Battle of Tarawa in World War II

Battle of Tarawa in World War II The Battle of Tarawa was fought November 20-23, 1943, during World War II (1939-1945) and saw American forces launch their first offensive into the central Pacific. Despite massing the largest invasion fleet to date, the Americans suffered heavy casualties during and after landing on November 20. Fighting with fanatic resistance, nearly the entire Japanese garrison was killed in the battle. Though Tarawa fell, the losses incurred led the Allied high command to reassess how it planned and conducted amphibious invasions. This led to significant changes that would be employed for the remainder of the conflict. Background Following the victory at Guadalcanal in early 1943, Allied forces in the Pacific began planning for new offensives. While General Douglas MacArthurs troops advanced across northern New Guinea, plans for an island hopping campaign across the central Pacific were developed by Admiral Chester Nimitz. This campaign intended to advance towards Japan by moving from island to island, using each as a base for capturing the next. Beginning in the Gilbert Islands, Nimitz sought to next move through the Marshalls to the Marianas. Once these were secure, the bombing of Japan could commence prior to a full-scale invasion (Map). Preparations for the Campaign The starting point for the campaign was the small island of Betio on the west side of Tarawa Atoll with a supporting operation against Makin Atoll. Located in the Gilbert Islands, Tarawa blocked the Allied approach to the Marshalls and would impede communications and supply with Hawaii if left to the Japanese. Aware of the islands importance, the Japanese garrison, commanded by Rear Admiral Keiji Shibasaki, went to great lengths to turn it into the fortress. Leading around 3,000 soldiers, his force included Commander Takeo Sugais elite 7th Sasebo Special Naval Landing Force. Working diligently, the Japanese built an extensive network of trenches and bunkers. When complete, their works included over 500 pillboxes and strong points. In addition, fourteen coastal defense guns, four of which had been purchased from the British during the Russo-Japanese War, were mounted around the island along with forty artillery pieces. Supporting the fixed defenses were 14 Type 95 light tanks. The American Plan To crack these defenses, Nimitz dispatched Admiral Raymond Spruance with the largest American fleet yet assembled. Consisting of 17 carriers of various types, 12 battleships, 8 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, and 66 destroyers, Spruances force also carried the 2nd Marine Division and part of the US Armys 27th Infantry Division. Totaling around 35,000 men, the ground forces were led by Marine Major General Julian C. Smith. Shaped like a flattened triangle, Betio possessed an airfield running east to west and bordered Tarawa lagoon to the north. Though the lagoon water was shallower, it was felt the beaches on the north shore offered a better landing location than those on the south where the water was deeper. On the north shore, the island was bordered by a reef that extended around 1,200 yard offshore. Though there were some initial concerns as to whether landing craft could clear the reef, they were dismissed as planners believed the tide would be high enough to allow them to cross. Forces Commanders Allies Major General Julian C. SmithVice Admiral Raymond Spruanceapprox. 35,000 men Japanese Rear Admiral Keiji Shibasakiapprox. 3,000 soldiers, 1,000 Japanese laborers, 1,200 Korean laborers Going Ashore By dawn on November 20, Spruances force was in place off Tarawa. Opening fire, the Allied warships began pounding the islands defenses. This was followed at 6:00 AM by strikes from carrier aircraft. Due to delays with the landing craft, the Marines did not move forward until 9:00 AM. With the end of the bombardments, the Japanese emerged from their deep shelters and manned the defenses. Approaching the landing beaches, designated Red 1, 2, and 3, the first three waves crossed the reef in Amtrac amphibious tractors. These were followed by additional Marines in Higgins boats (LCVPs). As the landing craft approached, many grounded on the reef as the tide was not high enough to allow passage. Quickly coming under attack from Japanese artillery and mortars, the Marines aboard the landing craft were forced to enter the water and work their way towards shore while enduring heavy machine gun fire. As a result, only a small number from the first assault made it ashore where they were pinned down behind a log wall. Reinforced through the morning and aided by the arrival of a few tanks, the Marines were able to push forward and take the first line of Japanese defenses around noon. A Bloody Fight Through the afternoon little ground was gained despite heavy fighting all along the line. The arrival of