Warrior 92: US Marine Corps Tank Crewman 1941–45, Pacific

by Kenneth W Estes, illustrated by Howard Gerrard

Published by Osprey Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-84176-717-4, 64 pages

The latest in the Warrior series is set out in the usual style, tracking the progress of a fictitious crewman but using genuine combat anecdotes. It starts with the recruitment process and describes how the first Marine tankers were often those that infantry units wanted to get rid of, though they turned into fine tankers. Tank training is described, the original tankers having to cope with little in the way of spare parts or even manuals for their mounts. The USMC’s expanded later organisation did improve the training! The Marine’s various mounts are not neglected here, with all of them given brief descriptions from the Marmor-Harrington turretless light tanks to the M4A3 flame tanks introduced in 1945. There’s an interesting selection of photographs, including several of the Marine M2A4 light tanks that are rarely covered, and only one obvious miscaption where an M3 lineup is described as showing M2A4s. The plates are good and the quotes from Marine tankers, including one from the action on Tanambogo Island, are fascinating.

Recommended to all USMC tank fans.

John Prigent

More details from Osprey Publishing

Read an extract at Osprey Publishing