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

Wright, Derrick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0275982718 ISBN 13: 9780275982713

Publisher: Praeger Publishers Inc, 2004

Synopsis

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 daring amphibious invasion, the Marines of the 2nd Division set out to prove him wrong, overcoming serious planning errors to fight a three-day battle of unprecedented savagery. The cost would be more than 3,000 Marine casualties at the hands of a garrison of some 3,700. The lessons learned at Tarawa would dispel forever any illusions that Americans had about the fighting quality of the Japanese, and would provide the U.S. Marine Corps with vital experience for the forthcoming assault of the Marshall Islands.

About this title

Synopsis:

Describes the US Marine assault on the island of Betio, on Tarawa atoll. The Japanese commander had boasted that "the Americans could not take Tarawa with a million men in a hundred years". In a daring amphibious invasion, the US Marines set out to prove him wrong.

About the Author:

DERRICK WRIGHT WRIGHT is a writer whose research over the years has brought him in touch with many Pacific War veterans.

About this edition

• Publisher: Praeger Publishers Inc
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0275982718
• ISBN 13: 9780275982713
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 96