Chapter 22 03. Conquered by you like this

After taking Guadalcanal and killing Yamamoto, the top leadership of the U.S. military decided to use the Central Pacific as the main strategic offensive direction and the Southwest Pacific as the secondary strategic offensive direction after research.In this way, the two attacking directions could not only support and cover each other, but also disperse the Japanese troops and make them tired of coping. On July 20, 1943, the U.S. military decided to first launch a landing operation on the two main islands of the Gilbert Islands and Nauru Island. This operation was code-named "Current".The Battle of the Gilbert Islands also became the opening battle of the US military's strategic offensive against the Japanese army on the Pacific battlefield.

As early as December 1941, the Japanese army occupied the main islands of the Gilbert Islands and built an airport on Tarawa Island and a seaplane base on Makin Island.However, the Japanese army did not pay much attention to the Gilbert Islands, and there were not many garrison troops.In August 1942, the U.S. military sent a submarine to transport a small unit to attack Makin Island. This aroused the Japanese army's vigilance, began to mobilize personnel and materials, and vigorously built the airport and fortifications on the island. In July 1943, Rear Admiral Shibazaki Keiji, commander of the Third Patrol Area of ​​the Fourth Fleet of the Japanese Army, was ordered to go to the island to take charge of the unified command of the defense here.Keiji Shibasaki constructed fortifications focusing on Tarawa Island and Makin Island.

On Tarawa Island, there are about 4,600 garrison troops including engineers. The main force is the elite troops of the Japanese Marine Corps. They have strong combat effectiveness and are equipped with 14 tanks.Considering the small size of the island, Keiji Shibazaki adopted beachhead defense. The fortifications were covered with coconut trees and coral sand, and some fortifications were reinforced with concrete and steel plates.All artillery bunkers are covered with steel plates and thick coral sandstone, and can only be destroyed by a direct hit from a 406mm cannon firing a delayed fuze shell.The fortifications on the island have been reinforced for as long as 15 months, forming a complete defense system, so Shibazaki boasted: "Tarawa can't be captured with a million people and a hundred years."

The defense of Makin Island is relatively weak, including engineering troops and air base service personnel, a total of about 690 people, most of whom have not received formal combat training. In contrast, the U.S. military has invested in a very powerful force. It is the Fifth Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Spruance. It has about 230 ships of various types, including 11 aircraft carriers, 18 escort aircraft carriers, and 13 battleships. , 14 cruisers, 58 destroyers, and more than 50 large landing ships.A total of about 1,300 combat aircraft. The U.S. military decided to land on the morning of November 20 at the moment of neap tide.Since September 1943, the US military has been preparing for the landing battle.The 1st Battalion of the 50th Task Force, in cooperation with the bombers of the shore-based air force, carried out air strikes on Tarawa Island and Makin Island on September 18 and 19, forcing the Japanese army to leave only 4 aircraft on Makin Island Seaplanes, all other aircraft are withdrawn.

After the Japanese Combined Fleet learned of the actions of the U.S. military, Admiral Kogamine, the fleet commander who succeeded Yamamoto Fifty-Six, led the fleet to rescue, and returned to Truk because the U.S. troops voluntarily retreated.Due to the heavy losses of the carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier in the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Japanese army withdrew the aircraft carrier formation to the mainland for rest.Because the Japanese surface ships lost the air cover of the aircraft carrier formation, they could not move away from the range radius of the shore-based aviation.In fact, the Japanese army in the Gilbert Islands had lost sea and air support, which was conducive to the landing operations of the US military.

In the early morning of November 20, the U.S. carrier-based aircraft formation was dispatched. At the same time, the naval artillery fire support team cooperated with the attack. The fierce shelling continued until dawn. Makin Island was completely shrouded in gunpowder smoke and fire. The Japanese army did not counterattack. "The main turret of the battleship "exploded, causing some casualties. Under the cover of fire from warships and carrier-based aircraft, at 8:13, the first wave of US landing troops sailed to the beach.Soon, the second and third landing troops of the U.S. Army arrived one after another and landed one after another.The defense of the Japanese army on the west coast was very weak. By 10:00, the US military had completely controlled the landing field.In fact, this was a feint attack by the US military, with the purpose of attracting the Japanese army from the main defensive area.

The U.S. military originally expected that once the feint attack on the west coast began, the Japanese army would mobilize the main force to meet it. In this way, it could form a pincer attack with the main attacking force that landed on the north coast later, and wipe out the main force of the Japanese army that left the fortifications.Unexpectedly, the Japanese army was very calm, unmoved at all, and basically did not attack. In this way, the wishful thinking of the US military came to nothing.However, the landing of the US military in both directions was successful, and they could quickly advance in depth and occupy the entire island as soon as possible.However, the Japanese army built a large number of machine gun firepower points and permanent launch points on the island, and the advance of the US military was stubbornly resisted.At night, the U.S. troops on the island were constantly infiltrated and harassed by the Japanese army. They were terrified and restless all night long.

