Chapter 2 Prologue The tactics of the landing operation finally changed

Barry.bede Although the U.S. Marine Corps has a glorious history of nearly 170 years, until 1943, it had never conducted large-scale land and water operations against well-defended enemy territory.Prior to this, the main task of the US Marine Corps was: to play the role of a landing force in naval operations, or to kill enemy ships and take on the task of a death squad, or to serve as a garrison at a naval base.However, in the Second World War, due to the expansion of the scope of the battle and the new geographical conditions of the enemy-occupied areas, the tactics of the Marine Corps also changed accordingly.

In 1943, General Marshall, the Chief of Staff of the US Army, described the new look of the Marine Corps as follows. The military knowledge and experience we gained in the First World War had already laid a solid foundation on roads, rivers, railways, etc., and it was not until these two cold and hot days that I began to acquire knowledge and experience based on the sea.From the looks of it, I have to put my heart into it.Because before this war, I had never heard of so-called landing boats (except rubber boats).Now my mind is full of things about the landing boats. ★Experiment new tactics in Tarawa

During the long years of World War II, the so-called laws and techniques of landing in front of the enemy were constantly updated. The leaders of the Marine Corps abandoned the old established concepts and created new things with each passing day. Soldiers have also been fully trained .Today, the small atolls of the Gilbert Islands are ready to experiment with this new technology. However, this is not an unprecedented landing of the US military in front of the enemy.Long before this, the US military had launched a series of landing operations in the Solomon Islands, New Britain, and New Guinea.It's just that the resistance on these islands is very slight, or even surrendered, and they landed without any fuss.Tarawa, however, was quite different, and here they had to attack the heavily defended coast, becoming a veritable testing ground for Marine Corps tactics and training.But it cannot be compared with a simple field experiment, because the sacrifice of the US military is too huge.

Regarding the value of the Tarawa Raiders, as described by a certain commander who participated in the battle, it can not only be used as a land base for attacking Japanese military installations (including ships) in the Pacific, but also as an operational base in the Marshall Islands. Said that this atoll also has a pivotal position. The knowledge and experience gained from fighting in Tarawa has fundamentally improved the technology of amphibious warfare, which can reduce sacrifices in subsequent landing operations.For example, they have learned an iron lesson, that is: no matter how intense the bombardment of the landing target is, it must not easily destroy the defensive position so as to crush the enemy's combat power.The most important thing is to carry out a series of bombardments in close coordination with the arrival of the first echelon of the landing force on the coast.They personally experienced the pain of not being able to fully support the landing force, so they quickly established countermeasures.

The Marine Corps itself conducted an analysis of the weapon's characteristics.Based on experience, they chose weapons with balance, developed light tanks capable of launching flames, and added amphibious combat vehicles. At the same time, in order to maintain close communication with the commander of the landing force, they adopted portable waterproof communication equipment. When the U.S. military launched attacks across the central Pacific Ocean, they were able to apply the lessons learned from Tarawa to sharply reduce the losses caused by the operations. The sacrifice of the US Marines at Tarawa enhanced their reputation for courage and fighting spirit.This is not a story like a narrative poem, but in a sense, it can be called a miniature picture of war history.

★Increase the reputation of the Marine Corps Without an extremely precise map, the small island of Tarawa would never have appeared.On this small island, there was only one division of the US Marine Corps. After three days and nights of bloody battles, the Japanese army was completely silenced. In a very short period of time, the US Marine Corps has made the Tarawa name famous and put it on the world map.At the same time, it established the reputation of the Marine Corps with its incomparable attitude of combat troops, and added a brilliant page to the history of American warfare. Time Magazine described it as follows:

Although most of the 2,000 Marines were declared dead or wounded in the last week, the name of the battlefield on which they performed their sacred mission has been deeply implanted in the hearts of the American people and will forever be remembered with shame. Gothic Bridge [Note 1], Bernham.Richard [Note 2], Alamo [Note 3], Little Big Horn [Note 4], and Bello Forest [Note 5] complement each other brilliantly.This name is what is called Tarawa. 【Note 1】A bridge 30 kilometers northwest of Boston in eastern Massachusetts.On April 15, 1775, at the beginning of the American War of Independence, a militiaman saw that the British army was about to enter this place, and quickly sounded the alarm.

[Note 2] During the American War of Independence, the French government presented warships to the newborn United States of America.Off the coast of the United Kingdom, it launched an artillery battle with two British warships (escorting 41 British merchant ships), and exchanged bombardment with the frigate of the British Navy, the Sherabis.The ship's salvo projected only 258 pounds per salvo, but the British ship's salvo projected 372 pounds, which was 50% more, but in the end it still forced the British ship to surrender.However, the ship was also declared sunk the next day due to severe flooding.It is one of the most glorious episodes in the history of US naval warfare.

【Note 3】The fort located in San Antonio, Texas.In 1836, in order to break free from Spanish rule, the Texans rose up to resist, and all 187 members of the team were killed. 【Note 4】Originated in the northern state of Wyoming, it flows through about 150 kilometers in the north and connects with Bei Ke in Montana in the south.The confluence of the rivers.In 1876, General Custar and his troops were killed by Indians on this river bank, and they were finally wiped out. 【Note 5】Northern France approached Scheider.Jeluri's small forest.During the First World War (1918), the U.S. Marine Corps stopped the German army here and saved Huadu from being trampled by the German army.