Customer Reviews

Tanks on the Beaches: A Marine Tanker in the Pacific War (Texas A&M University Military History Series, 85.)

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Tanks On The Beaches: A Marine Tanker In The Pacific War is the memoir of Robert M. Neiman, a United States Marine Corps combat commander, who served in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. A tale of struggling against an implacably determined foe, tracing the journey from the deadly fields war in the Pacific, to the uncertainties of war's aftermath, to the voyage home, Tanks On The Beaches (written with the assistance of Kenneth W. Estes) offers a vivid and firsthand account and is a welcome and highly recommended contribution to the growing library of World War II battlefield autobiographies and memoirs.

Neiman had an extensive journey through the Pacific, fighting on Kwajelein (Roi and Namur islands), Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima as commander of `C' company, 4th Marine Tank Battalion before going to Okinawa to join 1st Marine Tank Battalion for the final stage there.

Neiman joined the Marine tank arm as a young officer in mid 1941 with the 1st Scout Co (M3A1 scout cars, motorcycles & a platoon of Marmon-Herrington CTL-3A). He is fit & intelligent, with a military school education & he progresses well. He is involved in a lot of the training that informed the Corps early actions & contributes much to ongoing refinements of combat drills as he encounters Japanese defences. Some of this he picked up on a quick visit to Guadalcanal, where the methods used by the Marine tankers were sometimes very grim - but so too were those of the Japanese. He then commenced to establish and train his own company and there is a lot of interesting detail on this process.

It's put to the test on Kwajelein where he operates in support of 4th Marine Div. He leads his company to the beach & then in subduing Japanese strong points but while it's clear he was foremost in the action he doesn't write in detail on the fighting. Things are a bit more specific on Saipan. He has two tanks disabled under him & other very close calls. His unit causes a lot of carnage & later he witnesses many of the suicides on Tinian. I was particularly fascinated to read how they increased protection of their tanks in the field. There is also quite a bit on devising tactical responses to operating in Pacific conditions, in cane fields, for instance. One of the more startling revelations is the difficulty he had with some Marine regimental commanders (he names name's!). His recommendation that the ranks of tank company commanders be increased so that they were taken more seriously, was adopted to address this.

In terms of combat, Neiman is at his most detailed regarding Iwo Jima. The difficulties operating in the volcanic ash were substantial and it is only due to extensive training and preparation that he even gets his tanks off the beach. Some of the damage he sees to tanks is astounding. He is also more explicit about what happens to bodies. There are considerable personnel casualties here and Neiman as a commander has an interesting perspective. At the end his company only has seven running tanks. While no-where was secure on Iwo he is a little more fortunate when he joins the 1st Tank Bn on Okinawa. He is executive officer & would've commanded it in the invasion of Japan. As it is he goes briefly to China.

While extensive in terms of campaigns & the training & organization of tank formations, Neiman writes mostly in general terms of his personal actions in combat. He was certainly in the thick of things but his role obviously restricted (& perhaps saved) him. Other things of interest include his social life. He dated extensively & while he's coy enough he recalls with amazement the enthusiastic availability of the New Zealand girls. There are also some great pictures. You'll know the ones that feature Neiman himself as be is easily identified by his enormous smile! So, an interesting memoir overall, especially with regards to the technical side of things and the development of the tank arm. Recommended! 3 1/2 stars

great book well researched honors the men who fought in some of the most

horrible conditions in WWII