US Marine Corps Tank Crewman 1941-45: Pacific (Warrior) [Paperback]

Kenneth Estes (Author), Howard Gerrard (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2005 | Series: Warrior (Book 92)

The ferocity of the Pacific war almost defied the available military technology. In this environment the evolving use of tanks by the US Marine Corps played a significant role; at the end of the Battle of Okinawa, Major General Lemuel Shepherd wrote in his report that 'if any one supporting arm can be singled out as having contributed more than any others during the progress of the campaign, the tank would certainly be selected.' This book traces the history of the US Marine Corps tank crewman, including the significant changes in doctrine, equipment, and organization that World War II brought, and his experience fighting in the Pacific theater.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The strength of this book is in Estes gentle writing and the archival photographs showing many Marine tanks in action. The color plates (many of which appear to be based on actual photographs) are good. The quotes from Marine tankers make this book a rich offering." -JAG, Military Vehicles

From the Publisher

Insights into the real lives of history's fighting men, packed with full colour illustrations, highly detailed cutaways, exploded artwork of weaponry and armour, and action-packed battle scenes.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (April 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841767174
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767178
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #349,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kenneth W. Estes, a Seattle native, is a professor of history and writer who pursued a 24 year career in the U.S. Marine Corps. Graduating in 1969 from the Naval Academy, he trained as a tank officer and served as a company grade officer in the 2nd and 3rd Marine Divisions, interspersed with academic tours of duty. Promoted major in 1979, he continued his service in the Fleet Marine Force with 2d Marine Division and, as a lieutenant colonel after 1985, Headquarters, III Marine Amphibious Force. He then joined the operations staff of Headquarters, Marine Corps in Washington. Ordered in 1989 to duty in Madrid, Spain with the Office of Defense Cooperation, he performed various duties, culminating in that of chief of international affairs. After completing a variety of command and staff assignments in the U.S. Marine Corps he retired in 1993.


Ken earned his master's degree in History at Duke University in 1974, the doctorate in Modern European History at the University of Maryland in 1984 and taught at Duke University (1981-84) and the Naval Academy (1974-78), all while a serving Marine Corps officer. He also completed the Army Advanced Armor Officer Course and attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He edited the Marine Officer's Guide and the Handbook for Marine NCOs 1983-2009, wrote eight other books since 2000 and has contributed chapters in other works, and has written extensively in military journals for over 35 years. Since retiring, he has continued to teach at colleges and universities in Europe and Seattle and engaged in consulting work in support of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies, the US 1st Armored Division, and Marine Corps University.


He received a third-place Codd Award for best NROTC instructor in the nation in 1984, and he also collected later a few personal awards: two U.S. Meritorious Service Medals, and the Naval Cross of Merit, First Class, from the Kingdom of Spain. He was made an Honorary Legionnaire in the Spanish Legion in 1992. The American Historical Association awarded him a Gutenberg-e Prize in 2002. While not a combat veteran, he has been under brief bombing, artillery and machinegun fire, all fired by fellow U.S. Marines.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little resource..., June 28, 2011

By 

Elizabeth M. Nickerson - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: US Marine Corps Tank Crewman 1941-45: Pacific (Warrior) (Paperback)

This is a very solid overview of training, uniforms, and tactics that marine tankers were taught and developed throughout the course of the pacific campaign. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in WW2 armor, but especially to someone that needs resource materials for a diorama of the pacific involving marines, marine tanks or both. The color plates are beautifully rendered and well researched.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid book, June 5, 2005

By 

Kenneth P. Katz - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: US Marine Corps Tank Crewman 1941-45: Pacific (Warrior) (Paperback)

This compact volume gives an excellent description of US Marine Corps armor doctrine, equipment, training, organization, operations and personnel in WWII. Following the Osprey Warrior series format, it uses an imaginary Marine tanker as the vehicle for telling about Marine armor and tankers. The books in very well-written and packed with information. It appears to draw heavily on the research that the author used for some of his earlier (and also superb) books on the subject.

My only significant complaint is that the color plates are adequate but not up to Osprey's usual standards. This might have caused me to reduce my rating by one star, but the excellence of the rest of the book still justified five stars in my opinion.

This book is definitely worth purchasing if the subject interests you.