Building on the expertise of the authors and historians of the Naval Institute Press, the Naval History Special Editions are designed to offer studies of the key vessels, battles, and events of armed conflict. This volume covers the background to the Battle of Tarawa; weaponry; naval actions; Japanese defensive fortifications; and more.

"The Battle of Tarawa was one of the most transformative engagements of World War II and for the future of the U.S. Marine Corps. Fought on a speck of coral sand in the middle of the Pacific, in just three days the battle and associated actions of Operation Galvanic killed over 1,700 U.S. service members and 5,000 Japanese defenders"--