16 Young at Heart April 2021 Unified Newspaper Group
Wisconsin
s k o o B
by MICHAEL TIDEMANN
Sturgeon Bay writer tells of fathers WWII heroism 40 Thieves on Saipan
Joseph Tachovsky with Cynthia Kraack Regnery Publishing ISBN 978-1684510481
$29.99
J
oe Tachovsky’s father Frank mentioned being in World War II, but it wasnt until his death that Joe learned the real truth -- the hard, brutal and bloody truth. When Joe discovered that truth in a box of his fathers World War II mementoes, he was inspired to learn more. He found that his father had led a platoon of 40 elite Marines behind Japanese lines to help take the island of Saipan in one of the wars bloodiest battles. In 40 Thieves on Saipan, Tachovsky brings to life the antics and humor, horror and heroism of his father, Lt. Frank Tachovsky, later retiring as colonel, and
his men who spearheaded the invasion of Saipan June 15, 1944. Tachovsky sought out his fathers former Marines and, after contacting Bob Smotts, Roscoe Mullins, Bill Knuppel and Marvin Strombo, found a wealth of information for this no-holds-barred memoir.
unit. Lt. Tachovksy lauded Duleys heroism, both as a soldier and a Marine.
Tachovsky and Kraack were able to tap into the poignancy of his fathers Marines, showing their human side as well as their unselfish performance in battle, many making the ultimate sacrifice. Tachovsky tells how his fathers thieves liberated alcohol from Navy stores, stole a captains jeep and acquired chickens and pigs for an impromptu barbeque. Even more remarkable is how Don Evans recruited talked Army buddies, Norman Duley and Tom Arello, into leaving their unit and going aboard their ship to fight in Saipan. After Arello and Evans were tragically killed while on the same patrol, Lt. Tachovsky wrote a letter for Duley, who had to return to his Army
While the numbers speak for themselves 300 Japanese soldiers surviving from a force of 30,000 and 3,000 American dead and more than 13,000 wounded its the Marines personal stories of valor and sacrifice that make the book. That makes 40 Thieves on Saipan far more than a history. Its a testament to the Marines who fought behind enemy lines to make way for the main force. The book also brings to life the Marines who took part. Many books have been written about World War II. But few are able to bring to life those who fought it. Tachovsky and Kraack do just that grippingly and poignantly. They have taken the war memoir to a whole new level. Michael Tidemann writes from Estherville, Iowa. His author page is amazon.com/author/michaeltidemann.
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