“Come on you sinners, hell is only half full!”
That was the battle cry of Marine Captain Cal Hobbes as he led his countless, seemingly suicidal charges in World War II. On island after island — Guam, Okinawa, Tarawa, Iwo Jima — his platoon always won their battles, no matter what the cost. Because for Hobbes, no sacrifice was too great, as long as someone else made it.
To the American public and the Marine brass, he was a hero. To Lt. Don Avery, his second in command, he was a God. To his men, he was the Devil. To barmaid Bonnie Armstrong, he was unmistakably a man. To aristocratic Valerie Todd, he was still an idealistic boy who failed to realize that a lady could have the same needs as a barmaid.
This is the vivid, action-packed story of Captain Hobbes — man and soldier, God and Devil — and of the U.S. Marines who gave their all to serve their country.
“Delano Stagg” was the pseudonym for Mel R. Sabre and Paul Eiden, both of whom saw combat as paratroop non-coms during WWII. Their joint decorations included the Purple Heart, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, five campaign stars, a brace of Presidential Unit Citations, adn the Frech fourragere of the Croix de Guerre. Both later became newspaper reporters, authors and screenwriters.
Delano Stagg /
Adventure, Historical, Military Fiction
