Customer Reviews

Tarawa 1943: The Turning of the Tide (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

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

 

 

British amateur historian Derrick Wright has written a thorough summary of the US Marine Corps landing on Tarawa Atoll in November 1943. The subtitle, "the turning of the tide" is not appropriate however, since the tide of victory had already turned against the Japanese a year earlier at Midway and Guadalcanal.

The author covers the battle in succinct but thorough day-by-day detail, from the marine landing to the conquest of the island three days later. There are three appendices covering US and Japanese orders of battle and USMC casualties. The three-D maps are good, but propably should have been zoomed in a bit more, since the area of fighting was quite small.

There are no major flaws in the book, which does cover well-travelled ground after all, but there are several areas that could have been given better elaboration. First, since this was the first major opposed landing for the US Marine Corps in the Second World War, a bit more space should have been given to amphibious doctrine. Was the landing conducted in accord with existing doctrine and how was doctrine modified? Second, the US Army landings on Makin should have been given a map and a little more detail.

Otherwise, this is another useful, if not ground-breaking, Osprey Campaign summary. The photographs are quite good also.

Tarawa 1943: The Turning of the Tide is a well written, but short history of the invasion of the island. It is misnamed, since the author himself correctly describes Midway as the turning point. But that aside, this is a good book.

In fact Tarawa is a perfect battle for the Osprey series since the battle was basically fought over a three day period. The book does an excellent job describing not only the troop movements but the human toll that the invasion caused. One is continually reminded that the conquest of Tarawa was paid for in too much human blood.

This is a good read. Excellent maps are an added bonus.

As I say in my Amazon's Profile: "I am a science fiction fan and a history buff (especially WW II, Napoleon, Civil War, Ancient Rome), I read omnivorously on these subjects."

Osprey's different collections are a great resource for History "aficionados". In a very compact book series with excellent presentation, first quality paper and nice reproductions gives the reader a succinct and complete view of the subject.

Mr. Derrick Wright starts with a synopsis of the events preceding war's break out and then he follows with opposing Commanders, Armies and Plans in roughly 20 pages.

Next a compact but detailed day-by-day chronicle ensues.
Here the author sagely intercalates personal recounts with cold description of the battle in progress.
The photographic material is outstanding; each photo shows the shocking reality of the battlefield. The color plates are realistic and painted with vivid tonalities.
There are two and three dimension maps, showing very clearly how the combat evolved.

Finally a brief section is dedicated to the four Medal of Honor winners.
The appendix showing the casualties suffered by both sides is appalling and the 97% of dead Japanese military will prove the rule and not the exception all along the Pacific Campaign.

The only weak point of the book is the almost inexistent description of the Makin landings.


This book may suites as an introduction for neophytes or as a graphic resume for students and researchers.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

The book contains some very good detail but is lacking in the substance of the book. The pictures are amazing and the maps are very helpful but the book left me wanting more. It is a good book for the basic information of the battle but it lacks in the detail. Too much space is given to pictures and not enough to information.

I found this book very informative of a battle I did not know much about. The photos, maps and illustrations were wonderful as I got to understand this battle. It was a very costly battle for the Marines as they took this island with over 3,000 casualties against 5,000 defenders. It also showed what was about to happen later in the war as the Japanese got more fanatical and used "banzai" charges against the Marines. A very informative book.

The author, Derrick Wright, does an excellent job of organizing and describing this bloody campaign. Tarawa was the second major amphibious battle of World War II. The Marine Corps suffered horrendous casualties during the landing because the Higgins boats grounded on the reef. As a result, the Marines had to wade ashore under enemy fire.

The author initially separates the battle into the three D-Day landing beaches. These beaches, Red 1, 2, and 3, are further separated into the morning and afternoon engagements. He then describes the progression of the campaign by each of the following days, D-Day +1, +2, and +3. This organized and concise narrative allows the reader to easily follow the action.

The book contains three 3D bird's eye view maps, four full color battle scenes, and six combat artist drawings. It also has numerous black and white photos that significantly add to the narrative. Some of the tactical maps are useful in that they show various gun emplacements. Unfortunately, the symbols are small and numerous. As a result, these maps are only good for providing an overall impression of the defense. Other maps, such as the landing beaches, are very helpful in illustrating the assault phase of the campaign.

The author concludes the book with a chapter on the four Marines who were awarded the Medal of Honor. He also included three appendices. These cover the overall US command, the Japanese force, and total casualties for the battle.

Bottom line: this book is well written and easy to follow. Over half the book focuses on the battle itself. This is not always the case with books in the Osprey Campaign series. Overall, Mr. Wright did a great job in describing one of the Marine Corps' bloodiest battles.

