The Central Pacific: Tarawa (Gilbert Isles) and Kwajalein (Marshall Islands)

The Central Pacific: Tarawa (Gilbert Isles) and Kwajalein (Marshall Islands) 1

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Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands) 3

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Kwajalein Atoll 5

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Admiral Nimitz made Kwajalein the prime goal, but he wanted to take out the Gilbert Islands to prevent a Japanese attack from the rear. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander of Central Pacific 7

Makin and Tarawa are the main two atolls in the Gilbert Islands 8

Spruance s Fleet: 200 ships total 35,000 Marines & Army 17 carriers (10 newer fast carriers / 7 small escort carriers) Admiral Raymond Spruance 9

Makin Atoll 10

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Attack on Makin Atoll (Gilbert Islands) U.S. troops were inexperienced at amphibious landings and it took 4 days to conquer one small island (Butaritari). 6500 American troops versus 300 Japanese troops and 400 civilian laborers. Key problem was an argument as to which attack strategy to use - - Army (advance slowly to keep casualties down & prevent rear attack) OR Marines (move fast at almost any cost so the fleet of support ships is not left vulnerable to attack). *** The experience at Makin Atoll taught the American military to use the Marine Tactic of Rapid Advance!! At Makin, the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay was torpedoed by a Japanese sub and 600 men died!! This was 10 times the number of men lost in the actual attack on Makin!! 12

Escort Carrier USS Liscome Bay - - sunk at Battle of Makin Atoll by Jap sub torpedo. 600 men died!! (10 times the number of men lost in the attack on Makin Atoll) Escort Aircraft Carriers were small carriers based on merchant ship hulls, and massproduced. These baby Flattops, as they were sometimes called, were about 500 feet in length, had a top speed of about 20 knots, and carried 20 to 35 aircraft. (Full size aircraft carriers were about 800 feet long, could make 33 knots and carried 100 aircraft.) The escort carriers served to provide air support for merchant convoys, aircraft for ground support for amphibious landings, and replacement aircraft for the big fleet carriers. 13

The Battle for Tarawa Atoll 20-23 Nov. 1943 14

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Consists of 47 separate islands, but the chief target was Betio (Bay chee oh) Island. It was the largest island and the Japanese had built a fighter airstrip there. 16

Betio Island (Tarawa Atoll) 17

Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll 18

Japanese Commander on Betio Island (Tarawa Atoll) was Admiral Keiji Shibasaki 19

Holland Howlin Mad Smith Smith General Julian Smith (right) commander of Marine escorts at Betio and Major Holland Smith (left) commander of Marines V Amphibious Corps on Betio. 20

Japanese 8 gun on the coast of Betio Island 21

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Japanese machinegunners on the sea wall at Betio Island 23

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American Troops Caught at the Sea Wall on Makin Atoll (****coconut log walls usually about 4 high) 25

Japanese Rifle Pit on Makin Atoll 26

Japanese Bombproof Shelter 27

Japanese Defensive Positions on Makin Atoll (coconut log gun bunker) 28

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Beach obstacles which funneled enemy troops right into the Japanese line of fire! 35

Japanese mine exposed by low tide. 36

Dense Vegetation on Butaritari Island in Makin Atoll 37

Waves of LVTs heading for the beach at Betio Island (Tarawa) 38

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LCI - Landing Craft Infantry Could hold 200 men and some equipment. 40

LCVP - Landing Craft Vehicle & Personnel LCM Landing Craft Mechanized (Higgins Boat) 41

Troops Wading Onshore at Makin Atoll 42

American Reinforcements Have To Wade Along the Bottom of the Pier to Get to the Beach at Betio Island on Tarawa Atoll 43

American Marines being evacuated from Betio Island 44

Rubber rafts used to ferry the bodies of wounded Marines across the lagoon reefs and back to hospital ships 45

LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) OR AMTRAC (amphibious tractor) 46

LVT I Displacement: 16,900 lbs Length: 21'6 Beam: 9'10 Speed: 4 knots (water) 15 mph (land) Armament: 1.50-cal mg, 1.30-cal. mg. Capacity: 4,500 lbs cargo or 20 equipped troops LVT, Mark I 47

LVT, Mark II Displacement: 25,200 lbs Length: 26'1" Beam: 10'8" Speed: 5.4 knots (water) 25 mph (land) Armament: 1.50-cal mg, 1.30- cal. mg. Capacity: 6,500 lbs cargo or 24 equipped troops LVT, Mark II 48

LVT - Landing Vehicle Tracked 49

Disabled LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) at Makin Atoll 50

Red Beach Landing Zone on Makin Atoll (Amtrac stuck on coconut log sea wall) 51

Battle for Tarawa Atoll 52

LST - Landing Ship Tank One of the workhorses of the Pacific, the LST carried everything from troops and tanks to cargo and landing craft. 53

Landing Ship Tank (LST) 54

Landing Ship Tank (LST) 55

LSD - Landing Ship Dock Largest of all ships. Carried landing craft up to size LCT as well as troops. Could act as a repair ship. 56

Landing Ship Dock (LSD) 57

Admiral Shibasaki s Headquarters on Betio Island (withstood direct hits by 16 Navy shells and 500 lb. bombs!) 58

Lessons Learned at Tarawa Atoll: 1. Need more AMTRACs (LVTs) with thicker armor & larger caliber guns 2. LCIs need to be converted into support gunboats that can come in close to beach 3. Improve aerial reconnaissance to provide accurate info on water depths & tide levels 4. Train underwater demolition teams to destroy ship obstacles in shallows prior to start of invasion 5. *** MOST IMPORTANT LESSON LEARNED = some Japanese fortifications simply could NOT be taken out by the pre-invasion bombardment 6. New flagships were built with improved radio communications and NO FIRE SUPPORT RESPONSIBILITY. ** At Tarawa, the flagship USS Maryland temporarily lost her radios every time her guns were fired!! 59

Battle for Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands) (Febr. 1-4, 1944 Rear Admiral Marc Mitscher became the new commander of the Fast Carrier Task Forces. He hit Jap ships & planes in the area & wiped out their chances of interfering in the invasion. Febr. 1 st, 1944 - - Marines landed on Kwajalein in new, more heavily armored AMTRACs & took control of the almost completed bomber airstrip the same day. By Febr. 4 th the Central Marshall islands were controlled by the Allies. 60

7 th Infantry Goes Ashore at Kwajalein, 1944 61

Remains of Kwajalein! 62

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The Battle for Truk (Caroline Islands), Febr. 17, 1944 9 Amer. Fast Carriers hit Truk for 2 days prior to the invasion date of 17 February. American carrier planes destroyed 200 Japanese planes on the ground & sunk 41 Japanese ships!!!!! After these raids, Japan transferred it remaining planes from Rabaul to Truk since Truk was so important to their strategy. They abandoned their New Guinea forces to General MacArthur! 64

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