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Introduction

Image: Marines take cover behind a sea wall on Red Beach #3, Tarawa. (NARA)

In 1943, U.S. forces advanced through the Central Pacific, continuing the offensive thrust aimed ultimately at the Japanese home islands. The plan of attack called for them to take the Gilbert Islands, then the Marshalls and the Marianas.

For Operation Galvanic, the seizure of the Gilberts, the 5th Amphibious Corps under Marine Major General Holland M. (Howlin Mad) Smith was chosen as the landing force. The corps consisted of the 2nd Marine Division under Major General Julian C. Smith and the Armys 27th Infantry Division, led by Major General Ralph C. Smith. The 2nd Marine Division would take Tarawa, and the 27th Infantry Division would take Makin Atoll, 100 miles north of Tarawa on a line to the Marshalls.

The Gilberts were a vital first step in the Central Pacific campaign. Without them, land-based reconnaissance and combat planes could not reach the Marshalls. Carrier-based planes, which had the reach, could not provide the integrated photo reconnaissance necessary for planning the Marshalls operation. The Gilberts also offered Japanese-constructed airstrips and a shortened supply route to the south and southwest areas of the Pacific.

Research for this fact sheet was provided by Alexander Molnar, U.S. Marine Corps/U.S. Army (Ret.).

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(Introduction)