Tarawa: A Legend is Born

Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II / the Violent Century: Battle #8

by Henry I. Shaw Jr., Barrie Pitt (Editor-in-Chief), David Mason (Editor)

Except to the planners in Washington and Tokyo, this small atoll and its main island Betio were virtually unknown. Then in 'seventy-six stark and bitter hours' the island was taken, and in the battle the heroism of both attackers and defenders was worthy to stand beside the most renowned in the history of warfare.

***

Tarawa: A Legend is Born is part of Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II, and is Book #8 in the Battle Book series.

Genres: History, Military History, World War II, Nonfiction, War, American History, Military Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1969

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

In late 1943, right before Thanksgiving, the United States Navy struck hard into the Central Pacific. Following up on the Guadalcanal and Bougainville Campaigns it was time for the Central Route to Japan to be ripped open. To Accomplish this- General Holland Smith's 2nd Marine Division -about 16,000 young men spoiling for revenge on the Japanese- was sent to attack Tarawa Atoll- main island Betio. The Japanese were waiting for them with an Air Base and 2600 Japanese "Marines" (Really Naval light Infantry-a category not quite like Marines, but close in concept) deeply dug in with concrete/Palm Tree/Sand bunkers and gun positions. Keiji Shibazaki, the Japanese Commander had supposedly said that it would take a million men a thousand years to take his fortress island. The US Marines took his bet - in three of the most starkly nightmarish days of 20th Century warfare. But 1700 American boys were dead- and 2100 were wounded- some in the most horrible ways.

Here the familiar Ballantine's formula is compact and to the point. The setting- the concept of the operation- the side operations- 5 other islands were taken in the larger strategic effort- and then the the sad tick tock. This is was the first time the LVT(Landing Vehicle Tracked) was used- as the Lagoon was a very tricky one. This battle - where a lot of the planning proved inefficient- was the last of the lightly planned beach assaults. From then on the Reconnaissance of beaches and the battlefield preparation from Naval Gunfire/Bombing & Strafing was given more focus- and the armour on all the landing craft was improved. Marines also learned Grenade/Bazooka/Flamethrower/Automatic Gunfire protocol for assaulting Japanese fortification that would be used to the end of the war. At home - this was the battle where America learned the other guys were no slouches- and wars can be costly. Thankfully, that brought resolve- and not thoughts of giving up.

The sheer amount of injuries and deaths make this heavy going for any junior reader under about 12/13. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast, these books are strong introductions to the topic. Its the perfect book to toss to your buddy who plays Warhammer - but wants to try Bolt Action or Flames of War/BattleGroup. Just enough to be complete- not long enough to bore. Otherwise, this is the sort of book -that gets you ready to read more books on the subject. A good book- on a tough topic.

[Andrew Wardle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Solid, meticulously-researched military history from a 1960s series of monographs about battles of WW2. It describes, in as much detail as any general reader could want, the 76-hour hell that was the US Marines' first opposed amphibious landing on Betio, Tarawa Atoll, 20 November 1943. The Japanese garrison skilfully and ferociously defended the tiny island, which cost the Marines 3000 casualties to capture. The Americans learned much from the costly early phase: principally the ineffectiveness of blanket naval and air bombardment of prepared defensive positions. The defenders of these had to be dangerously and laboriously eliminated in detail by "corkscrew and blowtorch" tactics using demolition charges and flamethrowers, by the Marine infantry. Better radios and better-armed and armoured landing vehicles were also employed in later assaults. Meanwhile the results, had the Japanese command been less pig-headed, should have led to exploration of surrender terms: the first American aeroplane landed on Betio before the fighting even finished, and in weeks the CBs had two airstrips working. A stupendous feat.
This book is definitely for military history buffs: the author is determined to squeeze in every bit of his extensive research, and even with lavish illustrations & photos, 158 pages devoted to a battle lasting 76 hours makes quite a stodgy read. The narrative, with separated and similarly-named Marine units fighting essentially separate battles, can be confusing, and I would have substituted some of the photographs for more situation maps. But a good thorough account for anyone interested in the Pacific War, the USMC, or the development of amphibious operations more generally.

[George Kasnic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written 23 years after the end of WWII, I grew up in books like this. The series fee my love of history and curiosity about a war whose legacy was rife in popular culture, present in the veterans who were present everywhere, depicted in thoughtful television series like “12 O’Clock High.” In an era where glamorizing, sugar-coating, or sensationalism simply would not fly because too many had been there and done that (Saving Private Ryan’s opening scene comes immediately to mind) any reflection on that war had to be adhere to the reality perceived by the vets and the country which had recently experienced it.

This is also a weakness of the times and the book. The ethnocentric stereotypes allowing the US to continue to pursue policies which were not adapting to changes - political and economic - presaging the reality of globalism, a refusal to come to terms with incinerating tens of thousands with two nuclear bombs, and the denial of reality accelerating a slide into the quagmire of Vietnam form the perspective undertones of unwritten underlying assumptions of the book. The Japanese defenders are recognized for bravery, if not valor, but in a way in which their patriotism is depicted as fanaticism, effectively dehumanizing them as individuals. Mentions of them by name are rare and limited to senior officers, while individual Marine combatants are mentioned.

A review of the bibliography supports this, with only US sources, including the official histories of the War Department- valuable and detailed but limited to one perspective. No Japanese sources are consulted. The result is we know what the Marines did, how the US learned at cost the necessities of successfully executing amphibious operations, but we have no insight into what the Japanese defense plan was, their reactions, their logic, their preparation and their experience both pre battle and during the battle.

Excellent photos- black and white - but more maps with more detail - islands of the atoll named in the text cannot be located on any maps - would have improved the presentation.

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Ballatine Book covering World War Two. The brilliance of these books is how much information is packed into them and placing the reader in the battle.

Henry L. Shaw Junior does an excellent job in describing how the battle was planned, fought then explained to the American public.

An excellent starter book for those who’ve never read about the battle.

Four stars.