Chapter 11 Nine see you again!Tarawa!

After the battle came to an end, the 2nd and 8th regiments of the Marine Corps immediately left Tarawa and headed towards Hawaii, and then the succeeding naval garrison and aviation units arrived in Tarawa.By late November, most of the division had withdrawn. 2nd Marine Division withdraws from Tarawa When JulianOnly the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Regiment remained at Tarawa after Commander Smith handed over command of the Tarawa area to the commander of a certain naval base (December 4).The battalion of Lieutenant Colonel Marley, in order to hand over the infantry equipment to the garrison, stayed for another two months before setting off for Tarawa Atoll.

The airfield, occupied with great sacrifice when the last troops of the Second Division withdrew from the island, is now filled with aircraft of all kinds and named after Hudgins, the hero of the Battle of Betio Island.Later, this air base became the base for a series of air raids on the Marshall Islands (Japanese base). A new airfield was completed on Buoda Island shortly after.In order to commemorate the general who died with the escort mothership, it was named Malinik Airport. Two months after the battle, the whole face of Tarawa had changed.Only one place remains intact, and that is the cemetery of the 2nd Marine Division, surrounded by low walls of coconut trees and logs, and erected in a quiet area with a white cross. honor.

Americans Surprised by Death Toll When the American people heard the news of the fierce battle in Tarawa, they were quite surprised.In order to occupy this little-known small island, more than 3,000 officers and soldiers were killed or injured. It seems that it is not worth such a huge sacrifice. After reading the description of the deaths of officers and soldiers who landed on Bedio Island, the American people felt the cruelty of the battle even more.Although the heroic behavior of the Second Marine Division deserves the respect of the people, a sense of terror suddenly sprouted in their hearts, thinking that this kind of bloody killing might become a model for subsequent landing operations.

After a long period of time, the journalists who shaped American public opinion began to understand why the U.S. military had to expend such a huge sacrifice.Because the Japanese army not only resisted tenaciously to the end, but also insisted on attacking the army at the highest price.As a result, when the U.S. military launches an amphibious attack (a part of the landing operation, referring to the action between the attacking force arriving on land and setting up a coastal bridgehead), it must expend tragic sacrifices, otherwise it will not be able to win. Up to now, the superior commanders have realized that the landing operation is a very complicated task, and it can only be achieved reluctantly after a huge sacrifice and several twists and turns.

Lessons learned in Tarawa The principles governing operations at Tarawa had been laid down as far back as the 1930s, much of it by those who now command the Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific.The Battle of Tarawa proved that this principle is very sound.For those who have combat experience, it may be a bitter experience for those involved, which makes the technology proved by theory and facts into something that exists at all. Those high-ranking commanders who had directed lightning operations had already discovered various mistakes made in the battle at the end of the battle in the Gilbert Islands. After reviewing them in detail, they encouraged their staff to correct such mistakes come over.

After the value of the equipment used for the landing attack was confirmed again, it was improved again.For example: tracked amphibious landing vehicles for amphibious operations need to be manufactured with thicker armor.Since the tragic battle of Tarawa, the assault landing operations in the central Pacific region have all used tracked amphibious landing vehicles as the forerunner.Soon after, whenever a division's troops were to be landed, more than two battalions of tracked amphibious landing vehicles had to be dispatched.The amphibious combat vehicle guiding the tracked amphibious landing vehicle originally used a 37mm caliber gun, but later it was more likely to be a 75mm caliber gun.

Naval gun shooting calibration technology has also made significant progress.The Pacific Fleet once conducted intense bombardment exercises on Kalafe Island in Hawaii.A portion of the warships, especially the old cruisers and battleships, each became specialized for coastal bombardment.After the Battle of Tarawa, naval officers decided that area shooting was not enough to destroy ingenious fortification techniques.Concentrated bombardment of individual targets has replaced sweeping bombardment.The time to prepare for a bombardment was extended, and the number of shells used was significantly increased.

