Tarawa 1943
by
Worthington Publishing
The name of this battle is normally given as Tarawa. However, Tarawa is an Atoll that comprises several small Islands and a larger one named Betio. Betio Island is actually where almost all of the action took place and all of the videos you see are about the fighting there.
The U.S, Navy had decided to attack the Japanese straight through the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This put Tarawa on a line between Hawaii and the heart of the Japanese Empire. The Japanese also understood that their base there was in the first line of defense of their Empire. The Japanese had been given about a year to erect their defenses on Betio to repulse any American attempt to conquer the Island. This would be the first real island invasion of WWII that most people have come to associate with the actions in the Pacific. The 2nd Marine Division were to be the troops assigned to capture Betio. In a quirk of fate, the Japanese Yokosuka 6th SNLF (Special Naval Landing Forces, the Japanese version of the Marines) was to be the defender. The island was ringed with barbed wire and many mines and obstacles to slow any attackers so that they could be slaughtered on the beach. The attack was made by the marines on November 20th, 1943. The island was blasted by the naval surface and air units. The devastation brought by the bombs and shells looked like not much could live on the island. However, the Japanese had dug themselves in so well that it was really only superficial damage. This was to be a recurring theme in other island attacks. One island was later described as looking like it had been picked up and dropped from 10K feet. Unfortunately, the Japanese proved themselves as masters of defense. Enough of the history. The stage is set for the battle.
Tarawa 1943 is a solitaire card driven game where you take command of the U.S. forces attempting to invade Betio Island. This is what comes with the game:
Hard Mounted Map Board
USMC green wooden markers
Japanese yellow wooden markers
Labels for the markers
black cubes
brown cubes
Japanese cards
USMC cards
dice
Rules
Battle manual with history, examples, pictures, etc
Battle archive
Storage tray
As you can see by the map picture, Tarawa 1943 does not have hex or area movement. This game is designed much like two other Worthington Publishing games I have played: Freeman's Farm, and Chancellorsville 1863. Your success in battle will decided if and when your troops will be able to move from their starting positions.
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| Map close up |
The Mounted Map is 22" x 17" in size. Even though it does not have the terrain etc. that a hex map has, it still is a very good depiction of the island at the time of the battle. The Dice Results for the two sides' attacks are on it, as are the USMC Battalion Cohesion Tracks. The green and yellow wooden markers are all the same size and do not have any points or any other deformity. This also goes for the brown, yellow, and red smaller cubes (these are for bunkers, or to keep track of cohesion etc.). Next up are the Japanese and USMC cards. These are the standard size cards used in most games. The top part of the cards has the game information needed, while the bottom part of most cards has a historical tidbit about the battle. This is a really nice touch and adds to the immersion. The cards are not little masterpieces of art, but fully functional, with some of the writing a bit small. The Rulebook is in full color and is only twelve pages long. The Battle Manual is twenty-four pages long. The first seven pages have an explanation for each card you can play. The last seventeen pages contain an excellent history of the actual battle. One other nice touch is the inclusion of the 'Battle Archive'. This is a small pad to keep track of the results of each battle played. As you can see, the components are up to snuff.
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| Stickered Blocks |
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| Marine Cards |
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| Japanese Cards |
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