Customer Reviews

Cutthroats: The Adventures of a Sherman Tank Driver in the Pacific

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robert Dick has given us a gem. His narrative is interesting, thought provoking, sometimes disturbing and very often humorous.
Kind of a gallows humor. Probably appropriate for the times. He explains the technical aspects of the M-3 Stuart and M-4 Sherman in an easy to understand way. I suspect that some readers will not appreciate the frequent humor but we all cope with our ghosts in different ways. Great read.

Robert Dick has given us a great war memoir from the perspective of a tanker, which is all too rare, especially where the Pacific theater is concerned. This is a good, old-fashioned war story, emphasis on the war, but with just enough of the hijinks that veterans are so good at recalling. Dick offers a rare take on what it was really like to drive a tank in battle, the bond established between the tanker and the infantry he supported, and the odds and ends of a tank battalion's activities, such as firing as artillery. He honestly shares his painful experience nearing the "breaking point" after watching ever more of his buddies die in grueling combat. Buy this book!

Robert fought with the 763rd Tank Battalion on Leyte and Okinawa. Originally in the infantry, Robert takes a demotion and transfers to armour when he suffers a training injury. He is a driver at first and later on Okinawa a tank commander. He is a young and adventurous character and the bulk of his combat on Leyte is encountered when he is searching for souvenirs with his Tommy-gun. Generally though he sits around while his tank conducts fire missions, with the notable exception of the day his troop is swarmed by Japanese armed with satchel charges and Samurai swords! Okinawa is a fairly terrible experience for him and he has some distressing experiences. Even so, the nature of tank fighting is less intense than that experienced by the infantry.

There is a lot to like here. Robert writes a lot about the operation of his tank, the weapons, duties, visibility, even toileting. He reveals that casualties were surprisingly heavy and tank crewmen too had their breaking points. There is a lot on the casualty evacuation process he experienced and finally a lovely, warm homecoming. It is an engaging, modern text and Robert is a regular, likeable guy, easy to identify with. The chapters are short and there is a lot of miniature on army life. There are some harsh combat moments but the general tone is light. This is an enjoyable memoir from a different perspective. Recommended.

Excellent memoir, written by a guy who started out as a foot soldier before Pearl Harbor, and went on to drive Shermans on Leyte and Okinawa. The book reads fast and easy, is full of great detail, and told in a wry, reflective tone. Armor freaks especially will dig it. We need as many of these memoirs as we can get before these guys are all gone.

Cutthroats is a fast, easy, and very enjoyable read. For those who haven't read it the title refers to the name painted on the author's tank, all tanks in C Company having to have a name starting with the letter C. The author's account of the days immediately following Pearl Harbor are both entertaining and really illuminating on the hysteria of the times. The author spent time guarding bridges and railroad tunnels with a .30 CAL machine gun crew at various locations in California. His accounts of combat as tank crewman in the Pacific theater make up the bulk of the book. His firsthand accounts of combat, the hardship of day-to-day life, and the camaraderie of his fellow tankers will make you laugh and at times get a lump in your throat. This is a great book with something for the serious and casual history buff alike.

Thought the book was really great. Having lived on Guam in 1951-1953 then back in 1960-1962 it was great to read about the use of tanks in the Pacific. There are thing in the book do not get in any History class. Living on a Island that was part of the war and to see the kind of implacements the men incounter was a life time thing. The book was well written and you saw a view that few people ever saw.
Thank you from a person who is very much into the War in the Pacific.

I bought this book as a trio along with Another River, Another Town by John Irwin and Death Traps by Belton Cooper. These two books were personal memoirs of men who served in the ETO armored corps. But Cutthroats are the memoirs of a tank driver in the Pacific Theater of Operations, a subject with little coverage. This book was a joy to read because it was simply one man telling his story free of heavy facts, figures and dates which, while useful and much expected and required for certain texts, can sometimes turn a good story into a dry read. This was anything but a dry read and it was a real page turner. It gives a very interesting contrast to the armored ETO aspect of WW2. Well worth the money.

Very engaging memoir of a Sherman driver in the Pacific, participating in the landings at Yap, Leyte and Okinawa . There are no heroic antics. Instead , a very human admission of fear of death and recognition of early onset of post traumatic stress disorder With humor he gives WW2 US army bureaucracy a well deserved ribbing.
Very interesting description of the use in combat of the belly hatch , as well as a humorous episode with a flame thrower attachment (most likely a M3-4-3 bow mount flame thrower). Also the hair raising experience of being ambushed and surrounded by satchel charge wielding Japanese without friendly infantry support.
A pleasure to read. I finished my copy in a couple of days.
Highly recommended

Robert wrote about the war from his point of view with his own unique brand of storytelling. It contains interesting detail of life in a Sherman tank and alot of laugh out loud humor to make it a wonderful read.

This is an interesting book of the Pacific War from a tank drivers point of view. Its not very dramatic; some times comical; and it reads as if the author is talking to you in a bar over some beers. Its a cheap paperback good for long plane flights.