The mothership's aircraft ensured air supremacy over the Gilbert Islands, which invisibly strengthened the aviation support for future operations.The high-speed carrier mobile force allowed Nimitz to isolate any central Pacific targets, and allowed the US military to easily attack the atolls in the Japanese air base group (like Kethirin in the Marshall Islands).Close air support for ground forces has also been thoroughly improved, especially in the area of ​​air-to-air communications. On the issue of radio communication, further research and experiments have been carried out.All receivers have been completely waterproofed, and a large number of batteries have been poured in, which are included in the most basic supplies for landing operations.Fleet Command ordered a large number of new equipment.A new type of combat command ship equipped with a large amount of communication equipment was also declared complete and began to be used in Marshall operations.

During the stage of assault landing, reinforcement and resupply, the technique of controlling the movement of boats has also been thoroughly improved.The responsibilities of the commanders of the navy and the landing force are also clearly separated without any confusion.At the same time, rare flexibility has been added to the landing plan itself.Before the assault landing wave reaches the coast, fire support will continue to be provided, so as not to cause great sacrifices to the officers and soldiers.In this way, the painful experience gained by the US military on Betio Island will rain down from the guns and shells of the coastal defense positions, and it will certainly not happen again.

General Nimitz warned all his subordinates in the entire Pacific Ocean under his jurisdiction with the painful battle lessons he had learned from the Gilbert Islands.With the coordinated tactics of chariots and the use of flame throwers and explosives, the training of the army has been increasingly strengthened, and the responsibility for the command of small troops has been clearly recorded.In order to fulfill their second calling, the crews of the ships and the captains of the landing boats were ordered to train the landing personnel in the technical aspects of landing.The surprise landing operations after Tarawa were all based on lightning operations and were carefully reviewed.

The reason why the U.S. military was able to declare success in all subsequent landing operations was the gift of the soldiers who died on the island and the soldiers who survived the catastrophe. Roosevelt's Commendation The Battle of Tarawa indeed produced many admirable heroes. Among the four heroes who were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, only Colonel Shop is still alive.Roosevelt personally gave this medal to Colonel Shoppe on the grounds that he bet on his own life and death and accomplished the mission heroically.Lee Kyle.The Major of the Ryan Marine Corps received the Navy Cross from his motherland, and the British government awarded the Medal of Martial Arts to these heroes. They all praised the incomparable bravery and achievements of the Marine Corps.However, the medal cannot be awarded to every Marine Corps warrior. Under such circumstances, President Roosevelt sincerely blessed all the officers and soldiers of the Second Marine Division, and gave all the Marine Corps, medical soldiers and members of the Navy Construction Department, tribute below. The President of the United States, will be very pleased to present Troop Awards to the 2nd Marine Division (including Division Headquarters for the Battle of Tarawa, Special Forces, Company C, 2nd Battalion, First Corps Tank Battalion, Supply Corps, 2nd Marine Division , Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, and Eighteenth Regiments). From November 20th to 24th, 1943, facing the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, which the Japanese army held firmly, the Marine Corps launched a fierce battle to seize it. A brilliant record. Due to the perils of the coral reef, the marines had to jump off the boat hundreds of meters away from the coast and march forward desperately, and became the target of the Japanese army's crazy attack. Although the number of casualties increased rapidly, the marines were not intimidated by the coercion of the Japanese army, and continued to advance bravely, displaying their heroic fighting spirit, wiped out the Japanese snipers and machine guns from the narrow coastal bridgehead, and destroyed the Japanese positions. Completely annihilated the stubborn Japanese army. After the Battle of Tarawa came to an end, the Second Marine Division provided our army with highly strategic air and land bases in order to continue fighting against Japan.Under the blazing Japanese artillery fire, these officers and soldiers could still display their indomitable spirit of the Marine Corps, waged a bitter struggle with the Japanese army, and finally won a glorious victory.The officers and soldiers of the 2nd Marine Division spread the traditional spirit of the United States Navy far and wide overseas and won many honors for the country. (End of the book)