Marine Tank Battles In The Pacific

(book)

review by Pete English

By Oscar E. Gilbert

If you have any interest in the Pacific theatre of operations in WWII, the United States Marine Corp, Imperial Japan or WWII armor in general, get this book. It is the best (and one of the few available) I have read on the subject of armor in battles between the United States and Imperial Japan. The book is $34.95, with 356pages and over 100 photos. Many of the photos I’ve never seen before and directly relate to the individual vehicles written about in the book.

Mr. Gilbert writes in an easy flowing style, but doesn’t compromise on detail. He uses interviews with over 50 veterans to let the men who fought in the steel boxes tell it in their own words. The information provided by those first hand accounts shows not only the tricks of the trade in battle (ie: how extra rounds of ammo were carried, tank commanders constantly dismounting to scout ahead and extra armor welded on), but also the life while not on the firing line. The survivors tell of the heroism of those who fell while performing self-sacrificing acts that saved them.

The book begins with the earliest development of Marine Corp armor with the 1920’s and 30’s, but quickly moves into the fighting on Guadalcanal. The development of tank and infantry co-ordination was learned the hard way in the field with the loss of many men before it was refined. The progression of armor vehicles is covered. The shortcomings of the M3 and M3A1 Stuart showed the need for the M4 Sherman series and larger landing craft needed to accommodate them. I found the real gem of this book to be the detail given to the major operations that many are familiar with; Tarawa, Saipan and Iwo Jima, but also on the many lesser know battlefields. The fighting on unknown pieces of land like New Georgia, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Roi-Namur, Guam, Tinian and Peleliu are covered in depth. I have always wanted to know about the unsung battles in the pacific and this book has given me the information I was looking for.

Mr. Gilbert also covers the other combatants in the Pacific land war, Imperial Japan and the United States Army. The development of Japanese anti-tank tactics and weapons is well document in each battle. From the first individual suicide attacks to well organized anti-tank ambushes on Okinawa, the book shows how the Japanese attempted to counter American armor. This book argues how futile the attempts of Japanese tanks to stand up to the Sherman in open combat were in almost every battle. Another area that I was unaware of was the close co-operation between the United States Army and the Marine Corp. Many other accounts would have you believe that the Marine Corp fought the Pacific war alone, but the book shows how both branches of service assigned infantry and armor to each other as the need arose. I had no idea that the Army had it’s own LVT battalions until I read this book.

Now from a wargamers point of view, this is loaded with game ideas. I have always loved gaming the storm landings in the face of Japanese resistance from the beaches, but now I have a treasure of information for battles that occurred inland. The Japanese did not always simply hole up in bunkers and wait for the Americans, but on many islands launched combined armor/infantry counter attacks! The book provides game ideas for all levels from squad skirmish to battalion games. Individual tank’s nicknames are cited, as are the paint schemes and unit markings in the photos. When available both US and Japanese OB’s are listed, down to number and type of tank. It is a refreshing change from the Eastern front to read about Chi-Ha’s and Ha-Go’s on the offensive. I can’t wait to start expanding my WWII gaming with ground operations in the Pacific.

This book is a valued addition to any WWII library and well worth the cost. Marine Tank Battles In The Pacific, by Oscar E. Gilbert is available from Combined Publishing, PO Box 307, Conshohocken, PA 19428, www.combinedpublishing.com or any online or better book store.

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