additional tanks bolstered the Marine cause and by nightfall the line was approximately half-way across the island and nearing the airfield (Map). The next day, the Marines on Red 1 (the westernmost beach) were ordered to swing west to capture Green Beach on Betios west coast. This was accomplished with the aid of naval gunfire support. The Marines on Red 2 and 3 were tasked with pushing across the airfield. After heavy fighting, this was accomplished shortly after noon. About this time, sightings reported that Japanese troops were moving east across a sandbar to the islet of Bairiki. To block their escape, elements of the 6th Marine Regiment were landed in the area around 5:00 PM. By the end of the day, American forces had advanced and consolidated their positions. In the course of the fighting, Shibasaki was killed causing issues among the Japanese command. On the morning of November 22, reinforcements were landed and that afternoon the 1st Battalion/6th Marines began an offensive across the southern shore of the island. Final Resistance Driving the enemy before them, they succeeded in linking up with the forces from Red 3 and forming a continuous line along the eastern part of the airfield. Pinned into the eastern end of the island, the remaining Japanese forces attempted a counterattack around 7:30 PM but were turned back. At 4:00 AM on November 23, a force of 300 Japanese mounted a banzai charge against the Marine lines. This was defeated with the aid of artillery and naval gunfire. Three hours later, artillery and air strikes commenced against the remaining Japanese positions. Driving forward, the Marines succeeded in overrunning the Japanese and reached the eastern tip of the island by 1:00 PM. While isolated pockets of resistance remained, they were dealt with by American armor, engineers, and air strikes. Over the next five days, the Marines moved up the islets of Tarawa Atoll clearing the last bits of Japanese resistance. Aftermath In the fighting on Tarawa, only one Japanese officer, 16 enlisted men, and 129 Korean laborers survived out of the original force of 4,690. American losses were a costly 978 killed and 2,188 wounded. The high casualty count quickly caused outrage among Americans and the operation was extensively reviewed by Nimitz and his staff. As a result of these inquiries, efforts were made to improve communications systems, pre-invasion bombardments, and coordination with air support. Also, as a significant number of the casualties had been sustained due to the landing craft beaching, future assaults in the Pacific were made almost exclusively using Amtracs. Many of these lessons were quickly employed in the Battle of Kwajalein two months later.

Ancestry of Amelia Earhart

Ancestry of Amelia Earhart One of the worlds most celebrated aviators, Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas on July 24, 1897. The daughter of a railroad company attorney, she lived with her maternal grandparents in Atchison until the age of 12. She then moved around with her family for several years, living in Des Moine, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; and Medford, Massachusetts. Amelia saw her first airplane in 1908 at the Iowa State Fair, but her love of flying lay dormant until Christmas Day 1920, when her father took her to the opening of a new airfield in Long Beach, CA. Three days later, she took her first ride with barnstormer Frank M. Hawks. Amelia Earhart set several aviation records, including the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, before disappearing over the Pacific on an around-the-world flight in 1937. Learn about Earharts relatives with this family tree, which is organized by generation. First Generation 1. Amelia Mary EARHART  was born 24 Jul 1897 in Atchison, Atchison County, Kansas, to Edwin Stanton Earhart and Amelia Amy Otis in the home of her maternal grandparents. Amelia Earhart married George Palmer Putman, born 7 September 1887 in Rye, Westchester County, New York,  on 7 Feb 1931 in Noank, New London County, Connecticut. Amelia died after 2 Jul 1937 in on a pioneering flight around the world and was declared legally dead on 1 January 1939. Second Generation (Parents) 2. Edwin Stanton EARHART  was born on 28 Mar 1867  in Atchison, Kansas to the Rev. David Earhart Jr. and Mary Wells Patton. Edwin Stanton EARHART and Amelia  OTIS were married on 18 Oct 1895 in Trinity Church, Atchison, Kansas. After a brief separation during 1915, the Earharts reunited in Kansas City in 1916 and moved to Los Angeles, although  Edwin and Amy eventually divorced in 1924.  Edwin S. Earhart married a second time to Annie Mary Helen McPherson on 26 August 1926 in Los Angeles. Edwin died on 23 Sep 1930 in Los Angeles, California. 