Let me suggest another meaning for the subtitle. The author is not referring to the turning of the tide of war. I believe he was being literal; he was referring to the trouble our marines experienced in negotiating the reefs until the tide came in to its fullest extent. Though mentioned, this trouble if developed more fully would give the reader a better understanding of the difficulties in the landing.

The author begins by describing the near term history of Japan as it arose from its feudal shell around 1850s and began an increasing trend toward imperialism. The victories in Korea and China and the naval defeat of the Russian navy are discussed. The author then briefly discusses the start of the war and the events that lead into 1943 and the invasion of the Gilberts. The Japanese had anticipated an eventual attack in the region and tried to prepare for it. They made tactical and strategic plans to destroy the US invasion force which was clearly described by the author. It also is clearly shown how the US foiled those plans by raining destruction on the two key facilities of Truk and Rabaul before Tarawa was invaded.

The summary of the battle was good, even though I would have preferred greater tactical detail and more first hand accounts but in an Osprey book that's not always possible. The three day battle is presented on a daily basis and by landing zone. The author clearly shows the trouble the Marines had in reaching and holding the beach and the costly advance in securing the island.
The author uses seven 2-D maps and three 3-D maps and five hand drawings to support his narrative. Mr Wright had duplicated two 3-D maps of the extact configuration as in the 2-D maps. The third 3-D map seemed unnecessary. I also would have brought the focus in on the maps.

The photos of the island were great and added much value and understanding of the ordeal of the Marines to take the island.
The author did a good job of describing the mistakes that were made before and during the landing. If the island had been bombed more extensively, fewer men would have died. If the timing of the landing was better, that too would have saved lives. Once it was discovered during the first landings, that the reef was a problem and that the Japanese was putting up intense fire, why didn't we back off and continue shelling the island. Why was the communications so poor? The big question: Was it necessary to capture the island? I know it had an airfield but was it worth it.

Listing the Medal of Honor Winners was a nice touch. Its a good read and would recommend it. I would also recommend the 5 star books: "Utmost Savagery" by Joseph Alexander which had more details as well as Mr Wright's own full length book "A Hell of a Way to Die".

Tarawa was the first of the murderous and, for the most part, unnecessary island assaults that dominated the history of the pacific war. The illogical strategy of 'rolling up' these many fortress islands triumphed over the sane approach of simply side-stepping these worthless rocks. Unfortunately, MacArthur's need for self-aggrandizement and self-justification caused the unnecessary and useless slaughter of thousands of american men, let alone the over-one million civilian deaths resulting from his ego-driven and pointless 'i shall return' invasion of the phillipines (It is interesting to note that most allied generals - and axis ones too! - were stunned that he was not dismissed for incompetence after fleeing/being called back from Corregidor).

The curious need for american generals to put ego before the well-being of their men started with the example set by pershing in the great war. There he ran up a staggering butcher's bill by refusing the tactical training assistance of his experienced french and british allies. Clark's run for rome and glory in lieu of trapping the german armies is a painful WWII example. Ooops... Sorry for the digression!

Almost by itself, the submarine campaign brought the japanese empire to a standstill. Between the subs and the immensely powerful carrier groups, all jap islands could have been utterly isolated from supplies and then ignored - like rabaul was. In war, the simple way is the best way. A direct drive on the japanese home islands would have avoided the need for the majority of the island assaults.

This book was difficult to read because of the over-riding realization that the story of such bravery and relentless determination was for naught, although less tragically wasteful than the taking of peleliu. The lucid text, telling photographs, excellent maps, gut-turning personal anecdotes, and nail-biting account of the vicious fighting brought the horror of the struggle into my living room. While absorbing this book, the mistakes made, the lucky breaks experienced, and exploits of dedicated soldiers effected by both sides, unfolded in a steady torrent. Needless to say, i read the entire book in one sitting! This work is recommended without reservation.

P.S. For american readers, don't think that i'm 'bashing' america. I was in the infantry and know what it's all about so reading about the waste of any soldier's life really grinds my gears. Also, my experience with the conscript u.s. army was less than satisfactory. During the gulf war, however, i met the 'new' army for the first time when entertaining off-duty troopers and was pleasantly impressed by the professionalism of this all-volunteer force. If the officers during WWI and WWII had the same training as this new breed then u.s. casualties would have been significantly lower. Oh yes, in closing, please study a map of the pacific and i believe you will see why most history buffs (at least the non-american ones!) are appalled by the pacific campaign...