Utmost Savagery cover art

Utmost Savagery

The Three Days of Tarawa

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Utmost Savagery

By: Colonel Joseph H. Alexander United States Marine Corps (Ret.)
Narrated by: Tom Weiner
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £10.99

Buy Now for £10.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

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 United States War US Air Force Marine Corp Air Force United States History

Listeners also enjoyed...

 D-Day in the Pacific cover art
Tanks in Hell cover art
The Generals cover art
South Pacific Cauldron cover art
Victory Fever on Guadalcanal cover art
Pacific Blitzkrieg cover art
The Far Shore cover art
Washington's Immortals cover art
Bullets and Barbed Wire cover art
Okinawa cover art
Landing in Hell cover art
The Fleet at Flood Tide cover art
Midnight in the Pacific cover art
Neptune's Inferno cover art
Target Tokyo cover art
Neptune cover art

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  
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...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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 !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A well written book which brought to life the difficulties the USMC faced in a fearsome struggle against an implacable foe.
credit to T Weiner he read well and was consistent.

real and honest

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved every minute of this book. Brilliant narration (always helps). It covered both the strategic and tactical elements of the battle including the post battle analysis.

An incredibly objective and well written account

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is rich in detail but doesn't come across as dry. It remains gripping throughout and offers a well balanced reflection on the roles of all the key figures on both sides.

A great account of a harrowing battle.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.