3. Amelia (Amy) OTIS  was born about March  1869 in Atchison, Kansas, to Judge Alfred G. and Amelia  (Harres) Otis. She died on 29 Oct 1962 in Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, at the age of 95. Edwin Stanton EARHART and Amelia (Amy) OTIS had the following children: i. Infant EARHART was born and died in Aug 1896.1 ii. Amelia Mary EARHARTiii. Grace Muriel EARHART was born 29 Dec 1899 in Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri and died 2 March 1998 in Medford, Massachusetts. In June  1929, Muriel married World War I veteran Albert Morrissey, who died in 1978. Third Generation (Grandparents) 4.  Rev. David EARHART  was born 28 Feb 1818 on a farm in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. David studied theology and was licensed by the East Ohio Synod in 1844, eventually serving seven different congregations in Western Pennsylvania, three of which he organized, and six for which he was involved in building the house of worship. In January 1845 the  Rev. David Earhart  assisted in organizing the Pittsburgh Synod and  was known for being one of the first Lutheran pastors in the state to use the English language almost exclusively.  He and his family relocated to Sumner, near Atchison, Kansas in early 1860 where they stayed until 1873. At that point, David and Mary returned to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and then later moved as he  served congregations in Donegal, Westmoreland County (1876) and Armstrong County (1882), also in Pennsylvania. Following the death of his wife in 1893, David moved to Philadelphia to live with his  daughter, Mrs. Harriet Augusta (Earhart)  Monroe. His final years then found him living with another daughter, Mary Louisa (Earhart) Woodworth in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, where he  died on 13 Aug 1903. David Earhart is buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery, Atchison, Kansas. 5. Mary Wells PATTON  was born on 28 Sep 1821 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania to John Patton and Harriet Wells. She died on 19 May 1893 in Pennsylvania and is buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery, Atchison, Kansas. Rev. David EARHART and Mary Wells PATTON were married on 16 Nov 1841 in Trinity Lutheran Church, Somerset, Somerset County, Pennsylvania and had the following children: i. Harriet Augusta EARHART was born on 21 Aug 1842 in Pennsylvania and married Aaron L. Monroe about . Harriet died 16 July 1927 in Washington, D.C. and  is buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Atchison, Kansas.ii.  Mary Louisa EARHART was born on 2 Oct 1843 in Pennsylvania. She married Gilbert Mortiere Woodworth, who died in Philadelphia on 8 Sep 1899. Mary died 29 Aug 1921 in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri.iii. Martin Luther EARHART was born on 18 Feb 1845 in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, and died 18 Oct 1925 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.iv. Phillip Melancthon EARHART was born on 18 Mar 1847 and died sometime prior to 1860.v. Sarah Katherine EARHART was born on 21 Aug 1849 and died sometime prior to 1860.vi. Josephine EARHART was born on 8 Aug 1851. She died in 1853.vii. Albert Mosheim EARHART was born about 1853.viii. Franklin Patton EARHART was born about 1855.ix. Isabella Della EARHART was born about 1857.x. David Milton EARHART was born on 21 Oct 1859. He died in Ma y 1860. xi. Kate Theodora EARHART was born on 9 Mar 1863.2 xii. Edwin Stanton EARHART 6.  Judge Alfred Gideon OTIS was born on 13 Dec 1827 in Cortland, Cortland County, New York. He died on 9 May 1912 in Atchison, Atchison County, Kansas, and is buried in Atchisons Mount Vernon Cemetery, alongside his wife, Amelia. 7. Amelia Josephine HARRES was born in Feb 1837 in Philadelphia. She died on 12 Feb 1912 in Atchison, Kansas. Alfred Gideon OTIS and Amelia Josephine HARRES were married on 22 Apr 1862 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and had the following children, all born in Atchison, Kansas: i. Grace OTIS was born on 19 Mar 1863 and  died on 3 Sep 1864 in Atchison.ii. William Alfred OTIS  was born on 2 Feb 1865.  He died from diphtheria on 8 Dec 1899 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.iii. Harrison Gray OTIS  was born on 31 Dec 1867 and  died on 14 Dec 1868 in Atchison.3  iv. Amelia (Amy) OTISv. Mark E. OTIS  was born about Dec 1870.vi. Margaret Pearl OTIS  was born about Oct 1875 in Atchison and  died on 4 Jan 1931 in Germantown, Pennsylvania.vii. Theodore H. OTIS  was born on 12 Nov 1877 and  died on 13 Mar 1957 in Atchison  and is  buried in the citys Mount Vernon Cemetery.viii. Carl Spenser OTIS  was born about Mar 1881, also in Atchison. Sources: Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon.  Amelia: The Centennial Biography of an Aviation Pioneer. Washington, D.C.: Brasseys, 1997. Navy Ends Search for Miss Earhart,  The New York Times, 19 July 1937, page 1, col. 5. Goldstein Dillon,  Amelia: The Centennial Biography, 264.