Customer Reviews

Tarawa and the Marshalls: A Pictorial Tribute (U.S. Marines in World War II)

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"Tarawa and the Marshalls: A Pictorial Tribute", by Eric Hammel, lives up to the sub-title - the book offers many never before published pictures from Marine Corps History. Every page features black & white photographs from the campaigns in Tarawa and the Marshall Islands. The narrative story is told at the battalion level, but it's the pictures that really tell the story. Anyone familiar with Betio Island knows of the 3-foot high coconut tree wall - seeing the grim images of Marines holding onto that tenuous beachhead really brings the story to life.

The book has two chapters, but it really discusses three separate amphibious landings. The first and most famous is the landing on Bloody Tarawa. Hammel describes the flow of battle at the battalion level and delves into the company level when significant events occurred. In a few instances, the author highlights the actions of individual Marines who went above and beyond the call of duty to earn the Medal of Honor.
Chapter 2 focuses on the landings on the Marshall Islands. This chapter was actually two separate operations - one on Kwajalein Atoll, and the other on Eniwetok Atoll. Again, the operations are described at the battalion level, and expertly supported with photographs.

Throughout the book, Hammel highlights the lessons learned from previous operations and how they were applied for the upcoming invasion. For example, in the book's introduction, the author identifies the founding of Combat Camera - military photographers who would accompany operational forces into the field. The landings on Betio Island were the first in the Pacific to use this nascent skill set. Hammel covers some of the innovations to landing craft, and how their use evolved throughout these campaigns.

One of the other book's features I greatly appreciated was putting all the maps on facing pages at the beginning of the book. It was a lot easier to go to a single place in the book to be able to refer back to all the maps instead of paging through each chapter.

Hammel, a renowned military historian, has published many books on the Marine Corps, with a focus on operations in the Pacific. This was the first of his books that I have read, and I will certainly be looking for more. The book would be a welcome addition to the library of any military history enthusiast.

Eric Hammel, is an astute student of military history. He is the author of some thirty books about World War 2 in the Pacific theater. He also compiled a very useful chronology about the air war over Europe and North Africa titled "Air War Europa 1942-1945." Here he pens a terse and telling commentary for some 300 photos of the 2nd Marine Division's landing and three day battle for Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll in the northwest Gilbert Islands at a loss of some 3,000 casualties in November 1943.

Following Tarawa, Hammel turns to The Marshall Islands, just north and west of the Gilberts where the Japanese had fortified Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls and built air bases. American 2nd Marines and army personnel quickly brought the Marshall Islands under allied control in February 1944.

Some of the photographs have never been published. All are in black and white and are amazing shots of men in combat. Somehow they make time stand still.

In the last sixty years or so, Americans have found some costly places to fight battles. Tarawa was among the worst.

Richard N. Larsen
Reviewer

Very pleased! Book was received quickly as listed in perfect new condition. I plan to purchase all of Mr. Hammel's works that help tell the story of Marines in the Pacific as supported by outstanding archival photos. Thanks!