Mantle of Heroism: Tarawa and the Struggle for the Gilberts, November 1943

After securing Guadalcanal in February of 1943, the Joint Chiefs began to decide where to stike at the Japanese next. It was decided that a thrust into the Central Pacific island groups of the Marshalls and Gilberts would be the objective, with the island of Tarawa in the Gilberts to be taken first. What happened on that tiny island in the Central Pacific can only be described as some of the bloodiest fighting of the war and a near disaster for the Americans.Tarawa is surrounded by a coral reef which reaches as much as a half mile out into the ocean. Preliminary reports stated that the tide should have been high enough for the invasion fleet to successfully navigate over the reef, but the reports proved to be wrong. Much of the reef was exposed, so men were forced to wade in chest-deep water up to a half mile to the beach while facing murderous Japanese fire.The pre-invasion bombardment of the island destroyed much of the above-ground buildings and outposts, but the Japanese had spend considerable time and labor constructing bunkers and pillboxes made from coral, logs, and concrete so strong that only a direct hit from a heavy bomb or shell could successuflly knock them out. These positions proved to be deadly for the Americans, as many were constructed to provide covering fire for other positions. Once ashore, the Americans faced a fanatical enemy who refused to surrender. Many Japanese were literally burned alive by flamethrowers or blown to bits by grenades.The losses of the battle were horrific for both sides. The Japanese lost virtually every man, while the casualties the Americans suffered were unlike any ever seen, and only matched by Iwo Jima and Okinawa. A battle that was supposed to last but a few hours turned into a week-long struggle for survival.I felt this book did a good job of describing the decision to attack the Gilberts and Marshalls, and the description of the battle for both sides was well done. The quotes from veterans were essential to understanding the true essence of the battle, and the author supplies many quotes throughout the book. I recommend this book. It gives a good basic description of one of the bloodiest battles the Americans fought against the Japanese and the lessons learned from it.

After seeing "Saving Private Ryan," the most moving and authentic WWII movie thus far, I was moved to better understand the war my father fought in. He has never shared his experiences and now I know why. He was 2nd Marines 3rd wave at Tarawa. What a battle. I always knew that my dad and those Marines were heroes and now this book has helped me to understand why. I hope that a "realistic" movie is made about Tarawa because that battle must stand as one of the quintessential Marine Corps battles of all times. This book is a good read.