Tanks in the Gilbert Islands 1943

Fully illustrated, this examines how the Gilberts invasion proved the importance and difficulty of using armor in the Pacific, and laid the groundwork for America's island campaign.

The capture of the heavily fortified Gilbert Islands was intended to secure air bases for the Marshall Islands campaign. The garrison commander General Keiji Shibazaki claimed that “a thousand men in a hundred years couldn’t take Tarawa”.

Simultaneously, the Marine Corps landed on Tarawa and the Army on Makin, in the first opposed landings of the Pacific War, with armor supporting the assault waves. But as is often the case with pioneering operations, things didn't go according to plan. Reefs, low tides, strong Japanese opposition, lack of communication, and absence of suitable doctrine lead to a near-disaster on Tarawa.

In this book, illustrated with superb new tank profiles and previously unpublished photos, armor historian Romain Cansière examines how the battles for Tarawa and Makin highlighted the difficulties of providing armored support in the Pacific landings. Studying the roles of tanks in both operations, how inexperienced armor crews overcame the difficulties of combat, and the role of Japanese tanks in both battles, this book offers the first account of how armor performed in this ‘proving ground’ operation, and what lessons were learned for future landings in the Pacific.