Tarawa 1943: The Turning of the Tide

Let me suggest another meaning for the subtitle. The author is not referring to the turning of the tide of war. I believe he was being literal; he was referring to the trouble our marines experienced in negotiating the reefs until the tide came in to its fullest extent. Though mentioned, this trouble if developed more fully would give the reader a better understanding of the difficulties in the landing. The author begins by describing the near term history of Japan as it arose from its feudal shell around 1850s and began an increasing trend toward imperialism. The victories in Korea and China and the naval defeat of the Russian navy are discussed. The author then briefly discusses the start of the war and the events that lead into 1943 and the invasion of the Gilberts. The Japanese had anticipated an eventual attack in the region and tried to prepare for it. They made tactical and strategic plans to destroy the US invasion force which was clearly described by the author. It also is clearly shown how the US foiled those plans by raining destruction on the two key facilities of Truk and Rabaul before Tarawa was invaded. The summary of the battle was good, even though I would have preferred greater detail and more first hand accounts. The three day battle is presented on a daily basis and by landing zone. The author clearly shows the trouble the Marines had in reaching and holding the beach and the costly advance in securing the island. The author uses seven 2-D maps and three 3-D maps and five hand drawings to support his narrative. Mr Wright had duplicated two 3-D maps of the extact configuration as in the 2-D maps. The third 3-D map seemed unnecessary. I also would have brought the focus in on the maps. The photos of the island were great and added much value and understanding of the ordeal of the Marines to take the island. The author did a good job of describing the mistakes that were made before and during the landing. If the island had been bombed more extensively, fewer men would have died. If the timing of the landing was better, that too would have saved lives. Once it was discovered during the first landings, that the reef was a problem and that the Japanese was putting up intense fire, why didn't we back off and continue shelling the island. Why was the communications so poor? The big question: Was it necessary to capture the island? I know it had an airfield but was it worth it. Listing the Medal of Honor Winners was a nice touch. Its a good read and would recommend it. I would also recommend the 5 star books: "Utmost Savagery" by Joseph Alexander which had more details as well as Mr Wright's own full length book "A Hell of a Way to Die".

The book contains some very good detail but is lacking in the substance of the book. The pictures are amazing and the maps are very helpful but the book left me wanting more. It is a good book for the basic information of the battle but it lacks in the detail. Too much space is given to pictures and not enough to information.

I found this book very informative of a battle I did not know much about. The photos, maps and illustrations were wonderful as I got to understand this battle. It was a very costly battle for the Marines as they took this island with over 3,000 casualties against 5,000 defenders. It also showed what was about to happen later in the war as the Japanese got more fanatical and used "banzai" charges against the Marines. A very informative book.

Tarawa 1943: The Turning of the Tide is a well written, but short history of the invasion of the island. It is misnamed, since the author himself correctly describes Midway as the turning point. But that aside, this is a good book.In fact Tarawa is a perfect battle for the Osprey series since the battle was basically fought over a three day period. The book does an excellent job describing not only the troop movements but the human toll that the invasion caused. One is continually reminded that the conquest of Tarawa was paid for in too much human blood.This is a good read. Excellent maps are an added bonus.