US Marines go ashore into a savage meat grinder on the Tarawa atoll. 1,700 U.S. personnel were killed, and another 2,100 were wounded.
story
Senior Member
20 Nov 1943
US Marines go ashore into a savage meat grinder on the Tarawa atoll. 1,700 U.S. personnel were killed, and another 2,100 were wounded.
story
Last edited by namvet; 11-20-2015 at 08:41 PM.
Unabashed Boatswain's Mate
My Dad was there..
Hand Salute.
I have lost my mind. If found, please give it a snack and return it?
"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same of others"...John Wayne in "The Shootist"
A Deplorable!
Senior Member
Yeah after the Jap admiral said it couldn't be taken in 100 years by a million men.
namvet thanked this post
Just Me
And the "great" CHesty Puller is the one that created that meatgrinder. He lost a battalion with continued frontal assaults.
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” Edumnd Burke
Senior Member
well that was Marine fighting style. fuck the causalities and take the objective at all cost. especially with a large fleet waiting off shoreOriginally Posted by Gunny
Just Me
Could have been a little smarter, don't you think?
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” Edumnd Burke
Senior Member
yes no doubt. it was the Army that moved slow and kept causalities down to a minimum. except Patton. who should have been a marine. full speed ahead and damned the causalitiesCould have been a little smarter, don't you think?
Just Me
IMO, they should have attacked from 2 sides. Would have split the Japanese forces and not allowed them to focus all their firepower on one front. Hindsight.
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” Edumnd Burke
Senior Member
actually they did. on red and green beach and the south beach but red was a slaughter house so they attacked from the other two. the airfield was the objective here
Senior Member
a vet of this battle returned to chase away some demons. what he found was shocking
Leon Cooper return to Tarawa
Senior Member
The Japanese General had his men wait until the beaches were full before firing.
That strategy greatly added to the slaughter
Gunny thanked this post
Senior Member
Just Me
And was stupid. That tactic failed for them more than twice. I'm not giving the enemy a foothold. Boats are easier to shoot at than people.
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” Edumnd Burke
Unabashed Boatswain's Mate
Patton was a tactical genius.
I have lost my mind. If found, please give it a snack and return it?
"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same of others"...John Wayne in "The Shootist"
A Deplorable!
LongTermGuy thanked this post
Senior Member
they did shoot the amtracs as they came into the lagoon. they were forced to maneuver around the Jap obstacles which brought them into the cannon cross hairs. no win. blew em outta the water. also the tide was low and they got hung up on the reef coming into the lagoon. forced to offload troops onto smaller landing craft. it was a turkey shoot out there. those that made it to the beach had a 3 foot high coconut log wall to mount. a cluster fuck from the get go
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