Chapter 7 Five Hellish Bedio Islands

According to the report of Colonel Hull, the commander of the Eighth Regiment, the staff of the 2nd Marine Division on the flagship Maryland learned that Hull's subordinates were resting peacefully on the landing craft near the minesweeper Bathude. , and also confirmed the location of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment.As a result, plans to land on the eastern end of Bedio were changed.The commander of the Eighth Regiment was ordered to discuss with the Navy the issue of setting the attack start line on the eastern outer coast, so that the landing operation could be launched at 9 o'clock in the morning.

Colonel Shaw of the 2nd Regiment, however, aborted the plan to land on the eastern end of the island due to a report from Lieutenant Commander Hamel that he wanted the prepared 1st Battalion to land on Red Beach 2.To make amends, Hull was ordered to immediately land the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment on Red Beach II.Once landed, the force would march towards Major Ryan's coastal bridgehead and then attack westward. The tide went out during the night, exposing the whole coral reef near the coast.The corpses of the victims of yesterday's landing operations piled up on the coral reefs, making the already desolate scenery of the place even more desolate.The sun had not yet risen, but the air was hot and humid at dawn, and there was a sickening stench of corpses everywhere.This smell seems to have been secreted into the military uniform, and it can't be wiped away.It even surpassed the coral reef and drifted to the open sea, causing the soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment at sea to develop a feeling of disgust for the island.

Intense attack by Japanese snipers At 6:10 in the morning, the vehicle and personnel landing boats of the first assault echelon approached the coral reef.The infantry and assault engineers dispersed immediately, and started the 500-meter trek towards the coast. On the coast, the US military that successfully landed yesterday looked forward, looking forward to the mighty landing of friendly forces ignoring the firepower.The Japanese machine guns, which had never been quiet all night, moved more aggressively after discovering a new target.The Japanese snipers, who had been hiding in the wreckage of the boat, rained bullets from behind the marines with lightning speed. The marines fell down one after another, and some soldiers rushed back to the sea again, but it was too late No, every time the shells fell and set off a column of water, more bodies always floated up.

The soldiers of the four assault echelons, one after the other, continued to advance as if nothing had happened. The American soldiers on the coast had already seen that this was not comparable to the D-Day of the previous day. The Japanese army still occupied the position overlooking the atoll. The bunker continuously sprayed out artillery fire, killing the US troops who were about to wade and land. The howitzers of the Marine Corps were very successful in destroying a Japanese battery (which was shooting at the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment).A trailblazer, which had miraculously reached the island, made a large mound overnight to support the artillery battery (composed of five guns from the 1st Battalion of the Tenth Regiment).In the morning, Lieutenant Colonel Li Kexi, the commander of the first battalion, transferred two guns from the artillery position and drove westward towards the Japanese bunker between No. 1 and No. 2 Red Beach.Because the Japanese machine guns kept shooting at the Marines of the Eighth Regiment.Lieutenant Colonel Li Kexi personally took charge of the aiming task of the two guns.

At 7:07 in the morning, the howitzers burst into flames, and the shells pierced the embrasures, silencing the machine guns.During this time, the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment landed on the coast.The howitzers returned to their original firing positions, and by eight o'clock in the morning they were ready for support operations. At this time, the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment, Lance.In order to receive orders, Major Hayes came to the place of Colonel Shoppe of the Second Regiment.Although half of the second battalion had successfully landed, due to the huge losses, the organization was in disarray.Flame throwers, explosive packs, heavy firearms, etc., all fell into the sea.Many detachment soldiers, hiding in the shadows of various small boat wrecks in the open sea, took advantage of the gaps of Japanese firing and slowly landed.The battalion's heavy weapons company, battalion headquarters, and supply company did not land.In order for the mothership aircraft to be able to attack the Japanese soldiers hiding in the wreckage of the boats in the open sea, the Navy's small boat guidance officer suspended the dispatch of the fifth assault echelon.

The machine gun fire from the Hellcats and the bombardment of the wrecks were not ideal.The strafing was a success, but the bombing was a failure.The bombs missed their targets, and some even exploded off the coast where the Marines were stationed. Colonel Hull's generosity The tide was rising again.The 37mm caliber guns, 75mm self-propelled guns, jeeps, radios, and other heavy equipment of the 8th Regiment rushed to the land again, unloading soldiers and weapons and materials one after another.By two o'clock in the afternoon, Colonel Hull had commanded the Eighth Regiment headquarters and most of the supporting force.There was some damage, but it was insignificant compared to the trauma suffered by Camp Hayes.

