I thought I would start a tread on the Pacific campaign concerning the battle of Tarawa. Much of the combat footage taken during the battle for Tarawa was deemed too intense to show stateside at the time as they didn’t want it to affect US enlistment. The tiny island atoll of Betio where most of the fighting took place is only two miles long and 800 yards wide at the widest point. On this tiny atoll American marines fought ~ 4900 very well entrenched Japanese defenders. The assaulting US forces were assured that the atoll had been so completely bombed that should expect only token resistance. Note: they would underestimate the ability of Japanese defenses to withstand massive air and sea bombing again. Right from the start things went poorly. As many of the landing craft came in at low tide, the assault boats were forced to unload the men far from shore. Wading through waist-deep water over piercing, razor-sharp coral, many were cut down by merciless enemy gunfire yards from the beach. Those who made it ashore huddled in the sand, hemmed in by the sea to one side and the Japanese to the other. Finally reinforcements were brought in with tanks and flamethrowers and the marines were able to break free of the beaches.Slowly they pushed back the Japanese. The campaign was short only 4 days. However the troops were virtually elbow to elbow fighting an enemy that was often only yards away. All Japanese but a handful died in combat. The Marines lost > 1000 dead and > 2000 wounded. We have examined the terrible battles on the Eastern front and elsewhere in Europe during WW2. But for sure blood spilled / acre and no quarter asked or given this little atoll deserves a place in history. 4 days, > 1square mile, almost 8000 in losses.
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Tarawa
With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight they should have cancelled and gone into the Philippines. Not many defenders there at the time.
I think the US was testing the waters to extent with the invasion of Tarawa. As you likely know it was the initial step-in obtaining airstrips closer and closer to Japan in the island hopping campaign. 1st was Tarawa followed by the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Guam, Tinian and Iwo Jima.
You are right with the exception of vicious street by street fighting for Manila the Philippines fell rather easily. I'm not sure about the logistics of taking the Philippines this early on?
HMMM, I seem to have confused Tarawa with Peleliu/Pallau.I think the US was testing the waters to extent with the invasion of Tarawa. As you likely know it was the initial step-in obtaining airstrips closer and closer to Japan in the island hopping campaign. 1st was Tarawa followed by the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Guam, Tinian and Iwo Jima.
You are right with the exception of vicious street by street fighting for Manila the Philippines fell rather easily. I'm not sure about the logistics of taking the Philippines this early on?