Tarawa Beachhead (1958)
Director: Paul Wendkos.
Cast: Kerwin Mathews, Julie Adams, Ray Danton, Karen Sharpe.
Historical Background:
November, 1943 -- assault on the Gilbert Islands: Makin and Tarawa, tiny strips of coral and sand.
Enemy was thoroughly entrenched. Tarawa was a fortress.
Started from airstrips on the Marshalls to soften up the islands. Bombed islands on both Marshall and Gilbert islands.
Nov 1943 -- Cairo was the setting for a major meeting between government leaders; Chiang Kai-shek, FDR, and Churchill were there.
China Nov 1943 -- Japanese armies driving ahead in Hunan province.
Two naval task forces headed to the Gilbert Islands, one from Hawaii and the other from New Zealand.
Nov 21, 1943 -- the assault on the atolls begin. 5 hour bombardment of Makin. 165th of the Army went in. Light resistance. The enemy had not planned a strong defense. There was only a small enemy garrison. It only took three days to take the island.
100 miles south Betio Island of Tarawa atoll was the target. Naval bombing and ship bombardment started, but these were not well coordinated and the navy only bombarded for three hours. No one knew what damage was being done to the island defenses. The first wave was brought in by amphibian tractors. Later they came in by landing boats. The tide was lower than expected and the boats were not able to clear the reefs. Many were stalled 500 yards from the beach. The amphibian boats had no problem. They had to go back and forth carrying the troops off the reefs.
Marines of the second division land. Tougher landing than expected; casualties were very heavy. This was the first invasion that was really opposed by the Japanese.
Japanese defenses were incredible, with coconut log bunkers. Had to flush the Japanese out.
Toughest single fight for the Marines in 167 years of corps history. The lessons learned at Tarawa would prove invaluable for further invasions.
Nov 24 -- only 76 hours after the invasion started, the island was declared secure.
Returned to British rule. The British flag raised. 1,000 marines from a single division were killed. 2,101 Americans wounded in action. 4,500 Japanese killed. Only 17 Japanese surrendered. 129 Koreans, used as laborers and doubling as riflemen, gave up.
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