On this day, Nov. 20, 1943, the U.S. began its Central Pacific Campaign against Japan by seizing the heavily fortified, Japanese-held island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The 18,000 U.S. Marines sent to tiny Betio were expected to easily secure it; however, problems quickly arose. Japanese Admiral Keiji Shibasaki, confident in his command, reportedly bragged that the U.S. couldn’t take Tarawa with a million men in 100 years. The day of the battle, low tides prevented some U.S. landing crafts from clearing the coral reefs that ringed the island. Japanese coastal guns pounded the snagged vessels and desperate Marines gave up on freeing the boats and instead waded toward shore–hundreds of yards away– through chest-deep water amidst enemy fire. Despite heavy resistance from the 4,500 Japanese troops dug in on Betio, the Marines took the island after a bloody, 76-hour battle in which both sides suffered heavy casualties. This operation validated the Marine Corps amphibious doctrine.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 21:40:43 +0000
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