledge)

This episode is a long-form conversation between Dan Carlin and Henry Sledge about Henry’s father, Eugene B. “E.B.” Sledge (nicknamed “Sledgehammer”), author of the classic Pacific War memoir With the Old Breed. Henry explains how his father wrote the memoir originally for family, how much material was left out of the published 300‑page edition, and how Henry’s new book (The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed) restores and contextualizes that material. The discussion covers battlefield detail (Peleliu and Okinawa), the psychological aftermath of combat, attitudes toward commanders and strategy, the atomic bomb debate from a veteran’s perspective, documentary portrayals, and what made E.B. Sledge’s account uniquely powerful and humane.

Key points and main takeaways

• With the Old Breed is one of the best American frontline memoirs of WWII; however, the originally published book was heavily edited down to ~300 pages. Henry’s book restores much of the omitted material and adds his own linking commentary.
• E.B. Sledge fought with the 1st Marine Division at Peleliu and Okinawa — two of the bloodiest, most psychologically brutal Pacific campaigns. The episode quotes casualty figures from the transcript: Peleliu (U.S. ~1,252 K, ~5,000 wounded; Japanese ~12,000 dead) and Okinawa (U.S. ~50,000 casualties, ~12,500 K; Japanese ~95,000 K).
• The Pacific war produced different horrors than Europe: Japanese tactics (infiltrations, night attacks, willingness to die, treatment of prisoners and civilians) made continuous sleep deprivation, hypervigilance and unique moral/psychological strain common.
• E.B. Sledge’s account is notable for its deep humanity: he both performed his duty and retained moral reflection and disgust about war, which is why his work reads as powerful anti‑war testimony even while evincing fierce soldierly pride.
• Many veterans (including Sledge) found revisiting combat in documentaries emotionally and physically exhausting; public attention sometimes arrived late in their lives and could be draining.
• From a veteran’s “hot‑blood” perspective, the decision to use atomic bombs was understandable given what they’d seen and the expectation that invasion of Japan would mean mass civilian and military casualties (Sledge reportedly said troops were told to “get used to killing women and children” if invasion came).
• Henry describes his father’s intolerance for self‑destructive behavior among returning veterans (e.g., drowning in alcohol) — he respected Vietnam veterans who rebuilt their lives and had low patience for those who did not seek to move forward.
• Henry’s book uses two typographies: bold for E.B. Sledge’s original words and regular for Henry’s contextual linking and commentary.

Topics discussed

• Who E.B. Sledge was: background, personality, reputation, and how he came to write his memoir.
• The battles of Peleliu and Okinawa: battlefield conditions, tactics, casualties, and day/night enemy behavior.
• Specific battlefield anecdotes from With the Old Breed: night-foxhole infiltrations, friendly-fire/mistaken identity tragedies, maggots/rotting bodies imagery, and the cumulative deprivation of prolonged combat.
• Documentary portrayals and public memory: Hell in the Pacific (UK/British production), Carlton films, HBO’s The Pacific (character inspired by Sledge), and how seeing/filming veterans affected them.
• Publishing history: manuscript originally written for family, typed by his wife who urged publication, then edited down by publisher; Henry recovered and published much of what was omitted.
• Views on senior commanders and strategy: resentment over Peleliu being fought when not strictly necessary; hostility toward MacArthur’s ego; mixed feelings about Nimitz (criticized for not calling off Peleliu); respect for Geiger; criticism of Rupertus for refusing Army aid on Peleliu.
• PTSD, postwar life, and intergenerational perspectives: the return to civilian life, academic and professional achievements (E.B. Sledge became a scientist/academic), and the differences between generations’ ways of processing combat (WWII vs. Vietnam).
• The ethics and context of the atomic bomb decision through a combat veteran’s lens.
• The role of comradeship and reunions in processing and validating wartime experience.

Notable quotes and passages

• E.B. Sledge (quoted often in episode): “The front line is really where the war is. Anybody 100 yards behind the front doesn’t really know what it’s like.”
• Anecdote Sledge told about job interview: after listing combat proficiencies (M1, .45, Model 20, flamethrower, bayonet), he exploded: “Lady…there was a killing war going on, and I was one of the ones who had to do some of the killing.”
• From the unpublished material Henry recovered (on Shuri): “Our environment congealed more and more into a ghastly nightmare of mud, murderous shelling, casualties, rotting bodies and maggots… the place was enough to drive a strong man insane.”
• Henry’s perspective on soldiers’ mindset toward invasion of Japan: veterans had been told to “get used to killing women and children” in anticipation of an invasion, a factor shaping views on the atomic bombs.

Notable anecdotes (short list)

• Night attacks/infiltration: Japanese troops often operated “night shifts” by hiding in caves by day and harassing U.S. positions at night; this produced deadly foxhole encounters and tragic friendly-fire incidents.
• A foxhole incident described by E.B. Sledge: a marine fell asleep on watch, a Japanese infiltrator and chaos followed, and another marine was mistakenly killed by his own side — a heartbreaking example of Pacific theater horrors.
• Henry’s childhood memory: seeing his father suddenly break down and pound the refrigerator while watching the movie Patton, a Pavlovian reaction to shelling memories.
• E.B. Sledge wrote his account by hand on yellow legal pads; his wife typed the manuscript and urged publication.

Henry’s new book — what it offers

• Title (as discussed): The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed (restores unpublished material and pairs E.B. Sledge’s text with Henry’s commentary).
• Format: bold text for E.B. Sledge’s original writings; regular text for Henry’s linking narrative and context.
• Value: gives readers the fuller story behind With the Old Breed, including post‑war life, unpublished combat scenes, and family context. Recommended as a complement to the original memoir.

Recommendations / further reading & viewing

• Read: With the Old Breed — E.B. Sledge (the classic frontline memoir).
• Read: The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed — Henry Sledge (restored/unpublished material and commentary).
• Watch: Hell in the Pacific (British production — noted for footage not widely shown in U.S. documentaries).
• Watch: HBO’s The Pacific (dramatization which includes a character inspired by E.B. Sledge).
• Look for the Carlton films UK series (archive documentary material referenced in the episode).
• For additional context: Paul Fussell’s Wartime (for literary/contextual treatment of frontline experience).

Final notes

• The Sledge story is an exemplar of how precise, humane, and candid frontline writing can be simultaneously a soldier’s testament and a powerful anti‑war statement.
• Henry Sledge’s book is aimed at readers who want the “rest of the story” behind With the Old Breed — both more battlefield detail and a portrait of the man who carried those memories into civilian life.
• Dan Carlin also mentions upcoming live shows (Southern‑themed dates announced in the episode). For listeners who value the show, he points to dancarlin.com for donations and event/ticket info.