Utmost Savagery cover art

Utmost Savagery

The Three Days of Tarawa

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Utmost Savagery

By: Colonel Joseph H. Alexander United States Marine Corps (Ret.)
Narrated by: Tom Weiner
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About this listen

On November 20, 1943, in the first trial by fire of America’s fledgling amphibious assault doctrine, 5,000 men stormed the beaches of Tarawa, a seemingly invincible Japanese island fortress barely the size of the 300-acre Pentagon parking lots. Before the first day ended, one-third of the marines who had crossed Tarawa’s deadly reef under murderous fire were killed, wounded, or missing. In three days of fighting, four Americans would win the Medal of Honor and six thousand combatants would die.

Now, Colonel Joseph Alexander, a combat marine himself, presents the full story of Tarawa in all its horror and glory: the extreme risks, the horrific combat, and the heroic breakthroughs. Based on exhaustive research, never-before-published accounts from marine survivors, and new evidence from Japanese sources, Colonel Alexander captures the grit, guts, and relentless courage of United States Marines overcoming outrageous odds to deliver victory for their country.

Colonel Joseph H. Alexander (Ret.), a combat veteran who served in the Marine Corps for 28 years, is the author of six books and has helped produce 25 military documentaries. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

©1995 Joseph H. Alexander, 2009 by Findaway World, LLC (P)2009 Findaway World, LLC Asia Japan Military War Imperial Japan US Air Force Marine Corps Air Force United States History

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Critic reviews

“The first complete and definitive account of the Battle of Tarawa.” (Major General Mike Ryan, USMC [Ret.], Navy Cross recipient)
“A gripping narrative of one of the bloodiest battles of WWII in the Pacific theater.” ( Publishers Weekly)
“Without a doubt the best narrative of the struggle ever produced.” (Richard B. Frank, author of Guadalcanal)
All stars
Most relevant
The attention to detail is impressive and the narrator does a good job maintaining a consistent tone when covering the logistics of the campaign and the drama and horror of the battle.

Great Thoughtful Treatment of a Brutal Battle

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with the use of recent updated facts about this battle it gives the listener a greater understanding of a hard fought battle from both sides.

An insight into a much misunderstood battle.

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Extremely well researched book. It delves into the terrible price of war on a human and indavidual front. Covering both sides it tells the story of a savage battle that lasted less than two full days over an extremely small but tactical island during the Pacific WW2 campaign. Good listening.

Must Listen, One For History Buffs.

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Robotic, monotone, disengaged, very strange pauses at odd places in sentences. He seemed to want to do his best to ruin an otherwise interesting history.

The only (minor) gripe with the content would be the sometimes irritating constant repetition of full unit names. As with all military histories, the story greatly benefits from referring to a map when listening.

Another poor narrator...

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Totally fascinating book. The most detailed account of any of the battles in the Pacific campaign I’ve read/heard.

Well narrated too! Highly recommend 👍

Engrossing !

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