Tarawa Atoll, 1943 (Sneak Peek)

It is November 19th, 1943. It is the eve before D-Day. Marines from the Second Division and soldiers from the 27th Infantry Division are thrown out of their bunks as a fleet consisted of 12 battleships, 12 cruisers, and 66 destroyers pound the small coral atoll of Tarawa. The next morning, on November 20th, LVTs chug their way towards the white sand and coral beaches. As the Americans hit the beach they encounter a large resistance supported by concrete bunkers and mortar fire. The Battle ends on November 23rd 1943. It was the largest loss of life in the shortest amount of time for the Marine Corps. Over 1,000 Americans and 4,000 Japanese died on a beach not wider than a few football fields.