75th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Battle of Tarawa Today

Seventy-five years ago today, Marines stormed ashore on the small Pacific atoll called Tarawa on the island of Betio and met huge Japanese resistance and turned it into "Bloody, Bloody Tarawa."

The battle lasted three days and was the first U.S. offensive in the central Pacific.  Previous landings had met little or no resistance.  This one certainly did not.

Of the 4,000 plus Japanese garrison, just 17 were captured.  the rest died.  Of 18,000 Marines, there were 1,009 killed, 2,101 wounded.  Total American casualties were 1,966 killed and 2,101 wounded.

On November 23, the USS Liscome Bay was sunk with 687 killed.

Like They Said, "Bloody, Bloody Tarawa."  --GreGen