Osprey Elite 59 : US Marine Corps 1941-1945

While the US Marine Corps was one of the smallest of American armed services in World War II, its contribution to the final victory cannot be overstated. The Marines comprised a mere 5 per cent of America's 16.3 million men and women in uniform, but suffered 10 per cent of the nation's combat casualties. The amphibious nature-of the war in the Pacific imposed on the Marine Corps greater tasks than any it had ever before been called upon to perform. The expansion of the Corps and equipping it with the weapons and support facilities necessary for modern amphibious undertakings was an administrative achievement of the first magnitude. This was overshadowed only by the willingness of the Fleet Marine Force to undertake the Guadalcanal operation at a critical time early in the war when other ground forces were still undergoing training. Gordon L. Rottman details the organisation, weapons and equipment of the US Marines of the Second World War in a book containing a wealth of accompanying photographs and 12 full page colour plates by Mike Chappell.

Contents

• Introduction
• Marine Organisation
• Marine Weapons
• Marine Units
• Marine Uniforms
• The Plates