Although Colonel Hull, the commander of the eighth regiment, was more experienced than the commander of the second regiment, Xiao Pu, after he landed, he didn't want to take command of the entire army because of the overall situation of the battle. Because Xiao Pu is Julian.The officer assigned by Major General Smith (commanding the landing battle), and the reason why he knows the current situation of Bedio Island well.Colonel Hull provided communications equipment from his 8th Regiment and placed his own supply troops behind Shope in order to allow him to communicate with the division command post.

Whenever necessary, Hull will send troops to reinforce the front lines everywhere.Hull's approach was admirable in dealing with the complex and fluid situation at Betio Island.Because, Major Kelhan, the combat officer under Xiao Pu, has the foresight of everything that is brewing on this island. Xiao Pu expressed his deep concern for all situations in the battle.Like any soldier on Petio Island, he was in danger at all times.The Japanese snipers kept attacking his command post, and there were still some Japanese soldiers defending the bunker where the command post was located.Just in case, he sent sentries to guard the entrance and exit of the bunker.At the end of the day, he's ready to use the opener and explosives to level the bunker.

Lieutenant Hudgens dies Although Xiaopu lost contact with Major Ryan of C Company, he was quite relieved to learn about the battle situation at the bridgehead on the western coast.So he made up his mind and decided to bring the marines from Red Beach No. 1 and No. 2 together.He gave Major Hayes, the commander of the first battalion, the mission to advance from the right flank of the coastal bridgehead of Red Beach No. 2, and after stabilizing the battalion, launch an attack again in order to get in touch with the third battalion of the second regiment. Therefore, the various units of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment (Major Hayes) have made an account of the mixed units in disguise.After the fierce battle on D-day the day before yesterday, the remnants of the team were in disarray. Now, in addition to the reorganized forces, there are still a few remnants of the second battalion of the second regiment, the regiment headquarters of the second regiment and the supply company. The soldiers of Lieutenant Huggins, the scout sniper platoon of Lieutenant Hudgens, the regimental direct troops of Major Scheider, and the crew of the tracked amphibious landing vehicle anchored on the coral reef and the coast.

After the confession was over, Lieutenant Hudgins was not with his subordinates (he, like Sergeant Podaron, received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously). In the fierce battle on D-Day, although he was injured by the Japanese mortars, he was still indomitable, and he was still supported by the right wing of Red Beach II that night. After dawn, Lieutenant Hudgens tried to attack the Japanese position formed by five machine guns. Therefore, he personally led the soldiers to crawl forward and pierced the holes with grenades.In this attack, he was declared wounded again, this time in the chest.

Lieutenant Hudgins didn't care and destroyed three bunkers one after another.At this time, a shell exploded beside him, so that he could no longer stand up.But his indomitable spirit kept him alive for several hours, and all the soldiers who saw his serious injuries were in awe of his loyalty and bravery. Despite the bravery of Lieutenant Hudgins and his platoon, the Japanese position at the western end of Red Beach No. 2 remained standing until noon when Major Hayes was about to launch an attack.Hayes had a Sherman, but its machine guns and 75mm guns were useless against the Japanese positions.When the order to advance was given and the marines of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment raised their heads from the trenches, the Japanese machine guns swept towards them like raindrops. For the sake of self-defense, they used all the terrain and features.They attempted to charge forward in conjunction with the firing of a tank gun. This time the attack turned out to be a failure.The battalion lost its flame throwers and explosives when it landed, so it was impossible to fight back against the Japanese positions in this dangerous attack.Under the scorching sun, they fought fiercely for an afternoon, but in vain, they greeted the coming of dusk.Hayes' 1st Battalion was busy digging trenches for the night battle.As a result, they lost contact with the second regiment.Colonel Shope's remaining troops were 250 meters away from Petio Island. advance to the runway That night, the Japanese filled the gap in the defensive line created by the Marine attack.This is the taxiway west of the airfield that the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment broke through on D-Day.Part of the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment (separated from the right flank of the Shoop defenses) had poured into its taxiway in the morning to join forces in the airfield triangle. However, within a few hours, the area was sealed off.The machine guns of the Japanese army were like raindrops, strafing the area densely, and no one could pass through the area except the wind.For this reason, the A and B companies of the first battalion of the second regiment