 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | In the Tarawa atoll lies the tiny islet of Betio. In November of 1943, the men of the 2nd Marine Division watched as bombardments destroyed the island's Japanese defenses. But when the Marines landed, the Japanese poured out of their protective bunkers and began one of the most brutal encounters of the war. Drawn from sources such as participants' letters and diaries and interviews with survivors, One Square Mile of Hell is the riveting true account of a battle between two determined foes, neither of whom would ever look at each other in the same way again. |
Average Customer Rating:  Fresh view of an oft-overlooked important part of history ... Unfortunately (too often), World War II is conveniently summarized by a few dates, locations and, of course, specific casualty counts. I find this most often the case with the depiction of the United States' role in the war: December 7, 1941, D-Day, the Dresden bombing casualties, the flag raising at Iwo Jima and the dropping of the atomic bombs. Although those dates/events are important and historic, they often overshadow events of equal significance that are known mostly to historians, military personnel or relatives of a rapidly dwindling number of veterans who experienced the events first-hand. I find that is the case with the taking of Tarawa.
Fortunately, John Wukovitz has written a book that clearly and graphically details the importance of the battle for Tarawa, as well as all of its horror.
Again, the name "Tarawa" usually registers only with those familiar with the details of World War II, but to the Marine Corps it has much deeper meaning. By November 1943, Marines had already experienced the suicidal fanaticism of the Japanese military at Guadalcanal, but they had yet to attempt an amphibious assault against a fortified Japanese position that was fully prepared and capable of defeating an invasion force. The operation to take Tarawa, a small, parakeet-shaped island that possessed little more than a modest airfield covering most of its surface area, would serve as an example for all future American amphibious landings for the remainder of the war (including Normandy).
Wukovitz provides ample information to give readers a good overview of the plan to take Tarawa, but where his book hits home is the focus on the men who would be performing the ghastly deed. Starting with the exploding anger that prompted so many men into service after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wukovitz vividly follows the oft-tragic journey of teenaged boys sacrificing the remnants of childhood innocence to feed the American war machine and face the brutal reality and horror of a modern war. The reader is provided a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the raging inferno that was Tarawa ... from the furious resistance of Japanese defenses that were impervious to the pre-invasion bombardment to the suicidal advance of Marines wading to shore facing point-blank enemy fire.
The determination of many and the sacrifice of far more are detailed as the factors that not only kept the Marines from being thrown back into the sea, but allowed them to move inland and root-out a capable, deadly and fully entrenched Japanese force. In a battle where the bulk of the fighting was at close-range, Wukovitz does not shy away from the brutal tales of hand-to-hand combat or the devastating effects of the flamethrower. The reader feels the intesity of the battle raging all around and before you know it, it's over. The reader is then given a birds-eye view of what he's been through: a devastated, smoldering island, heaped with the torn and bloated bodies of men from both sides.
Wukovitz masterfully details the sights, sounds and smell of the battle to take Tarawa ... taking the reader on the terrible journey with such amazing clarity. It was easy to envision the predicament of so many men facing certain death just wading ashore ... and one can sense the determination and frustration that gave these men the will to still push forward against all odds. Wukovitz' thorough research and thoughtful, flowing prose present a balanced view of the battle in a way that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, not just military historians. One square mile of hell The Battle for Tarawa by John Wukovits The Battle for Tarawa by John Wukovits
the book portrays individuals around the era of Pearl Harbor, then takes you to Island where they fight and die. beautifully written. So sad when the men who's personal life including their wives/girlfriends you have got to know suddenly and tragicly die. Takes you through the seemingly pointless, and at times meaningless deaths of the soldiers on both sides. I recommend this book. An Eye-Opening Account of the Marines at Tarawa After successfully defeating the Japanese on Guadalcanal, the Americans were now ready to penetrate Japan's outer defense ring. The Gilbert islands were selected as the first objective, and Tarawa atoll, with its numerous islets, was to be the starting point.
Betio island was where the majority of the defending Japanese were located. The men of the 2nd Marine Division were given the job of securing Betio; a task that the American brass would only take a few hours. Pre-invasion bombardment by American ships and bombing by American planes had left the island a smoking ruin. However, most of the Japanese fortified positions had survived and most of the Japanese defenders were hiding in underground tunnels and bunkers. As the Americans came ashore, the hidden Japanese poured out of their hidden positions and began a systematic slaughter of the American invaders. To make matters even worse for the Americans, many of their Higgins boats became stuck on the exposed coral reef, forcing the Marines to wade as far as 700 yards to the beach. The Japanese had a relatively easy time shooting them as they came.
Once ashore, the Marines realized that this would be no easy battle. The island would take three bloody days to secure. Every inch of the island was contested; the Japanese wouldn't budge from their fortifications, and the Americans wouldn't stop until the enemy had been removed. There was no retreat, because there was nowhere either side could retreat to. The battle was characterized by acts of valor by the Americans, plus the Americans' unending desire to exterminate the enemy. Out of approximately 5,000 men, the Americans suffered 1,500 casualties, including over 1,000 killed. The entire Japanese garrison, save for 17 men, was wiped out.
Although the action on Tarawa was intense and the losses horrific, the battle is not mentioned with the likes of Iwo Jima, Okinawa, or Saipan. This is unfortunate, because, as the author points out, Tarawa was the first successful amphibious operation against a fortified enemy island. Many lessons learned at Tarawa would carry over into future battles.
I give this book my highest recommendation. Author John Wukovits has done a masterful job of telling the stories of the brave 2nd Marines. Many individual accounts of heroism add to the contents of the book. The battle is described in vivid detail from both the American and Japanese side. This book is a must-read for fans of the Pacific war. Compelling It describes what war is (and was). It should be entered into reluctantly, and only when all other options fail. A story about brave men A good story about several brave young men who became warriors and fought for their counrty on the beaches of Tarawa. These men had to wade ashore from hundreds of yards out through withering machine gun fire to assault a beach that had been said could not be taken in a hundred years. These men defied all logic and rewrote the book on amphibious landings with their bravery and determination. A great book that everyone needs to read. |  |
Select button not working? 
