An Overview of the Battle of Tarawa

Fought during the Pacific War in the Second World War

Dec 17, 2008 Barry Vale

The Battle of Tarawa was fought between the Imperial Japanese Army and the United States over control of the Pacific island atoll of Tarawa.

The American Need To Capture Tarawa

The United States military was very anxious to capture the Pacific island atoll of Tarawa due to its strategic position within the Asia-Pacific region. The United States planned to capture that island atoll in the subsequent Battle of Tarawa in order to move against other islands captured by the Japanese in the early months of 1942, and would eventually lead to the total defeat of Japan itself in 1945.

The Japanese Defend Desperately

The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy were of course acutely aware of the United States objectives both in the Pacific War in general, and the Battle of Tarawa in particular. They decided to stubbornly hold on to the territories and islands that they had conquered in late 1941 and mid 1942. The senior Japanese military and naval leaders also knew that Japan had to fight a wholly defensive war in the Asia-Pacific region following the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Midway when the loss of four aircraft carriers tipped the strategic firmly in favour of the Americans.

American Success Hard To Gain

The United States Marines fought the Battle of Tarawa, with support from the United States Navy and Air Force against a few thousand Japanese soldiers that were well dug in. The Japanese defenders made the United States Marines fight very hard for the island of Tarawa. No doubt the United States Marines would have found the Battle of Tarawa even harder going without supporting gunfire from American battleships and the bombing of well- dug Japanese positions by American bombers.

The Japanese were determined to keep hold of the island during and after the Battle of Tarawa. The stubborn Japanese resistance would be repeated through the rest of the Pacific war. The Japanese effectively fought to the death during the Battle of Tarawa and were only overcome by the superior firepower available to the United States Marines, from the big guns of the Navy's battleships and American fighter-bombers launched from nearby aircraft carriers.

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