USS Tarawa (LHA 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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installation the Japanese had built. This was the first problem to be solved. Next was the problem of the reefs. The information as to the depth of water over the reefs was in- conclusive. General Smith and his staff did know that part of the reef was exposed at low tide. Their re- ports told them that during the peri- od of neap tide, a maximum of three feet or less of water, even at high tide might be experienced. So they could not be sure that even at high tide they could get landing boats to the beach. Even with the best breaks there would not be much time to bring the landing force ashore. The span of high tide was only four hours. There were other factors which they knew added to the natural bar- rier of the reef. These were underwat- er o bstacles which the enemy had built, which were certain to stymie the ordinary landing boat. General Smith and his staff considered the amphibious tractor as a possible an- swer. Before committing himself to such a plan, General Smith decided to test them. Every conceivable un- derwater obstacle was erected, and live ammunition was fired at the amphibs as they moved through and over obstacles to the beach. The results of this rehearsal satisfied him that amphibian tractors could cross fringing coral reefs and that medium tanks could be disembarked from LCTs on the edge of such a reef. When morning came, the first day of November 1943, the landing craft moved to sea. On the morning of D-Day, troop officers read this message, from Gen- eral Smith, to their men: A great offensive to destroy the enemy in the Pacific has begun. American air, sea and land forces, of which this divi- sion is a part, initiate this offensive by seizing Japanese atolls in the Gil- bert Islands whi ch will be used as bases for future operations. The Battle of Tarawa The task assigned to us is to cap- ture the atolls of Tarawa and Ape- mama. Army units of our Fifth Am- phibious Corps are simultaneously attacking Makin, 150 miles to the north of Tarawa. Early this morning combatant ships of our Navy bombarded Tarawa. Our navy screens our oper- ations and will support our attack tomorrow morning with the greatest concentration of aerial bombardment and naval gunfire in the history of warfare. It will remain with us until our objective is secured and our defenses are established. Garrison forces are already enroute to relieve us as soon as we have completed our job of clearing our objectives of Japanese forces. I know that you are well trained and fit for the tasks assigned to you. . . . You will decisively defeat and destroy the treacherous enemies of our country; your success will add new laurels to the glorious tradition of our Corps. Good luck, and God bless you all. Battle of Tarawa Page 17

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The story of one of the bloodiest battles. Before November 20, 1943, the name of TARAWA was known to only a few. Three days later that name, and the name of Betio beach- head, went around the world like the flash from an exploding shell. Today those names stand for the first sea-borne assault on a de- fended atoll. They will continue to endure as monuments of unsurpassed hero- ism of the reinforced Second Divi- sion of the United States Marine Corps. For two dragging weeks the crowded transports had been zig- zagging through the blue waters of the South Pacific, and for the Ma- rines aboard it had been two weeks of weary monotony. They were headed for one of the bloodiest bat- tles in Marine Corps history, but they did not know that then. They did not even know where they were going. At the end of these two weeks, on November 14, 1943, they found out. Tarawa . . . The Marines rolled the strange name off their tongues and repeated it to one another. In their wildest speculations, none had ever said the name Tarawa. Six days later the first assault Battle of Tarawa Page 16 was landed. Nine days later the bloody battle was history. Betio beachhead lies at Tarawa ' s southwestern end. It is somewhat smaller than New York City ' s Cen- tral Park. With a length of two and a half miles and only 800 yards across at its widest point. Over a period of 15 months the Japanese did a sound job of perfect- ing their defenses for the Gilberts, and the heart of their efforts was little Betio. The pillboxes for the automatic weapons, and even the ri- flemen ' s pits, were scientifically constructed to withstand heavy bombardment. Guarded by these defenses was a landing field that gave the Japanese a position nearest to our travel routes from San Fran- cisco to Hawaii and Australia. It was our first major obstruction on the road to Tokyo. In addition to Japanese-made defenses, there was a treacherous coral reef, and the tides. Three months before D-Day, a guard detail was posted before the door of a room on the third floor of the musty old Windsor Hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, where the Second Division made its head- quarters. This room was called K Room. Admirals, generals, colo- nels and naval captains came to this room. Fresh data stamped Secret and Ultra Secret piled up on the desks in K Room. The task confronting these men was peculiarly difficult. For the first time in military history, a strongly defended coral atoll was to be stormed and taken from the enemy. It was a case of precedents having to be created, not followed. Previously, American troops landed on the least strongly held areas on the large land masses. This could not be done at Tarawa. The maps of K Room in the old Windsor Hotel showed every