and about 50 to 75 soldiers of the second battalion were suddenly isolated and could not receive reinforcements and supplies.However, in the attack plan on November 21st, Colonel Xiaopu planned to use these forces. Xiaopu planned to use the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 2nd Regiment to break across the island in order to gain a foothold on the south coast.In order to support this attack and attack the Japanese positions on both sides of the airport, he requested the support of the mothership aircraft.However, once the air attack was launched, fragments of bombs fell among the marines from time to time, and dangers abounded. Therefore, Xiao Pu immediately suspended the air support. The commander of the 1st Battalion, Kayle, added a heavy machine gun platoon to C Company in order to lend a helping hand to Shapp's attacking force.This company has been trying to smash the Japanese machine gun base along the fierce shooting taxiway.Soon after, there were seven.7 mm caliber and 12.Seven millimeter caliber machine guns (one each) participated in the operation.These two guns were picked up by the Firearms Company on the shore.The heavy machine gun platoon composed of volunteer soldiers finally showed its power.It successfully broke through the barriers of Japanese gunfire.However, C Company was still unable to break through the taxiway. At one o'clock in the afternoon, 200 soldiers hiding in the triangle area of ​​the airport, under the command of company commanders A, B, and C, swarmed out of their hiding places like a wave, and marched on to the 200-meter-wide runway.If the Japanese army had an equally strong defensive position on the coastline in the inland part, few American soldiers in such a flat place might be able to survive.Fortunately, the gunfire of the Japanese army was not as intense as that on the coast, because there were surprisingly few casualties. After breaching the runway, the Marines made their way through rickety jungle, shell-riven trees, and bomb craters toward the south coast.When they detoured through the minefield and reached the target coast, they immediately jumped into the abandoned Japanese trenches and secured a coastline of about 200 meters.Between these two sides, the Japanese army launched a desperate shooting.At the same time, the Japanese army in the east also launched a counterattack, so a close battle with grenades and rifles was staged. Both sides suffered injuries, but the US army won the final victory. There are only fifty survivors in the second battalion However, the ammunition was still insufficient, and the radio failed again.As a result, it was impossible to transmit the situation on the south bank to Colonel Shaw, Lieutenant Colonel Jordan (the temporary battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment), and Major Kayle of the 1st Battalion.Shope ordered Lieutenant Colonel Jordan to advance his battalion to the south coast. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the second battalion headquarters of the second regiment rendezvoused with the isolated troops on the south bank.The telephone team also arrived, and contact with Colonel Xiaopu's regiment headquarters was restored.Lieutenant Colonel Jordan was ordered again to get in touch with Major Crowe (Second Battalion, Eighth Regiment) of Red Beach No. 3, and at the same time, sealed off the entire eastern part of Betio Island. After listening to the situation reports from the company commanders, Lieutenant Colonel Jordan reported to Xiao Pu by phone: Today, the strength of the south coast position is less than 200, and 30 of them have been declared wounded.Ammunition, food, and drinking water are almost zero.But the Japanese attack became more intense.Based on this report, Shope agreed to postpone the attack on the East until tomorrow.The problem of resupply and casualty evacuation will be quickly resolved. On the other hand, Major Kayle's 1st Battalion spent the whole day and finally won the battle around the airfield.twelve.The power of the 7mm heavy machine gun completely knocked down the Japanese army, and at dusk, the Japanese army began to retreat steadily.Major Kayle of the 1st Battalion also arrived at the command post of Lieutenant Colonel Jordan. During the fierce battle, Lieutenant Colonel Jordan (the liaison officer of the 4th Marine Division), who had been temporarily in command of the 2nd Battalion, finally added the remnants of the 2nd Battalion to the 1st Battalion, and made Kayle assume the command responsibility. After landing, after 33 hours of fighting, there were still 50 combatants in the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment, and the rest were either dead or injured. repeat hellish struggle After Kayle took command of the south coast, the telephone lines on the north coast were cut again.At six o'clock in the afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel Jordan went to the command post of the regiment-level battle group and brought back two linemen to restore the communication network.Today, Jordan, who has resumed his status as a liaison officer, arrived at Xiao Pu's regiment headquarters, and after explaining the situation on the south coast to Xiao Pu, he immediately resumed contact with Kayle. Xiao Pu said that Jordan accomplished the task very satisfactorily.This kind of task is as arduous as the battle on D-Day Red Beach II. On