Tarawa 1943: The turning of the tide (Campaign) [Paperback]

Derrick Wright (Author), Howard Gerrard (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Campaign | Publication Date: October 25, 2000

Osprey's study of the conflict between Japan and the United States during World War II (1939-1945). The island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll was defended by the elite troops of the Special Naval Landing Force, whose commander, Admiral Shibasaki, boasted that "the Americans could not take Tarawa with a million men in a hundred years". In a pioneering amphibious invasion, the Marines of the 2nd Division set out to prove him wrong, overcoming serious planning errors to fight a 76-hour battle of unprecedented savagery. The cost would be more than 3000 Marine casualties at the hands of a garrison of some 3700. The lessons learned would dispel forever any illusions that Americans had about the fighting quality of the Japanese.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today.

About the Author

DERRICK WRIGHT was born in 1928 and spent his early years living in the Teeside area, where frequent air raids sparked off a lasting interest in World War II. He attended West Hartlepool School of Art, did two years National Service stationed in Portsmouth, and after demobilization took up a career in engineering, specialising in ultrasonics. Derrick's research over the years has brought him in touch with many Pacific War veterans who have provided invaluable information.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841761028
• ISBN-13: 978-1841761022
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #546,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Useful Summary of the Marine Corps Epic, January 11, 2001

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tarawa 1943: The turning of the tide (Campaign) (Paperback)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Misnamed but Good Read, July 27, 2002

By 

Fred M. Blum - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tarawa 1943: The turning of the tide (Campaign) (Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Expensive Victory!, August 10, 2005

By 

Maximiliano F Yofre "Maxi" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tarawa 1943: The turning of the tide (Campaign) (Paperback)

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.