Tarawa (CV 40) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 56 text:

Such were but a few of the problems confronting General Smith and his staff as they bent over their maps and papers in K Room. Throughout the month of Cctober, Wlellington had been rocking on its heels. The Marines were getting ready to shove off. Their camps had been struck, and their smart green uniforms had been packed away. Marines swarmed on their last liberties ashore. lt was not always gay. The New Zealanders had taken the Yanks into their homes and hearts. lvfany lNfIarines had married New Zealand girls. It was Sunday morning and the sunlight felt warm and good. Church services were held. Landing craft moved between transports with the clumsy grace of a big fish. YVhen morning came on, the lst day of November 1943, they were moving out to sea. On the tenth of November-the traditional Marine birthday, the officers read: Cn November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of the Continental Con- gress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name Marine. In memory of them, it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our Corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrated history. 'fThe record of our Corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in world history. During the greater part of its existence it has been in action against the Nation's foes. 'fSince the Battle o Trenton, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and during the long eras of tranquillity at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war, on both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that out country might enjoy peace and security. 'fin every battle and skirmish since the birth of our Corps the Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion, until the term Marine has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue. This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the Corps. With it we also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our Corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish, Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they were i-n the past, and the men of our nation will regard us as worthy successors of the long line of illustrous men who have served as soldiers of the sea since the founding of the Corpsf' Four days later, Task Force Commander Rear Admiral Harry Hill sent this message to his ships: Give all hands the general picture of the projected operation and further details to all who should have this in execution of duties. This is the first assault on a defended atoll and with northern attack and covering forces the largest Pacific operation to date. The whole thing was a beautiful example of democracy in action. The tempo of life did not change after the news had been given out. As D-Day neared brief church services were held daily on the hatches. The men began to spend less time reading and sun-bathing and more time sharpening their knives and oiling their guns. On the morning of D-Day, troop officers read this message, from General Smith, to their men: A great oHiensive to destroy the enemy in the Pacific has begun. American air, sea and land forces, of which this Division is a part, initiate this offensive by seizing Japanese-held atolls in the Gilbert Islands which will be used as bases for future operations. The task assigned to us is to capture the atolls of Tarawa and Apemama. Army units of our Fifth Amphibious Corps are simultaneously attacking Makin, one hundred and fifty miles to the north of Tarawa.

Page 55 text:

Upon Betio was fought one of the bloodiest battles in the one hundred and sixty nine years of Marine Corps history. Of the attacking force three thousand and fifty-six men were either killed, wounded, or missing. Over a period of fifteen months the Japanese did a very soundijob of perfecting their defenses for the Gilberts, and the heart of their efforts was little Betio. Its beaches and the reef were lined with obstacles-concrete, pyramid-shaped obstructions designed to stop landing boats, tactical wire in long fences, coconut-log barricades, mines, and large piles of coral rock. For beach defense there were grenades, mortars, rifles, light and heavy machine guns, 37 mm. guns, 70 mm. guns, 74 mm. guns, 75 mm. dual purpose guns, 80 mm. anti-boat guns, 127 mm. twin-mount dual-purpose guns, 140 mm. coast-defense guns, and 8-inch defense guns. The emplacements for these weapons were often seven feet thick of solid concrete reinforced by steel, coral sand, and coconut logs The pillboxes for the automatic weapons, and even the riflemen's pits, were scientifically constructed to withstand heavy bombardment-a concrete floor in a three to five foot excavation-twelve inch reinforced concrete walls-alternate layers of coral sand, coconut logs and sandbags-the roof made in the same wav and tapering to prevent shadows which would show in aerial photographs. In places the blockhouses were of concrete with a roof thickness of five feet. On top were palm tree trunks with a diameter of eighteen inches, and a final layer of angle iron made of railroad steel Guarded by these defenses was a landing field that gave the Japanese a position nearest to our travel routes from San Francisco to Hawaii and Australia. It was our first major obstruction on the road to Tokyo. In addition to Japanese-made defenses, there was the reef, there were the tides The Japanese who manned this islet fortress were all volunteers. They possessed a finer physique and training than any other group in the Emperor s forces There were four thousand of them Their Rear Admiral had stated: HA million men could not take Tarawa . The Admiralis confidence was based on realism Three months before D-Day, a guard detail was posted before the door of a room on the third its headquarters. This was K Room To this room came admirals and generals, colonels and naval captains. Occasionally Major Generaljulian Smith or some of his staff would be gone for several days Fresh data stamped USECRETM and CCULTRA SECRETU piled up on the desks of K Room The task confronting these men was peculiarly difficult For the first time in military history, a e stormed and taken from the enemy It was a case of precedents h ' t be created not followed. Previously, American troops landed fas military gospel dictatesj avrng o , on the least strongly held areas on the large land masses. This could not be done at Tarawa. floor of the musty old Windsor Hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, where the Second Division made strongly defended coral atoll was to b . The maps of K Room showed every installation the Japanese had built. This was the first problem to be solved. Next was the problem of reefs. This was a tough one. The information as to the depth of water over the reefs was indefinite. General Smith and his staff did know that part of the reef was . . . . f ex osed at low tide. Their reports told them that during the period of a neap tide, a maximum o P 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 not be much time. The span of high tide is only four hours. ' to the beach. Even with the best of breaks there would Th th r thin s which they knew: that added to the natural barrier of the reef were under- ere were o e g water obstacles which the enemy had built, which were certain to stymie the ordinary landing boat. ossible answer. Before committing himself to such a They considered the amphibious tractor as a p plan, General Smith decided to test them. Every conceivable underwater obstacle was erected, and l h b h. l' 't' was fired at the Hamphibs 7 as they moved through and over obstac es to t e eac ive ammuni ion Following this preliminary test General Smith transported the whole battalion to conduct experi- ments over coral reefs. The results of this rehearsal satisfied him that amphibian tractors could cross edium tanks could be disembarked from LGT's on the edge of such a fringing coral reefs and that m reef.

