An detailed examination of this bloody Pacific battle, featuring maps, artwork and archive photography. 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. This richly illustrated volume examines the battle in depth and the lessons learned, which would dispel forever any illusions that Americans had about the fighting quality of the Japanese.

Immerse yourself in the harrowing tale of the relentless U.S. Marine assault on the fortified island of Tarawa in Joseph H. Alexander's gripping account, 'Across the Reef', With meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Alexander takes readers to the heart of one of World War II's most intense battles. From the strategic planning to the daring amphibious assault, Alexander brings to life the remarkable courage and sacrifice displayed by both the American attackers and the tenacious Japanese defenders. Through firsthand accounts and meticulous attention to detail, the author uncovers the true magnitude of the battle, capturing the immense scale of destruction and heroism.

Tarawa Atoll in the Central Pacific was the November 1943 testing ground for America's ability to take heavily defended Japanese-held islands. The trial lasted three and a half days and would cost more than 3,000 USMC casualties at the hands of a Japanese garrison of some 4,700 men -- of whom just 17 would allow themselves to be taken alive. This compelling account of one of the most savage battles of World War II draws upon the vivid memories of Marine veterans of those 76 terrible hours of close-quarter fighting. It is supported by striking photographs, by the poignant drawings of a war artist who landed with the Marines, and by detailed maps and appendices. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Marine combat veteran and award-winning military historian Joseph Alexander takes a fresh look at one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War. His gripping narrative, first published in 1995, has won him many prizes, with critics lauding his use of Japanese documents and his interpretation of the significance of what happened. The first trial by fire of America's fledgling amphibious assault doctrine, the violent three-day attack on Tarawa, a seemingly invincible Japanese island fortress of barely three hundred acres, left six thousand men dead. This book offers an authoritative account of the tactics, innovations, leadership, and weapons employed by both antagonists. Alexander convincingly argues that without the vital lessons of Tarawa the larger amphibious victories to come at Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa might not have been possible.

Building upon the expertise of the authors and historians of the Naval Institute Press, the Naval History Special Editions are designed to offer studies of the key vessels, battles, and events of armed conflict. Using an image-heavy, magazine-style format, these Special Editions should appeal to scholars, enthusiasts, and general readers alike. The Battle of Tarawa was one of the most transformative engagements of World War II and for the future of the U.S. Marine Corps. Fought on a speck of coral sand in the middle of the Pacific, in just three days the battle and associated actions of Operation Galvanic killed over 1,700 U.S. service members and 5,000 Japanese defenders. Searing images of dead and wounded Marines quickly appeared in U.S. newspapers, magazines, and movie theaters, providing the public with a dismaying sense of the high cost of the upcoming Central Pacific campaign aimed at bringing the war quickly to Japan itself. From the pre-dawn of 20 November 1943, when U.S. battleships' guns first blazed away at Japanese positions, to the landings of men over a coral reef blocking the passage of most boats, to the brutal fighting necessary to overcome well-prepared and mutually supporting Japanese firing positions, the ferocity and brutality of the battle are carefully and fully narrated. This volume also covers the background of the battle; weaponry; naval actions; Japanese defensive fortifications; specialized U.S. forces such as armor, physicians, and chaplains; the media; and the long-term consequences of the battle. When it was over after 76 hours, lessons had been learned about amphibious landings and subsequent combat that would help the United States move quickly into the Marshall and Mariana Islands and then to the vicinity of Japan itself at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Rarely has one brief but horrific battle meant so much, for so many, for so long.

“Together these books provide the definitive history of the USMC’s tank forces . . . Very highly recommended” (Military Modelcraft International). Marine Corps Tank Battles in Korea: A detailed and gripping account of the little-known Marine tank engagements during the Korean War, from the valiant defense at Pusan and the bitter battles of the Chosin Reservoir to the bloody stalemate along the Jamestown Line. Oscar E. Gilbert unfolds the unique role played by tanks in the destruction of the ill-fated Task Force Drysdale, how Marine armor was a key factor in the defense of Hagaru, and how a lone tank made it to Yudamni and then led the breakout across the high Toktong Pass. Marine Corps Tank Battles in Vietnam: In 1965 the large, loud, and highly visible tanks of 3rd Platoon, B Company, 3rd Tank Battalion landed across a beach near Da Nang, drawing unwelcome attention to America’s first, almost covert, commitment of ground troops in South Vietnam. Marine Corps tankers sought out the enemy in the sand dunes, jungles, mountains, paddy fields, tiny villages, and ancient cities of Vietnam, dealing with guerrilla ambushes from the Viet Cong and the long-range artillery capability of the North Vietnamese Army. Marine Corps Tank Battles in the Middle East: In America’s longest continual conflict, armored Marines became entangled in guerrilla war amid the broiling deserts, ancient cities, and rich farmlands of Iraq, and in the high, bleak wastes of Afghanistan. Fighting a fanatical foe who brutalized civilians, planted sophisticated roadside bombs, and seized control of entire cities, the Marine Corps tankers cleared roads, escorted convoys, conducted endless sweep operations to locate and destroy insurgent strongholds, protected voting sites for free elections, and recaptured and rebuilt urban centers, even adding a new trick to their repertoire: long-range surveillance. Tanks in Hell: On November 20, 1943, the 2nd Marine Division launched the first amphibious assault of the Pacific War, directly into the teeth of powerful Japanese defenses on Tarawa. In that blood-soaked invasion, a single company of Sherman tanks, of which only two survived, played a pivotal role in turning the tide from looming disaster to legendary victory.