The Coast Watchers Author:Feldt, Commander Eric A., R.A.N. Modern war may be fought with machines, but flesh and blood still tip the balance of decision. In 1942 and 1943. a handful of men risked torture and death to report on enemy movements in the Jap-infested islands of the South Pacific. Planters, traders, colonial officials--they were not a "military" force but volunteers whose lives depended on th... more »eir knowledge of the jungle and their cold-blooded courage. From lonely outposts scattered throughout the Pacific, the Coast Watchers radioed their reports of Japanese landings and convoys. In the hills above Bougainville they watched the skies for bombers flying south to attack the airfields on Guadalcanal. From Choiseul and Vella Vella they counted the destroyers sneaking down "the Slot" to reinforce the desperate enemy garrison. Hunted by Japanese patrols, enduring disease and starvation in the jungle, they carried out their dangerous mission.« less