Tarawa (CV 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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4. Fresh tr0Ops Of the First Battalion, Sixth Regiment, were to strike out along Beach Black fSouthj where the japs had their fortifications in greatest strength and concentration, ultimately to push through the 200 yard front end of the airfield. 8:15 a.m.: The Marines along the south coast went into action. Orders were to advance 1,400 yards along the south beach on a 200 yard front and attain its objective by nightfall. This stretch was about the toughest to crack on the islet. There were at least six pillboxes in every 100 yards, occupied by three to twenty Japs. Naval gunfire had not knocked out these minature fortresses. They had to be neutralized with tank fire, flame throwers, and hand grenades. Marines walked in front of tanks, directly into Jap fire, to spot targets. When these men were wounded or killed, others took their places. All were volunteers. November 23, 1943. 11:45 a.m.: Colonel Holmes reported his first battalion just inland from the south end of Beach Green. This made our disposition stand roughly like this: On the north, where our initial landings had been made, we had extended in two narrow columns on either side of the pier, piercing the airstrip and boxing the area in along the south beach. Colonel Holmes, battalion had secured the entire length of the west beach for a depth of 200 yards. The laps in the west areas were encircled. 11:59 a.m.: Colonel Shoup received this message: CG with small advance party will land Beach Green QNorthj about 12:00.'3 General Smith found it necessary to take to the water before he reached the beach. His landing boat grounded 100 yards off shore. After visiting command posts he returned to the beach for an amphibious tractor, it was the only way to get to Beach Red 2. During the trip the driver was wounded in the head by a bullet and the tractor disabled. Another tractor was sent for, after half an hour delay the General reached his command post. Colonel Shoup notified the Flagship when the General arrived. 1:00 p.m.: On the southern beach the First Battalion of the Sixth Marines renewed its push. It took six hours to cover the next 600 yards. Casualties were again heavy. Medium tanks had to be dis- patched to replace light tanks in neutralizing pillboxes. 3:05 p.m.: f'Land available personnel of Combat Team Two on Beach Green as labor details? 3:30 p.m.: HB Medical land on Bairiki, establish field hospital as soon as possible. A and C Medical land Beach Red 2 soon as possible. Bring morphine, plasma, dressings, stretchersf' 3:50 p.m.: ffLand guns, ammunition and personnel of 'Xi Defense Battalion as soon as possible at pier? Request detail to clear bodies around pierf' 4:00 .m.: f'Situation not favorable for ra id cleanu of Betiof, P P P Before digging in for the night the companies re-formed and moved into defensive positions. f'Unsling packs and dig in. They spoke in whispers to prevent the unseen Japs in front of them from detecting their positions. The sky deepened from rich purple to blackness. The first stars began to shine. Silence settled, disturbed only by the faint scuffing of shovels as the men went on digging their foxholes. Then - 'fBanzai V' Blood for the Emperor! Two words went through the line: H- ffStand fastf, The first Jap counter-attacks lasted an hour. The .Iaps leaped from their holes and charged, running like possessed demons, waiving sabers, tossing hand grenades, firing light machine guns from the hip, charging with fixed bayonets. With knives, bayonets, rifle butts, the Marines fought them back. They were repulsed but not before opening a gap between A and B companies of the Sixth.

