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Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific. By Oscar E. Gilbert. Conshohocken, Pa.: Combined Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-58097-050-8. Maps. Photographs. Notes. Index. Pp. 356. $34.95.
Oscar E. Gilbert brings an eclectic background to his book about Marine tanks in World War II. The former leatherneck artilleryman possesses a doctorate and works as a geoscientist. He also is a leading figure in the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society. Those attributes served him well in writing this volume. He understands the Marine Corps and its peculiar lingo, possesses the inquiring mind of an academic, and has the eye for detail of an avid modeler. Although he initially set out to write the definitive account of Marine armor in the Pacific campaign, he ultimately focused his attention on "the human experience of the men who fought in the tanks" (p. 8). The result is an excellent book that fully achieves...