the night of D-Day, at Pans.Philip Zhanqiao, the outpost deployed by Major Crowe of the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Regiment, sent out scouts continuously, and dealt with the Japanese army all night long.The Japanese army tried every means to advance to within shooting distance of the second battalion's left flank.So the next morning, the US Marines retreated immediately. On November 21, Xiao Pu ordered Battalion Commander Crow to destroy the Japanese positions near the trestle bridge. Company F once again took on the arduous task of destroying the steel bunker on the front of the trestle and the huge bunker on the right front. When Major Crowe learned that F Company was fighting hard, he ordered them to retreat. In order to support the northern flank, he dispatched a 37mm gun to prevent the Japanese from sneaking in and counterattacking. The attack resumed.Soldiers who had left their unit at the time of landing were formed into a platoon to reinforce Company F.The resistance of the Japanese army was extremely fierce. Although Company G also sent reinforcements, it was impossible to stand up and launch an assault.A Sherman chariot was also at the scene to assist, but this had no noticeable effect. However, when the silent bunker in front of the main target bunker burst out the sound of machine guns and fired fiercely on both sides, the Sherman tank crushed it, and the subsequent roadbreaker leveled it. Reinforce the troops attacking the airfield To the east of Company F, whenever the soldiers of Company K, the 3rd Battalion of the 8th Regiment, attempted to advance eastward, machine guns would fire at them frantically, so that they did not dare to move at all.Those soldiers whose bodies were exposed were either injured or killed.At this time, the Japanese army also suffered the same fate.The mortars of the battalion and company hit the Japanese positions close to the US troops all the time.At the same time, Red Beach II's howitzers, large-caliber naval guns, and destroyer naval guns continued to attack the eastern end of Bedio Island.The area around the tail of the island was already shrouded in a cloud of dust and exploding smoke that covered the sky. On November 21, the troops of the 3rd Battalion of the 8th Regiment, which was in the triangle area of ​​the airport, and Major Crowe's E Company did not intend to cross the airfield gunway, which was raining bullets.And the commander of the Marine Corps was busy running around in order to replenish soldiers and equipment.At the same time, desperately looking for reinforcements. During this day, some individual and small groups of soldiers found the command posts of the 2nd Battalion and the 3rd Battalion of the Eighth Regiment.Most of them were fighting in other units the day before yesterday, but now they miss their original unit even more, and try to get back, but this is not something that can be done overnight.As a result, they were placed under the command of two majors, Crow and Ryder, to supplement the already reduced infantry company of the Eighth Regiment. Soon, new ammunition and grenades arrived, and on November 22, and a promise of massive support was obtained. As a result, these marines who were confined to the east side of Red Beach No. 3 smiled again. Green Beach On November 21, Major Ryan's mixed force at the western end of Petio Island had a considerable harvest.In the middle of the night from the 20th to the 21st, Lieutenant Green, the naval gun observer, took a good radio and landed on Major Ryan's coastal bridgehead. The Japanese army used two twelve-door guns in the steel turret (located at the southwest end of Betio Island).With the 5cm caliber gun as the center, a defensive position was built surrounded by light gun and machine gun bunkers.Between these positions, there are sporadically arranged trenches and various bunkers for infantry.Major Ryan plans to destroy them, and Second Lieutenant Green is obliged to help. Lieutenant Green used the bunker as an observation platform and asked the naval guns to fire.At eleven o'clock in the morning, a destroyer began to test fire according to Green's instructions, and then the second ship followed suit. The bombardment was loud and the morale of the marines was boosted.The results of the shelling were quite satisfactory.Ten minutes later, Major Ryan signaled for the destroyer to stop firing.Immediately, the infantry moved towards the Japanese army 100 meters ahead, and the third battalion of the second regiment rushed forward in one go, and soldiers filled the entire line of Green Beach. The resistance of the Japanese army was loose and ineffective at all.Occasionally, when the battle became more intense, two Sherman chariots would go to suppress the Japanese army for a while.During the battle the day before yesterday, both chariots were rendered immobile, but repairs were quickly completed, and now they can be used again. An hour after the attack began, the Green Beach area had all fallen into the hands of the US military. Using the observer's radio, Major Ryan reported to the division that Green Beach was safely pinned down.Then they attacked inland about 200 meters from the coast, and worked hard to strengthen the position. The operators of the flamethrower, the blasters, and the infantry team kept strafing the crumbling defense facilities, or destroying the Japanese bunkers on the