The topic of this web page is taken from the book Tarawa by
Robert Sherrod. Sherrod was a
war correspondent for a New York newspaper, following military
ventures in Alaska and New
Guinea before climbing aboard the expedition to Tarawa. The book
he wrote is a compilation of
the notes he made during and after the landing began. Going
ashore on the morning of D-Day,
Sherrod miraculously not only survived the entire battle, but
came back unscathed. His narrative
presented the stark realities of battle and chronicling the 2nd
Marine Division as it took over
Betio in a struggle to the death with its Japanese defenders.
The account, though brief, is brutal
and to the point. Sherrod also included a number of brief
personal reflections from ten years later
by a number of marines who survived the battle for Betio.
Return
to Road to Tarawa page