Page 57 text:

'CFOI' the Past UWC? df1Y5 A1'mYg Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft have been carrying out bombard- ment attacks on our objectives. They are neutralizing and will continue to neutralize other Japanese 'air bases adjacent to the Gilbert lslands. ul-Early this morning combatant ships of our Navy bombarded Tarawa. Our Navy screens our operations and will support our attack tomorrow morning with the greatest concentration of aerial bombardment and naval gunlire in the history of warfare. alt will remain with us until our objective is secured and our defensives are established. Garrison forces are already enroute to relieve us as soon as we have completed our job of clearing our objectives ofjapanese forces. 'fThis Division was especially chosen by the high command for the assault of Tarawa because of its battle experience and its combat efficiency. Their confidence in us will not be betrayed. We are the first American troops to attack a defended atoll. What we do here will set a standard for all future operations in the Central Pacific area. Cbservers from other Marine Divisions and from other branches of our armed services, as well as those of our allies, have been detailed to witness our operations. Representatives of the press are present. Our people back home are eagerly awaiting news of our victories. NI know that you are well trained and fit for the tasks assigned to you. You will quickly over-run the Japanese forces, you will decisively defeat and destroy the treacherous enemies of our country, Y you all. our success will add new laurels to the glorious tradition of our Corps. Good luck, and God bless As the sun went down on the eve of the assault, the men stretched out on the decks earlier than usual to get as much rest as they could. Reveille was scheduled for 3:45 in the morning. Few of the men slept. 3:45 a.m.: Saturday, November 20, 1943- D-Day: The transports, several miles off Tarawa and its coral reefs, lay to in darkness. The war- ships moved in closer. Their orders were to im- mediately open counter-battery fire on any shore batteries in their sectors if the shore batteries opened up on the transports prior to 5:45. That was the hour designated for the carrier air- strike against Betio. The moon was at quarter, the sky emptying itself of stars. Over the transports sounded the M din bflffgfjf OPM-Y up ON Tafawa thin piping of bosun's whistles and the whine 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 Japs. It broke with them first. From the long black fringe of the islet came a burst, a red star cluster. Cur warships loomed through the darkness, moving in closer, their guns trained, waiting. 5:07 a.m. Daylight was coming. Suddenly the Japs opened up with their big coastal batteries, forged in Birmingham, England, and used in the defense of Singapore. The firing was close. Near misses claimed casualties among the boat crews but the ships remained afloat. 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 ,Iap's 8-inchers were silenced, wiped out. They had been in action twenty minutes. The flagship had been in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Many of her crew had been survivors of that day.