Review of "A Close Encounter: The Marine Landings On Tinian," by Richard Harwood

 Review of

A Close Encounter: The Marine Landings On Tinian, by Richard Harwood

Five out of five stars

Battle for a Pacific Island that is overlooked

 When talking about Marine assaults against Pacific Islands held by the Japanese, the battles for Tarawa, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Saipan and Guadalcanal are featured. The Mariana Islands were held by Japan and the most widely known components were Guam and Saipan. Tinian is an island in the same chain and was invaded by the Marines after they took Saipan. In fact, the islands are so close together that American artillery on Saipan could bombard Japanese positions on Tinian.

 This is the story of the fight for Tinian, much of the action is similar to what happened in previous Pacific battles. In is a story of heroism, determination in the face of danger, the bloody destruction of thousands of human bodies and an ultimate American victory. One fact generally lost to history is that Tinian was the busiest American airfield in the Pacific. Therefore, it was a battle that had to be fought.

 Presented as a factual rendition without embellishment and with several images, this is a book that presents one of the critical battles in the Pacific theater of World War II as it took place. It is another tribute to the courage and toughness of the U. S. Marines as they did what needed to be done.

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