"Bloody, Bloody Tarawa"-- Part 4: Never In a 100 Years

Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of the beginning of this battle.

One of the people who believed it would be impossible for Tarawa to fall was Japanese Rear Admiral Meichi Shibasaki, the island's commander, who said "a million Americans" wouldn't be able to take Tarawa in "100 years."  He was wrong, the United States captured it in 76 hours.

Retired Marine Corps Col. Joseph Alexander wrote in his book "Across the Reef: The Marine Assault of Tarawa that Shibasali's thoughts were forgivable and that the island was "the most heavily defended atoll that ever would be invaded by Allied forces in the Pacific."

--GreGEn