Marines In World War II - The Battle For Tarawa [Illustrated Edition]

Marines In World War II - The Battle For Tarawa [Illustrated Edition]
Author: Capt. James R. Stockman
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2014-08-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 178289277X

The Story of the bloody brutal Battle of Tarawa, also known by its codename Operation Galvanic, was the first time that the Americans and principally the Marine Corps faced serious opposition to a seaborne landing. Contains 30 photos and 12 maps and charts. “Tarawa was the first in a series of amphibious operations which carried United States forces across the Central Pacific to the homeland of Japan. When the 2d Marine Division landed on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943, twenty years of Marine Corps study and work, already tested at Guadalcanal and at Bougainville, was put to an acid test. Tarawa was the first example in history of a sea-borne assault against a heavily defended coral atoll. Marine preparations for this operation were thorough; its plans were executed in a noteworthy manner. In the final analysis, however, success at Tarawa depended upon the discipline, courage, and fighting ability of the individual Marine. Seldom has anyone been called upon to fight a battle under more difficult circumstances. In capturing Tarawa, the 2d Marine Division accomplished a difficult mission in an expeditious manner. Seventy-six hours after the assault troops landed in the face of heavy resistance, the battle was over and an important base secured with the annihilation of its defending garrison. Of even greater importance, however, was the fact that this successful operation underlined the soundness of our doctrines of amphibious assault. The lessons learned and confirmed at Tarawa paid great dividends in every subsequent operation from the Marshalls to the shores of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.-A.A. VANDEGRIFT, General, U.S. Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps”

One Square Mile of Hell

One Square Mile of Hell
Author: John Wukovits
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2022-10-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 0593187474

For Dutton Caliber's American War Heroes series, the riveting true account of the Battle of Tarawa, an epic World War II clash in which the U.S. Marines fought the Japanese nearly to the last man. In November 1943, the men of the 2d Marine Division were instructed to clear out Japanese resistance on the Pacific island of Betio, a speck at the end of the Tarawa Atoll. When the Marines landed, the Japanese poured out of their underground bunkers—and launched one of the most brutal and bloody battles of World War II. For three straight days, attackers and defenders fought over every square inch of sand in a battle with no defined frontlines, and where there was no possibility of retreat—because there was nowhere to retreat to. It was a struggle that would leave both sides stunned and exhausted, and prove both the fighting mettle of the Americans and the fanatical devotion of the Japanese. Drawn from new sources, including participants’ letters and diaries and exclusive firsthand interviews with survivors, One Square Mile of Hell is the true story of a battle between two determined foes, neither of whom would ever look at the other in the same way again.

Pacific Warriors

Pacific Warriors
Author: Eric M. Hammel
Publisher: Zenith Imprint
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2005
Genre: Iwo Jima, Battle of, Japan, 1945
ISBN: 0760320977

From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, and more recently from the jungles of Vietnam to the killing fields of Iraq, America's "soldiers of the sea" have fought their country's battles with famed valor, skill, and perseverance in the face of long odds. But where did the U.S. Marines earn their reputation as being the "first to fight?" It was on the South Pacific Island of Guadalcanal. There, on August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division stormed ashore to begin one of the most difficult and brutal campaigns of military history, and an unbroken string of victories staged across the Pacific.

Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima
Author: Eric M. Hammel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 270
Release:
Genre:
ISBN: 1610607252

American Samurai

American Samurai
Author: Craig M. Cameron
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 1994-01-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521441681

A study of the cultural dynamics of ground combat.

Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Beyond

Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Beyond
Author: William W. Rogal
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2014-01-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0786455853

Chronicling the growth of a recruit from boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, to a seasoned troop leader, this memoir also relates the experiences of the 200 marines in A Company, First Battalion, Second Marines, as they engaged in island warfare in the South Pacific at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian.

War Shots

War Shots
Author: Charles Jones
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2010-12-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0811744434

Story of how military photographers got their shots while storming beaches and assaulting pillboxes with combat troops.

Native American Code Talker in World War II

Native American Code Talker in World War II
Author: Ed Gilbert
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2012-04-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780966342

'Were it not for the Navajo Code Talkers the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima and other places' (Anonymous, Marine Corps signal officer). Ed Gilbert uses personal interviews with veterans to tell their fascinating story. Beginning with the first operational use of Native American languages in World War I, he explores how in World War II the US again came to employ this subtle, but powerful 'weapon.' Despite all efforts, the Japanese were never able to decode their messages and the Navajo code talkers contributed significantly to US victories in the Pacific. Approximately 400 Navajos served in this crucial role. Their legend of the 'code talker' has been celebrated by Hollywood in films, such as Windtalkers, and this book reveals the real-life story of their extraordinary involvement in World War II.

Through the Wheat

Through the Wheat
Author: Edwin H. Simmons
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN:

"The U.S. Marines entered World War I as a small force of seagoing light infantry that had rarely faced a well-armed enemy. On a single faced day, in their initial assault "through the wheat" on Belleau Wood against German machine guns and poison gas shells, the Marines suffered more casualties than they had experienced in all their previous 142 years. Yet at Belleau Wood, Soissons, Blanc Mont, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne the Marines proved themselves to be hard-nosed diehards with an affinity for close combat. Nearly a century later Belleau Wood still resonates as a touchstone battle of the Corps." "Two retired Marines, well known for their achievements both in uniform and with the pen, have recorded this rich history in a way that only insiders can. Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Simmons and Col. Joseph H. Alexander recount events and colorful personalities in telling detail, capturing the spirit that earned the 4th Marine Brigade three awards of the French Croix de Guerre and launched the first pioneering detachments of "Flying Leathernecks." Here, hand-to-hand combat seen through the lenses of a gas mask is accompanied by thought-provoking assessments of the war's impact on the Marine Corps."--Jacket.

US Marine Corps Tanks of World War II

US Marine Corps Tanks of World War II
Author: Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 119
Release: 2012-01-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780960328

During World War II, the US Marine Corps formed six tank battalions that battled through the harsh conditions of the Pacific Theatre. Using the same basic tanks as the US Army, notably the M3 and M5A1 light tanks and the M4 Sherman medium tank, the marines made both technical and tactical innovations to make them more effective in the fight against the Japanese. Deep wading equipment, flamethrower tanks, and even wooden armor all became part of the Marine arsenal. This book examines the tactics and technology that made the US Marine Corps tank service unique in the annals of warfare.