Eastern Narrows. In order to maintain the results of the day and to secure the coast, the marines built defensive positions that could support each other. Although the coastal defense facilities of the Japanese army in the west were devastated, they still did not relax at all on the north and south coasts. Although Ryan did not have enough troops to attack either coast, however, once he had secured his foothold on Green Beach, he also planned to smash the Japanese stronghold on Red Beach One.Or Major General Smith, who regarded Ryan's victory news as the most exciting news after D-Day, was also ready to send the Sixth Regiment into battle to wipe out the Japanese defensive positions along the south coast. Since the afternoon of D-Day, the officers and soldiers of the Sixth Regiment have been eagerly hoping to participate in the landing operation at Tarawa.They were all sequestered on transports (on standby off the lagoon entrance), excitedly listening to news of the battle on the beach. Those marines standing leaning on the railing of the warship saw the sand and fragments rolled up by the bombing and naval gunfire, and heard the noise of the battle on the small island. It was not difficult to imagine the situation of the battle.Those with the bridge's powerful binoculars can often pick up details of the battle.The tension and excitement of the fierce battle made the marines breathless, wishing to be there earlier. Smith, the commander of the Second Marine Division, thought hard and wanted to send the Sixth Regiment to the most effective place.However, he lacked combat intelligence to decide which front to place a battalion on.At 10:22 in the morning, he asked Colonel Shaw of the Second Regiment if he had the strength to completely occupy Petio Island?Shoppe's answer was: the situation is not ideal.Smith asked for further elaboration, and at 12:14, Shope replied that the situation on Petio Island was extremely precarious.Lieutenant Colonel Carlson went to the division headquarters, preparing to submit a detailed report.Before these forty-five minutes, Xiao Pu had asked the division headquarters to send a battalion of the Sixth Regiment to land on Red Beach No. 2, pass between the second battalion of the Eighth Regiment, and launch an attack on the eastern end of the island in order to capture it. . Landing on Peleki Island On the morning of November 21, at the meeting held on the flagship Maryland, General Smith talked about the future of the Sixth Regiment's head, Morris.Mission of Colonel Hermes Marine Corps.Hermes immediately left the flagship and returned to the transport ship where the regiment headquarters was located.He immediately summoned the battalion commanders and explained the situation to them. While this meeting was in progress, Colonel Hermes received divisional orders for the next mission.He was to raft the two battalions south of Green Beach, past the line held by the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment, and prepare to attack eastward along the south bank.William.Major Jones' 1st Battalion landed on Green Beach on rubber rafts, led by Raymond.Lieutenant Colonel Mali's 2nd Battalion served as support. When the two battalions of marines were preparing to transfer, the division suddenly received another report, so they decided to change the landing plan.Perhaps, this is the report of the foreign naval observers that the Japanese army collectively swam to Piliki Island near Betio Island, or walked on the shallows in an attempt to move the troops.Lieutenant Colonel Marley was ordered to send the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Regiment to Paliki Island in order to smash the Japanese movement plan.Subsequently, Lieutenant Colonel Marco Leo, commander of the 3rd Battalion of Colonel Hermes, also received an order to support the landing operations on Betio Island or Paliki Island, depending on the situation. As a result, it became clear that no assistance from Lieutenant Colonel Marley was needed.It was only for the purpose of destroying the resistance of Piliji Island that aircraft and ships were required to launch ready shelling.At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, when the landing boat of the battalion was heading towards the small island of Piliji, it was unexpectedly attacked by two Japanese machine guns.The plane circling in the air launched an attack again, and then hit the gasoline barrel inside the Japanese bunker with bullets, causing the ammunition to explode, and fifteen Japanese guards were buried in the fire pit. When the Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Regiment, landed on the shores of Pilike Island, they found neither survivors nor dead bodies.Lieutenant Colonel Marley ordered his men to deploy machine guns and mortars to fire on the approach to the eastern tip of Betio Island.The battalion then took its position for night defense.Since Piliki Island was peaceful and without any atmosphere of war, Lieutenant Colonel Marley and his subordinates felt monotonous. landing on a rubber raft Major Jones' 1st Battalion made a ground-breaking attempt to land on rubber rafts, a technique they had experimented with in New Zealand and intended to be used in operations across the coral reefs of Tarawa.The transport ship Ferrand, carrying the 1st Battalion, approached the coral reefs of Green Beach at about two o'clock in the