Eugene Sledge Hits the Beach during the Battle of Peleliu

On 15 September 1944 Private Eugene Sledge and the rest of the K Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment landed on the island of Peleliu. During the run in to the beach, Private First Class Merrill Shelton offers Sledge a cigarette, which Sledge refuses. Shelton laughs, “Yeah, well, I’m makin’ you a bet. Before today’s over, you’ll be smokin’ every cigarette you can get your hands on.” Shelton's comment foreshadowed one of the bitterest battles of the Pacific in the Second World War. Listen to The War Office Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or The War Office Podcast YouTube Channel for more in-depth history podcast episodes. New episodes will be released every Tuesday morning. If you enjoy the episodes, please help us grow the podcast by subscribing, liking, sharing, commenting, and listening to future releases.