In November 1943, the 27th Infantry Division was incorporated with the 2nd Marine Division to form the V Amphibious Corps for the purpose of invading and securing the Gilbert Islands in the Central Pacific. While the Marines took the major objective, Tarawa Atoll (Operation "Galvanic"), the Army was tasked with capturing Makin Atoll (Operation "Kourbash") approx. 120 statute miles to the north. The corps commander, Marine Corps Lieutenant General Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith, expected the Army's 6,500 men to be able to overwhelm the 800 Japanese defenders in a day. Furious upon being informed of a lack of progress, Holland Smith went to Makin to assess the situation: "When he arrived at Ralph Smith's HQ he was told that there was heavy fighting in progress in the north of the island. Commandeering a jeep, he drove to the scene of the 'battle' and found it, in his words, 'As quiet as Wall Street on a Sunday.' ... This incident was the catalyst for a serious breakdown in relations between the Marines and the army that continued until well after the war." Four full days were required to conquer Makin.