afternoon.The rubber raft was unloaded, and the soldiers climbed the ropes and landed on the rubber raft.Suddenly, the captain of the Ferrand ordered to drive the transport ship farther out to sea away from the island and the dangerous coral reefs.After taking back the rubber raft, they sailed further to the open sea, so that they were more than 1,100 meters away from Betio Island. On this long distance to the coast, rubber rafts full of troops and equipment are towed by landing boats.For the distance from the reef to the green beach, the Marines had to row their own boats. When the first assault echelon arrived safely, the coast commanders immediately reported to Major Jones that the southern part of the shore was heavily mined.So the battalion commander ordered the rest of the rubber rafts to sail to the north bank for landing. With this order, only one tracked amphibious landing vehicle of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment was lost.The crawler-type amphibious landing vehicle hit a powerful mine on the coral reef on the south coast and was split in two, with only one crew member surviving. At 6:50 p.m., the landing was complete.The 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment then became the infantry battalion which arrived safely (not under fire in the water) on the island of Petio. Both chariot platoons were wiped out When it was decided that Major Jones' troops would enter the battle, the division also resolved to land the 2nd Panzer Battalion on Green Beach in support of the 1st Battalion, 6th Regiment.The tanks of the three platoons were all loaded on the bottom of the transport ship, so the unloading work took a long time.Although the fully loaded tank landing craft reached the coral reef, only one platoon was able to land on the coast. The deep caves of the coral reefs, the rapid and strong currents, and the steepness of the coast all hinder the advancement of the chariot.In order to avoid this deadly danger, the company commander requested to change the landing coast to Red Beach No. 2, and got permission.From this night until the next morning, the light tank platoon boarded Red Beach No. 2 one after another, and joined the second platoon of Company C that landed at dusk on D-Day.On D-day, the other platoons of Company C that landed at the same time as the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment were sunk due to the sinking of the landing boat. Successfully boarded a light tank platoon on Green Beach, entered the command of Major Jones at around 6:30 p.m., and caught up with the attack operation launched at 8:00 p.m.However, when Xiaopu learned that the landing of the 1st Operation of the 6th Regiment had been delayed, he immediately informed the division that the commander of the 1st Battalion of Jones should hold his position at night so that he could launch an attack immediately in the morning.The new battalion had taken a defensive position behind the line of the Lean battalion (south of the bridgehead on the central coast of the island). On the morning of November 21st, the situation was quite bad. Xiao Pu's vague report to the teacher reflected this unclear situation.However, as time passed, his report gradually became correct.Especially in terms of supply situation, due to the cooperation of officers and soldiers of the Navy and Marine Corps, it has been slowly getting on the right track. After presenting Shapp's report to the division, Lieutenant Colonel Carlson left the Maryland and arrived at the coral reef off Red Beach No. 2. He happened to see the landing operation of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment.He immediately boarded a tracked amphibious landing vehicle and followed the 1st Battalion.On the way to the coast, he saw a mountain of supplies piled up at the end of the trestle, and soldiers trying to move them to the shore were trapped by the trestle due to heavy Japanese shelling. Upon reaching the coast, Carlson reported to Colonel Shope.He also emphasized that the supply of ammunition and drinking water is still in great danger. Shope told Carlson to return to the division headquarters of the USS Maryland and report the situation on the coast.On his way back to his flagship, Carlson promised the soldiers stranded on the jetty that they would try to sort out their supply problems. On the morning of November 20, Captain Knowles, commander of the transport convoy, dispatched Colonel Mark Capan to the minesweeper Bashoud, ordering him to oversee the movement of supplies from the ship to the coast, and to command the landing craft at the same time.The commander of the division's landing logistics unit (the troops serving as support for the coastal supply point at the initial stage of landing), Lieutenant Colonel Salasa, and the combat officer, Major Kuba, also rushed to the trestle where the supplies were gathered. The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 18th Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Salasa formed the core of the shore service brigade (along the coast and along the trestle).At the same time, the division supply units assisted by the detachments of the landing battalions continued to provide labor for unloading supplies. The big problem that occurred on D-Day was that the shore crews were not used to unload supplies, but were used as infantry. At noon, Lieutenant Colonel Carlson ran into