Bloody Tarawa (Hardcover, Revised ed.)

On the morning of November 20, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps undertook its first modern amphibious assault. Although they were assured that the island of Betio would be pounded to coral dust by a pre-invasion bombardment, the first wave of Marines to hit the beach found the defenses manned by determined foes. This is the gripping, epic tale of the Corps' victory and indomitable human spirit. Readers follow the personal accounts of dozens of Marines as they fight for every deadly step across the tiny tropical island. More than 250 startling photos and drawings, many of them never previously published, accompany the text.