"Bloody, Bloody Tarawa"-- Part 3: The Japanese Were Ready

The Battle of Tarawa was the first major American offensive in the central Pacific.  Until then, Americans didn't face mush opposition during amphibious assaults.  Previous landings had met little or no hostile action.  But Tarawa was to be different.

The initial landings of the 2nd Marine Division met with heavy Japanese resistance right away.  The Japanese troops on Betio were also equipped with 8-inch, turret-mounted naval rifled guns as well as coast defense, anti-aircraft, anti-boat field artillery guns and howitzers.  They also had many kinds of light tanks and other weapons.  These soldiers were ready for anything the Americans might bring against them.

Americans had never met this kind of opposition before.

"Tarawa was a bloody, bloody battle," said Annette Amerman, a historian with the Marine Corps History Department in Quantico, Virginia.  Nit only was it an exceedingly hard-fought battle, but in reality, the Marines probably should not have been able to take the island. "There are people who argue that Tarawa should never have been taken.""

--GreGen