Latest / Across the Reef- The Marine Assault of Tarawa
009 - Sidebar Colonel David M Shoup USMC
Tarawa Atoll, located 2085 miles southwest of Pearl Harbor and 540 miles southeast of Kwajalein in the Marshalls, is home to Betio, its principal island. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese swiftly captured Tarawa from the British within just three days. In August 1943, Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance traveled to New Zealand to meet in secrecy with Major General Julian C. Smith and his senior staff. During this pivotal meeting, Spruance instructed the Marines to prepare for an amphibious assault on Japanese positions in the Gilbert Islands come November. Lieutenant Colonel…
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