US Marine Corps Tanks of World War II

Osprey New Vanguard #186

by Steven J. Zaloga, Richard Chasemore (Illustrator)

The US Marine Corps formed six tank battalions in World War II which saw combat in some of the most varied and extreme conditions of the Pacific theater. The Marine tank battalions fought on small coral atolls such as Tarawa, in the fetid jungles of the south west Pacific including Guadalcanal, in the lush central Pacific islands of the Marianas such as Saipan and Guam, and on the volcanic deserts of the Bonin islands such as Iwo Jima. The tank equipment of the Marine Corps was essentially the same as that used by the US the M3 and M5A1 light tanks, and the M4 Sherman medium tanks. But the conditions and the opponent forced the Marine Corps to adapt both in terms of technical and tactical innovations. The numerous island landings forced the development of novel landing equipment, especially deep wading equipment to get the tanks safely ashore. Japanese defensive tactics in 1943-44 put a premium on American use of flamethrowers and the development of a variety of flamethrower tanks on the M3 light tank chassis. Deadly Japanese close-infantry tactics forced the development of novel methods of tank protection including the use of wooden armor to defeat the use of magnetic anti-tank devices. This book will examine the Marine use of tanks in World War II and the tactics and technology that made their experiences so unique in the annals of tank warfare.

Genres: Military History, History, World War II

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2012

About the author

Steven Zaloga is an author and defense analyst known worldwide for his articles and publications on military technology.  He has written over a hundred books on military technology and military history, including “Armored Thunderbolt: The US Army Sherman in World War II”, one of the most highly regarded histories of the Sherman Tank.  His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He was a special correspondent for Jane’s Intelligence Review and is on the executive board of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/producer for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series Firepower.  He holds a BA in history from Union College and an MA in history from Columbia University.

Mr. Zaloga is also a noted scale armor modeler and is a host/moderator of the World War II Allied Discussion group at Missing-Lynx.com, a modelling website. He is a frequent contributor to the UK-based modeling magazine Military Modelling. He is a member of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society.

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the absence of large scale tank battles, you can scarcely call this sexy, but the grueling OJB evolution of infantry - tank coordination is nicely woven between the assorted armour that could be spared for bush fighting once the demands of the European and Russian fronts were met.

From lightly armoured Satans to the "medium" (famous post - war by its British nickname Sherman) M4A, whether diesel or gasoline, all felt less vulnerable in a wooden skirt against the magnetic mines carried by suicidal infantry waves & all could play the Japanese dragon with copious gallons of bunker - burning flame.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief history of the US Marine Corps' use of tanks through World War II. There are many period photos and drawings with short discussions of the way they were used in places like Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Okinowa. A good addition for the library of the Marine Corps or World War II buff.