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12100: First indications Japs were beginning to break were reported. Gases were starting to be found of hari-kiri. The flame throwers of the Eighteenth Regiment Qengineersj were tirelessly covering the different sectors of the iight. The flame guns were especially effective in cleaning out pill boxes. Flame would turn corners in compartmented pillboxes. There was still little food ashore. 12:35 p.m.: Remnants of the Third Battalion of the Second Regiment and isolated personnel of the Second Battalion reached the southwest tip of Betio and secured Beach Green to a depth of about 150 yards. Division headquarters ordered a battalion landed on the south half of Beach Green and Uprepare to continue the attack immediately. The tide had turned definitely, in favor of the Marines. 1:40 p.m.: Sixth Marine Regiment was ordered to put a landing team ashore on Beaches Blue 1 and 2 Hto prevent withdrawal hostile forces to the eastf' 2:50 p.m.: The afternoon wore on while the Marines butchered their way across Betio, with pains- taking slowness. Occassionally it required six to seven hours to cover 50 to 100 yards. NVhile dusk settled on Betio, Colonel Shoup summed up the situation: Our troops are dishing out hell and catching hell. Combat efficiency. We are winning. The long night hours were silent except when punctuated by p-i-i-i-n-g of snipers' bullets 2nd the drone of c'W'ashington Gharlieisn lone visit overhead. The men held their fire through all these hours. The lone Jap plane dropped its stick of bombs and left. This was the plan of attack for the third day of the battle: 1. The First Battalion, Eighth Marines, would swing west from its hinge on Beach Red 2, clear western portion of airstrip, and wipe out the -laps still nested between them and Beach Green. 2. The other two battalions of the Eighth would swing east from their hinge and sweep to the end of the airstrip. 3. Third Battalion, Second Marines, were to hold what they had on Beach Green. 44... ' . --4-.. ii?V , Tamwa Beach Scene During Battle

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Our wounded could not be moved. Men opened their first-aid kits, bandaged their buddies in the darkness, and gave them water from their canteens. Non-commissioned oflicers moved among the men, shaking them, warning them to stay awake. Major jones, at the Command Post, had to turn down a request for reinforcements. He sent up a mortar platoon, all the water they could, hand grenades and a supply of small-arms ammunition. 8:00 p.m.: Three thousand yards off shore a destroyer fired the first round on squares 201 through 207 to prevent the japs' from reorganizing and to disrupt their communications. The ground shook as the shells exploded. NI-low was it? CKEW c'Fifty yards ahead of their lines. They want more in the same spotf, More on the same target. Tell them the shootingls greatf' 10:30 p.m.: Major Jones ordered artillery fire on squares 208 and 210. 11 :00 p.m.: The japs attempted to create a diversion. A few minutes later they charged as before, screaming Banzai!,' The Marines stopped the charge and threw the Japs back. 3:00 a.m.: The enemy moved machine guns into some of their wrecked trucks and began firing. 'fWashington Charlie dropped a stick of bombs and headed home. They missed the men. 4:00 a.m.: The Japs launched their final and most desperate attack. It was now or never. A few Japs were naked and armed only with knives. For an hour, hand-to-hand fighting went on. B Company lines sagged but did not break. Some Marines who ran out of ammunition fought with their hands, choking the enemy to death. Men gave their lives to save their buddies. 5:00 a.m.: The counter-attack ended. The stars were fading. Itis over. We stopped them. Send stretcher-bearers to evacuate the wounded. Navy corpsmen bandaged, applied tourniquets, injected morphine, lit cigarettes and stuck them between cracked lips and said, You,ll be all right, kid. Before the men unslung their packs they lined up at the water cans. It was warm water, dirty brown in color, with a repugnant taste, but it was sweet to them. They stretched out on the earth. Some slept at once, some too tense to sleep at first sat about in groups, talking and cracking jokes until the tenseness wore off. ' They took crushed packs of cigarettes and lighted up. It was forbidden at night in battle, cigarette discipline had been a great trial. V November 23, 1943. - 8:00 a.m.: The Third Battalion of the Sixth got the signal to push down the tail of Betio to the end of the islet and finish OH' the remaining Japs. Unable to coordinate, the Japs fought individually for their lives in confused fashion. It took the Battalion four and a half hours to push through to the end of Betio. Soon after the Sixth had finished its job, the First Battalion of the Eighth succeeded in cleaning out the last remnant of resistance on Beach Red 1. This pocket had held out during the entire fight. 1:12 p.m.: General Smith had the announcement carried by field telephone to all units on the islet and by radio to the ships of the task force that the battle of Betio was over. One Marine wrote his wife: 'C . . . All I can think of right now is coming home to you. Pray that it will be soonf' General Smith walked among his men. One youngster showed him a dent in his helmet. The general told him to keep the helmet always. Press representatives and Marine Corps combat correspondents, using water cans for chairs and a japanese torpedo for a desk, pounded away at their typewriters on a story that was to electrify the nation.