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Battle of Tarawa Timeline. . . Saturday, November 20, 1943 3:45 a.m.: D-Day. The transports, several miles off Tarawa and its coral reefs waited in darkness. There was a quarter moon, the sky emptying it- self of stars. Over the transports sounded the piping of bosun ' s whis- tles and the whines of winches as the landing boats were lowered over the side for their load of men. 4:41 a.m.: Tension was beginning to build up on our side and among the Japanese. It broke with them first. From the long black fringe of the islet came a burst, a red star clus- ter. Our warships loomed through the darkness, moving in closer, their guns trained on Japanese positions. 5:07 a.m.: Daylight was coming. Suddenly the Japanese opened up with their big coastal batteries. The firing was close. Casualties were claimed among the boat crews. 5:12 a.m.: The flagship pointed her bow beachward and, supported by two of her sister ships, let go a salvo from her 16-inch guns. The Japan- ese ' s 8-inchers were silenced. They had been in action 20 minutes. The flagship had been in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Many of her crew had been survivors of that day. 6:13 a.m.: The aerial bombard- ment began. It was not haphazard destruction, for their bombs found home. The first phase was swift and brief. It lasted nine minutes. 6:58 a.m.: The Navy was having its day. The task force ceased sched- uled firing and began to silence in- dividual batteries at their own discre- tion. 8:22 a.m.: The first assault waves left the Line of Departure on their journey to the reef - their journey to hell. The Japanese guns were omi- nously silent. The amphibious trac- tors moved stoically toward the reef. Timeline Page 18 Fire from the Japanese coastal guns were intermittent at first. The deluge of steel from the bombard- ment had shocked and dazed the de- fenders. The amphibious tractors in the first three assault waves therefore managed to lumber over the reef and reach the beach with relatively few casualties. 9:10 a.m.: Second Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment landed. Half an hour later the commanding officer messaged: Heavy opposition. 9:12 a.m.: Second Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment landed. Shortly the commanding officer messaged: Meeting heavy resistance. 9:17 a.m.: Third Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment landed. The com- manding officer messaged, Troops receiving heavy fire in water. Later, after the action opened, the wounded began to move back to the transports. Men risked their lives to swim to their wounded buddies and drag them back to the boats. Many of these became casualties themselves. The first of the landing craft took off for their return to the transports loaded down with the wounded. On this tragic journey, they carried boys who 30 minutes earlier had been among the finest physical specimens in the country. 10:45 a.m.: The commanding offi- cer of the 8th Marine Regiment re- ported: Stiff resistance. Need half tracks. Tanks no good. 11:05 a.m.: The Third Battalion operations reported: Heavy casuali- tie«. 12:03 p.m.: The carrier-based planes roared in. 1:00 p.m.: The bodies of two ma- rines and a Navy doctor were found in a gashed tractor. The shell that killed them also wounded 10 other men. In the blazing sun, Marines and bluejackets removed their steel hel- mets. We are in the presence of the last great enemy, Death. Almost ar echo, strident through the loud- speaker on the bridge, came the re port: The issue is in doubt. 1:45 p.m.: Colonel Shoup receivec this message: Reserve teams unabl to land. Heavy enemy fire. Is then another beach where we can land? 4:11 p.m.: All planes in the ail were ordered to expend every rounc of ammunition before leaving thi area. 4:45 p.m.: The Sixth Marine Regi ment was released. This was all tha was left of the available manpower 5:20 p.m.: General Smith receivec the first fragmentary casualty re ports; they were bad. 10:00 p.m.: Colonel Shouj summed up D-Day in this report tc General Smith Have dug in to hole limited beachhead. Sunday, November 21, 1943 All through the night and into the early morning hours of Novembe 21st, boats held back from the Line ol Departure tried to run the gauntlet tc the beach. Transports were bein converted into hospital ships due tj the mounting casualties. Marines on top of the pier weathered heavy en emy shelling as they struggled tc bring ammunition ashore. The infer no lighting up the shore preventec any chance of secrecy. 2:00 a.m.: Firing from behind was discovered coming from the wreckec hull of a Japanese tramp steamer on the reefs off Beach Red 2. The Task Force promised: Will bomb at day- light. 8:23 a.m.: Colonel Shoup to Gen- eral Smith: Urgently request ration