On November 21, the advance of the US military still did not improve. Since the 22nd, the US military has advanced step by step, and the occupied area has gradually expanded.After nightfall, the Japanese army launched a large-scale suicide charge. They first lit firecrackers to attract the attention of the US military, and then drove the local aborigines to act as "meat shields" and rushed to the US military positions.This was the last organized Japanese counterattack. At 13:00 on November 23, the US military announced the occupation of Makin Island. During the Makin Island landing battle, the performance of the U.S. military was not satisfactory. The main reason was poor command and improper tactics.

At the same time, the U.S. forces stormed Tarawa Island.The more than 4,000 defenders on Tarawa Island are personally commanded by Major General Shibazaki, most of whom are elite divisions of the Japanese Marine Corps.It was the 2nd Division of the Marine Corps that landed on Tarawa Island. At 4 o'clock in the morning on November 20, the landing transport ships of the US military began to put down small landing tools. At 5:05, the U.S. military began to attack, and the fierce artillery fire almost completely enveloped the largest island of Tarawa Island, Bito Island.But the coastal artillery of the Japanese army is also firing continuously, and it is getting more and more accurate.In more than two hours, the U.S. military fired more than 3,000 rounds of artillery shells, and the small island of Bito almost suffered a ton of shells per square meter. Under such fierce artillery fire, it seemed impossible that there would be any living things on the island.

But when the US amphibious vehicle approached the beach, it was hit head-on by Japanese firepower!Since most of the fortifications of the Japanese army, especially the artillery bunkers, were buried deep underground, the actual bombing effect of the US military was not ideal.Under the attack of the Japanese army, most of the amphibious vehicles of the US military were shot and lost their maneuverability. Only a few were able to go ashore. Burning amphibious vehicles and dead and wounded soldiers were everywhere on the beach, and the sea water was dyed red with blood.The marines who finally rushed ashore were suppressed by Japanese firepower and were unable to move forward under the beach embankment.Subsequent landing craft carrying landing troops, tanks and artillery were unable to cross the coral reef because the draft was deeper than that of the amphibious vehicle and it was at low tide.

At this time, the U.S. troops who landed only occupied the beachhead a few meters deep, and the casualties had exceeded 20%.The Battle of Tarawa was almost on the verge of failure - most of the landing craft loaded with follow-up troops and heavy weapons were blocked on the coral reef, and the rest had to wait for the high tide in the waters outside the coral reef; the troops on the beach were unable to advance under the pressure of Japanese fire , The few remaining amphibious vehicles were running back and forth, transporting supplies and removing the wounded.At this critical moment, the Second Marine Division fully developed the unique fighting spirit of the Marine Corps. The lower-level officers and soldiers took the initiative to organize and charge desperately. On the beach code-named "Red Three", Lieutenant Hawkins led 34 soldiers, using explosives, bayonets, and shovels, to advance 300 meters step by step, occupying a section of long embankment on the east side of the beach, and obtaining a place capable of deploying artillery. A precious place.The artillery immediately disassembled the 75mm howitzer, and then transported the parts to the beachhead to assemble them, and then provided artillery support.Unfortunately, Lieutenant Hawkins died in the battle. In recognition of his bravery, the US military later named the airport on Bito Island as Hawkins Airport. By sunset, 5,000 U.S. troops went ashore, and at the cost of more than 1,500 casualties, they occupied a landing field about 140 meters wide and 450 meters deep in the west of the beach, while the eastern part controlled the beachhead with a frontage of 600 meters and a depth of 270 meters. . On November 21, after an overnight replenishment, the U.S. military pushed forward with all its strength and expanded the landing field.However, the Japanese army was still stubbornly resisting. The soldiers of the Second Marine Division formed their own combat teams and used flamethrowers and explosive kits to deal with the Japanese army's firepower points one by one.The Japanese army suffered heavy casualties under the fierce firepower of the U.S. military, and Major General Shibazaki was also killed by U.S. artillery fire. On the 22nd, the U.S. military used the beachhead as a base to attack the remaining Japanese troops and launched an assault on the airport in the central part.The outcome of the Battle of Tarawa Island was a foregone conclusion, but Japanese resistance continued. In the early morning of the 23rd, the remnants of the Japanese army on the island launched three consecutive large-scale suicide charges.The Japanese are best at the suicide charge, which is used in almost every battle, but unfortunately, apart from suicide, it has no effect.After noon, the U.S. Army broke through the last position of the Japanese Army and announced the occupation of Bito Island. In this battle, of the more than 4,000 Japanese garrison troops, except for 146 captured, the rest were all killed.The US military lost 1013 people and killed 2072 people.After the U.S. army captured Bito Island, it took control of all of Tarawa Island on the 29th. On November 27, Nimitz visited Tarawa Island in person.At that time, a large number of dead bodies had not yet been buried, and the stench of corpses filled the air. Nimitz said with emotion: "I have never seen such a hideous battlefield!" In the Battle of Tarawa Island, the landing experience gained by the US military is very important.Therefore, the Battle of Tarawa Island was hailed as "the cradle of victory" by the US Navy. Then, the U.S. army captured Abemama Island in the Gilbert Islands, and all the planned goals were achieved.