Play Audiobook Sample
Utmost Savagery: The Three Days of Tarawa Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.00) - 62 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
On November 20, 1943, in the first trial by fire of America’s fledgling amphibious assault doctrine, five thousand men stormed the beaches of Tarawa, a seemingly invincible Japanese island fortress barely the size of the three hundred-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.
Download and start listening now!
"This book does a tremendous job of painting a picture of the savage fighting on Betio Island during the Gilbert Islands campaign. It also shows the gallantry exhibited by both sides throughout the battle. Overall, a good synopsis of how each side could have won the battle."
— Jamie (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“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 -
“The first complete and definitive account of the Battle of Tarawa.”
— Major General Mike Ryan, USMC (Ret.), Navy Cross recipient -
“Outstanding…It is a tribute to Alexander that the reader sweats out every hour of the battle as if the book were a novel. Alexander’s surpasses every other existing account of the battle by a considerable margin.”
— Booklist -
“A harrowingly effective overview of the seventy-six-hour clash that pitted US naval forces against entrenched Japanese defenders in the blood-drenched battle for a tiny central Pacific atoll known as Tarawa…A masterful report on a turning-point encounter in the context of a global conflict.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Utmost Savagery Listener Reviews
-
" One of the best accounts of the battle to take the island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll. "
— Tony, 3/8/2012
About Joseph H. Alexander
Colonel Joseph H. Alexander (Ret.), a combat veteran who served in the Marine Corps for twenty-eight years, is the author of six books and has helped produce twenty-five military documentaries. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
About Tom Weiner
Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his roles in video games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers, is the winner of eight Earphones Awards and is an Audie Award finalist. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.