The Gilberts
are a group of islands south-east of the Marshall
Islands in the Central Pacific. The Gilberts were occupied by
the Japanese Army in 1941.
It was
not until 1943 that Admiral Chester Nimitz
began to plan the removal of the Japanese from these islands. The
attack force was headed by Vice Admiral Raymond
Spruance
and his
fleet included six aircraft carriers, five light carriers, six new
battleships and several smaller warships.
The two
most westerly of the Gilbert Islands, Makin and Tarawa, were invaded
by the 5th Amphibious Corps under
Major General Holland
Smith on
20th November 1943. Makin, defended by only 800 Japanese soldiers,
was taken without too much difficulty.
Tarawa
was much more heavily fortified and the 5,000 US Marines that were
landed on the first day had to wade ashore under considerable Japanese
artillery fire. Further landings took place on the 21st and the island
was not made secure until the 23rd November. The capture of these
two islands cost nearly 1,000 dead and 2,000 wounded.
The experience convinced
the Joint Chief of Staffs that Admiral Chester
Nimitz was right to be selective about the islands that should
be invaded that were under that control of the Japanese
Army.
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