Lieutenant Colonel Salasa at the end of the trestle bridge.Carlson told Salasa about Colonel Shop's condition and what the Second Regiment needed.As a result of the discussion, a temporary collection point was set up at the point where the coral reef and the jetty connect.Soldiers began to rush to repair the trestle bridge damaged by the D-Day fire. On the other hand, all the crawler-type amphibious landing vehicles that could come in handy were assembled to transport supplies back and forth to the temporary accumulation site at Red Beach No. 2. Colonel Shop's report Shoppe set priorities for delivering supplies to the coast.At the same time, when the crawler-type amphibious landing vehicle sailed back to sea from Bedio Island, it must transport the wounded soldiers. During the first twenty-four hours of the operation, part of this supply system was active, but incoherent.In order to make it run consistently, the most necessary thing is a crawler-type amphibious landing vehicle.When Carlson went to the minesweeper Bathaud to explain the situation.Eighteen tracked amphibious landing vehicles were immediately obtained from Mark Kapan. Carlson went to the flagship Maryland again and reported a series of good news to the division staff. He said that the green beach was secured, the second regiment crossed the island, and the sixth regiment was preparing to let two battalions land on the bay. Dio Island, a battalion attacked to Piliji Island.Therefore, during the night, preparations for the landing of the division's forward command post (mainly composed of personnel responsible for combat operations) were actively launched.The battle report of the second regiment-level battle group shows that the situation has improved.At five o'clock in the afternoon, news of the battle reached the division command post. Situation report at 4 o'clock in the afternoon: Our battle line has crossed the eastern end of the triangle (formed by the area formed by the Pance trestle to the airport runway), extended to the south bank, and gradually developed along the coast towards the opposite side of the western end of the triangle , has expanded to the wall at the west end of the main runway and continues north.The other fronts extend from the west of the central part of Red Beach One, across the tip of the island, to the west coast at the end of the main runway. A number of troops located at 232 are fighting hard.The howitzers had arrived in position and had completed their test firing against the eastern tip of Betio Island.There were many casualties.The proportion of those killed in battle is unknown.We are confident that we will be able to return in triumph. Howitzers launch support fire On this day, Lieutenant Colonel Li Kexi, the commander of the first battalion, ordered all the artillery companies to land.In order to transport the seven howitzers to the coast, the gunners used all available means such as rubber rafts and tracked amphibious landing vehicles.In order to attack the positions set up by the Japanese army at the junction of Red Beach No. 1 and No. 2, Li Kexi placed a cannon at an appropriate location.At the same time, in order to repel the Japanese snipers occupying the broken ships on the coral reef, two guns were carefully deployed.The remaining 75mm guns were intended to fire at the Japanese positions at the eastern end of the island. The division did everything possible to increase artillery support to the Marines on Betio Island.When Lieutenant Colonel Malley, the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Regiment, reported that Paliki Island had been secured, Colonel Hermes, the commander of the 6th Regiment, immediately ordered the 2nd Battalion (Artillery Battalion) of the 10th Regiment to go to Petio Island. , to help the sixth regiment-level battle group on the island.At 3 o'clock in the morning on November 22, when the battalion had already loaded the howitzers on the landing boats, it suddenly encountered an air raid siren, so it temporarily gave up.A Japanese bomber dropped eight bombs in succession on Betio Island, half of which fell into the Marine lines and the other half into Japanese positions.Once the mission was accomplished, the bomber flew in the direction of the Marshall Islands.Because it was bombed quite fairly, it was quite favored by the US military. In order to avoid air raids, when the transport ship left the port, E Company and Georgie.Lieutenant Colonel Scheer's battalion headquarters was already aboard the skiff.When the transport convoy returned, the landing craft loaded with vehicles and troops began to head towards the island.At 6:30 in the morning, we arrived at the designated coast.Once the howitzers landed, Company E (artillery) was left behind to assist with firing.The shooting command post of the 1st Battalion of the 10th Regiment on Betio Island, in cooperation with the forward observer of the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Regiment, corrected the impact and launched a howitzer test firing.By noon, Company F (artillery), the rest of Lieutenant Colonel Schell's battalion, and the supply company all landed on Palige Island one after another.At the beginning, the D company (artillery) who was preparing to support the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment and planned to land on Green Beach also transferred to Piliki Island and arrived in the morning.