Tanks on the Beaches : A Marine Tanker in the Great Pacific War

This book happened because Robert M. Neiman published a short essay in the Marine Corps Gazette in December, 1998. In it, Neiman discussed the apparent historical cycle of tank training and the development of tactical doctrine in the U.S. Marine Corps. His chief concern was that the neglect of tank-infantry training he saw in the early days of World War II was being repeated in the contemporary Marine Corps. The essay caught my attention while, as a retired marine tank officer and historian, I was conducting research for a history of the Corps and its use of armored fighting vehicles. Neiman's descriptions of Great Pacific War island battles and his mention of some of the major figures in USMC tank development prompted me to contact him and probe his knowledge of the key people and issues related to this story. The result has been a long and pleasant relationship between two veteran tank officers from different generations. The extent of Neiman's knowledge and experience far surpassed my greatest hopes. It soon became clear that he had seen not only considerable combat with USMC tank units, he also had witnessed most of the important developments of his service's fledgling tank arm. The obvious question surfaced one day in 1999 after a series of interviews in his home: Why had he not written his story? The answer was compelling. Neiman's friends and others who had heard him speak on ceremonial occasions and on battlefield tours that he and his wife, Suzy, had taken, had been urging him to write a book for more than a decade. However, he felt he lacked the training and experience as a writer needed to pull it off. Sensing that this rare "insider's story" had to be told-for its loss would leave a serious gap in our knowledge of the time and the key events and personalities with which Neiman had been involved-I offered to help. He then volunteered to undertake the task. After finishing my work on the history of the Marine Corps's employment of armored fighting vehicles, I conducted a series of taped interviews with Neiman during 2000-2001. 1

Robert Neiman, perhaps the most experienced combat commander of the U.S. Marine Corps’ tank arm, was one of the rare USMC officers to serve in both Iwo Jima and Okinawa battles. In Tanks on the Beaches, Neiman and his coauthor, Kenneth Estes, relay vivid accounts of fighting in the Pacific War, as well as Marine Corps service during the entire World War II period, devoid of idolatry and mythmaking. The result is a war story told from the unique perspective of men fighting from armored machines in desperate battles against a determined enemy.

After the capture of Guadalcanal, Neiman endured Japanese bombardments there to gather information for his assignment as operations officer of a new tank school being formed in California. He eventually led his own tank company through four island battles culminating in the cauldron of Iwo Jima. Later, he finished the war as executive officer and commanding officer of the 1st Tank Battalion on occupation and security duty in North China in 1945–46.

Neiman and Estes take the reader from prewar training at Quantico and in North Carolina through the delights of a New Zealand bereft of men, the horrors of Saipan and Iwo, the peculiar situation in China after the war, and then the trip back to the States for Neiman’s successful postwar career as a lumber retailer.

Through it all, Estes translates Neiman’s eye for the interesting and the human into a multifaceted tale of a young Marine going to war. This is an adventure story with many novel turns that will attract the interest of military experts, military history aficionados, Marine Corps members in general, and veterans of armored fighting vehicle units. Neiman is not a USMC icon, just one of the unheralded thousands of officers who did the real fighting. This is their story, as much as it is his.

Annotation Robert M. Neiman, perhaps the most experienced combat commander of the U.S. Marine Corps' tank arm, was one of the rare USMC officers to serve in both Iwo Jima and Okinawa battles. In Tanks on the Beaches, Neiman and his coauthor, Kenneth W. Estes, relay vivid accounts of fighting in the Pacific War, as well as Marine Corps service during the entire World War II period, devoid of idolatry and mythmaking. After the capture of Guadalcanal, Neiman endured Japanese bombardments there to gather information for his assignment as operations officer of a new tank school being formed in California. He eventually led his own tank company through four island battles culminating in the cauldron of Iwo Jima. Later, he finished the war as executive officer and commanding officer of the 1st Tank Battalion on occupation and security duty in North China in 1945-46. Neiman and Estes take the reader from prewar training at Quantico and in North Carolina through the off-duty delights of a New Zealand bereft of men, the horrors, of Saipan and Iwo, the peculiar situation in China after the war, and then back to the states for Neiman's successful postwar career as a lumber retailer. Through it all, Estes translates Neiman's eye for the interesting and the human into a multifaceted tale of a young marine going to war. This is an adventure story with many novel turns that will attract the interest of military experts, military history aficionados, Marine Corps members in general, and veterans of armored fighting vehicle units. Neiman is not a USMC icon, just one of the unheralded thousands of officers who did the real fighting. This is their story as much as it is his "In Tanks on the Beaches, Robert M. Neiman and his coauthor, Kenneth W. Estes, relay vivid accounts of fighting in the Pacific War, as well as Marine Corps service during the entire World War II period, devoid of idolatry and mythmaking. The result is a war story told from the unique perspective of men fighting from armored machines in desperate battles against a determined enemy." "After the capture of Guadalcanal, Neiman endured Japanese bombardments there to gather information for his assignment as operations officer of a new tank school being formed in California. He eventually led his own tank company through four island battles culminating in the cauldron of Iwo Jima. Later, he finished the war as executive officer and commanding officer of the 1st Tank Battalion on occupation and security duty in North China in 1945-46"--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved Neiman, Perhaps The Most Experienced Combat Commander Of The U.s. Marine Corps' Tank Arm, Was One Of The Rare Usmc Officers To Serve In Both Iwo Jima And Okinawa Battles. Here, He And Estes Relay Vivid Accounts Of Fighting In The Pacific War, As Well As Marine Corps Service, During The Entire World War Ii Period. Robert M. Neiman was one of the rare USMC officers to serve in both Iwo Jima and Okinawa battles. In this book, Neiman and his co-author, Kenneth W. Estes, relay vivid accounts of fighting in the Pacific War, as well as Marine Corps service during the entire World War II period