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Dodging Tides: The Battle of Tarawa
Dodging Tides of Tarawa is Saving Private Ryan meets Forest Gump. It is a story of courage and perciverance told within the historical context of the brutal World War Two battle of Tarawa.
Thomas Hunt grew up in the Central Pacific on the beautiful atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. At the onset of World War II Thomas enlists in the British army and narrowly escapes capture by the Japanese following their December 8th, 1941 invasion of the Islands. He is forced to leave behind his mother, father, and brother. For the next two years, Thomas fights against the Japanese in the Pacific along side the Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders, all the while, hoping for the day that he can return to Tarawa and reunite with his family. That day arrives in October of 1943 when Thomas is asked to assist with the planning and execution of Operation Galvanic, the American invasion of the Gilbert Islands. Thomas warns the commanders of the unpredictable Dodging Tides. Tides which could result in water over the barrier reef that is too shallow for the landing boats to cross. But the planning is too far along for significant changes to be considered.
On November 20th, 1943, Thomas lands on Betio Island with the American 2nd Marine Division. He struggles to stay alive and find clues to the fate of his family as the careful plans for the invasion crumble around him. The military planners overestimated the depth of the unpredictable tides over the coral reef. As a result, too few of the tracked amphibious landing boats called AMTRACS were available to cross the shallow water reef and land the Marines on the beach. The men in turn had to abandon their boats at the edge of the reef and wade in waist deep water 500 to 800 yards through constant murderous fire to reach the beach. For hours, the men of the 2nd Marine Division fought with their backs to the beach, protected only by a low coconut log seawall that the Japanese had built to stop the tracked vehicles. The situation was so dire and confused that the off-shore commanders began making plans for the evacuation of the troops on the island. Gradually, individual Marines and small squads began to cross the wall and bring the fight to enemy. Each bunker had to be attacked and destroyed with grenades, satchel charges, or flamethrowers. No quarter was asked for by the Japanese and very little was given by the Americans. The battle of Tarawa became the textbook for Marine and Navy tactics in the Pacific. Hard lessons learned during the fight would pay off in lives saved in many of the later and larger island invasions of World War II.
The historical account of this battle is based primarily on the post battle narratives of the Marines and journalists that were there on the beach during the three day struggle. Journalist such as Robert Sherrod, with Life Magazine, landed with the initial battalions. He experienced firsthand the struggle across the reef to reach the beach, and he stayed with the Marines as small groups began to cross the seawall and take the fight to the Japanese. He also described in detail the heroic actions of four individual Marines that would later be awarded the nation’s highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor; Colonel David Shoup, Lieutenants William Deane Hawkins and Alexander Bonnyman, and Sergeant William Bordelon.
The story of Dodging Tides places the central character, Thomas Hunt, in the presence of these brave men as they performed the actions that earned them the citation. Liberty has been taken in the dialogue between the characters, but to the best effort possible, the story of their heroic actions is true to the historical information available. The primary intention is to tell their true story, and to honor the memory of the Marines and Sailors that sacrificed everything on that November morning in 1943.
Thomas Hunt grew up in the Central Pacific on the beautiful atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. At the onset of World War II Thomas enlists in the British army and narrowly escapes capture by the Japanese following their December 8th, 1941 invasion of the Islands. He is forced to leave behind his mother, father, and brother. For the next two years, Thomas fights against the Japanese in the Pacific along side the Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders, all the while, hoping for the day that he can return to Tarawa and reunite with his family. That day arrives in October of 1943 when Thomas is asked to assist with the planning and execution of Operation Galvanic, the American invasion of the Gilbert Islands. Thomas warns the commanders of the unpredictable Dodging Tides. Tides which could result in water over the barrier reef that is too shallow for the landing boats to cross. But the planning is too far along for significant changes to be considered.
On November 20th, 1943, Thomas lands on Betio Island with the American 2nd Marine Division. He struggles to stay alive and find clues to the fate of his family as the careful plans for the invasion crumble around him. The military planners overestimated the depth of the unpredictable tides over the coral reef. As a result, too few of the tracked amphibious landing boats called AMTRACS were available to cross the shallow water reef and land the Marines on the beach. The men in turn had to abandon their boats at the edge of the reef and wade in waist deep water 500 to 800 yards through constant murderous fire to reach the beach. For hours, the men of the 2nd Marine Division fought with their backs to the beach, protected only by a low coconut log seawall that the Japanese had built to stop the tracked vehicles. The situation was so dire and confused that the off-shore commanders began making plans for the evacuation of the troops on the island. Gradually, individual Marines and small squads began to cross the wall and bring the fight to enemy. Each bunker had to be attacked and destroyed with grenades, satchel charges, or flamethrowers. No quarter was asked for by the Japanese and very little was given by the Americans. The battle of Tarawa became the textbook for Marine and Navy tactics in the Pacific. Hard lessons learned during the fight would pay off in lives saved in many of the later and larger island invasions of World War II.
The historical account of this battle is based primarily on the post battle narratives of the Marines and journalists that were there on the beach during the three day struggle. Journalist such as Robert Sherrod, with Life Magazine, landed with the initial battalions. He experienced firsthand the struggle across the reef to reach the beach, and he stayed with the Marines as small groups began to cross the seawall and take the fight to the Japanese. He also described in detail the heroic actions of four individual Marines that would later be awarded the nation’s highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor; Colonel David Shoup, Lieutenants William Deane Hawkins and Alexander Bonnyman, and Sergeant William Bordelon.
The story of Dodging Tides places the central character, Thomas Hunt, in the presence of these brave men as they performed the actions that earned them the citation. Liberty has been taken in the dialogue between the characters, but to the best effort possible, the story of their heroic actions is true to the historical information available. The primary intention is to tell their true story, and to honor the memory of the Marines and Sailors that sacrificed everything on that November morning in 1943.
170 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2014
3 people want to read
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