Product Details

• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Mpi Media Group
• VHS Release Date: December 13, 1991
• Run Time: 40 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 6302291941
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #487,379 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Tarawa: One of the bloodiest battles of WWII occurred on a series of islands running on 22 miles of reef: Tarawa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great footage, but no real analysis, June 3, 2000

By 

Peter Kasin (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Famous Marine Battles:Tarawa [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Although it does not give any indication of it on the box, this documentary is a period piece, an official Marine Corps film produced for the U.S. Government Office of War Information, with no date of release given, but probably 1945. The narration is straightforward, basically telling you what you're looking at. There is no critical analysis, no alternate viewpoints, no mention of controversial command decisions, and there was little or no access to Japanese documents at that time. What you do get is some incredible color footage, miraculously filmed by Marine photographers of the 2nd Division. This contains intense, up-close combat scenes that will give you a renewed respect for these 19-21 year old Marines. Watch for a scene of Marines swarming up a Japanese emplacement and assaulting it with rifles, grenades, and flamethrowers. This sand covered emplacement became known as Bonnyman's Hill (not identified as such in the film) named for the Marine's legendary Lt. Sandy Bonnyman, who led the assault on this emplacement with his squad of assault engineers who became known as "Bonnyman's Forlorn Hope." It was fortunate that a Marine photographer was there to film the assault. For an analytical look at this battle, see the History Channel's documentary Death Tide At Tarawa, also available on video and DVD from Amazon. Anyone interested in this battle or in World War II history in general would benefit greatly by reading Col. Joseph H. Alexander's history, Utmost Savagery: The Three Days of Tarawa, by far the best book on this battle.