Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-04
Expected Pushover,
But Ran Into Corps'
Fiercest Fighting


post and it's all-important air
strip from the Japanese who
seized it from few missionaries
and natives weeks after they had
attacked Pearl Harbor.
1t has been the bitterest, costliest
most sustained fighting on any front
It has cost us the lives of hundreds
of United States Marines. Official
reports listed 1925 Americans killed.
But we have wiped out a force of A.
600 imperial Japanese marines-we
expected to find only 1000. mostly
dead.
Before we started 1t was great
fun. We grinned and chortled. We
said, There won't be a Jap alive
when we get ashore"
That was the plan. Naval and
air bombardment was to all but de-
stroy the island. The few living
Japs were to be so shell shocked
there would be no opposition. 1 re-
called Maj. Mills instructions:
1--WE don't intend to neutralize the
island. We don't intend to destroy
it. We will annihilate it."
Battleships Pound Shore.
AS dawn broke, Tarawa was COM
pletely enveloped in smoke and
flame. japanese gun emplacements
-8-inchers-continued to reply. Our
battleships looked like sullen, defiant
bulldogs as they ignored them and
continued to pound the shore.
At dawn. our planes came in. We
could see them disappear into the
smoke and flame. We could hear
the sputter Of their machine guns
We could see the debris raised by
their bombs. 1t was wonderful.
But something suddenly appeared
to have gone wrong. We learned
H hour had been delayed 81, then
as minutes. The pounding con-
tinued. There was little doubt there
were still living-and fighting Japs
on the island
Our assault waves were in the
water, ready to hit the beach.
We were in the second wave, due to
hit after the first men reached
shore. Without warning, an 8-inch
shell hit and exploded 10 yards off
our side We dived behind hatch,
laughing at each other as we came
out. A second shell hit yards off
killing a sailor and spraying our
deck with shrapnel and salt water.
We upped anchor and steamed out
Of range.
First Casualties Severe.
Fifteen minutes later We climbed
into our tank lighter. sharing it
with many other marines, a truck
and trailer.
I'VE have landed against heavy
opposition" came the first word
from shore. Casualties severe"
AS we pulled from The beach We
were met with enemy shellfire A
boat on our starboard size received
a direct hit. Five men We're killed.
We pulled alongside and dragged in
the survivors. There was no chance
to salvage their equipment. Swiftly
We moved out Of range
A control boat roared by, a naval
officer screaming at us to stay back
until we received word it was safe
to go in. That was 1890 am.
At pm. we started in again,
moving toward the pier which ap-
peared unchanged. We were
stopped by machinegun fire. Corpl
Raymond Matjasic, %, Cleveland
one of our combat photographers
who had been seated in the cab of
the truck, fell TO the floor. The
trucks windshield was knocked out
Unable to Pick Up Survivors.
At 3 pm. we tried again. Shells
tore the water on all sides. Two
more boats went down, and more
marines died We backed out again
unable to pick up the survivors
Many of them swan to us, and were
later moved back to their trans
ports. Many of the wounded
drowned.
The sun was furnishing. There
was no shade We broke out our
rations and nibbled at them. At 5
pm. the control boat pulled up.
do any of you have amhuni-
ton the naval officer yelled
through his megaphone. We've
got to get it ashore at all costs
I'VE have a truck" we answered
ITO hell with that" he said and
roared away.
At dusk our battleships and
cruisers opened up a terrific anti
aircraft barrage. There was only
one answer-Japanese planes.
Prepare to go over the side," a
lieutenant said quietly. They'd
strafe us if they get through"
We inflated our lifebelts and
waited. They never got through
We were glad. We'd seen two
sharks just before dusk.
At midnight, the control boat ap-
peared out of the darkness. We
were to try again.
Shippers Open Fire.
We inched toward the dock, par
TALLY wrecked by our own Smelling
The hulk of a Japanese merchant
man doomed to the right. Two
direct hits from our destroyers had
put it out of action. On the look
out for snipers, we covered it with
our machine guns.
When we reached the dock Shippers
in the wrecked ship opened up, but
they were firing over our heads. We
climbed on the dock, and more
snipers fired. We hit the deck. We
moved down the docks 10 feet. Japs
on the beach began throwing NOR
tars our way. We nit the Geek
again.
Minutes later a second mortar hit
directly beneath us. I felt the blast
and was sprayed with salt water.
Some one yelled:
Get to the other side! The next
one will be right on!"
We were uncertain where to 90
The Japs lines were only SO yard.
past the end Of the pier, and there
was no command post. Matjasi.
and I discarded our typewriter, oul
packs and our field glasses ane
started to the shore.
Silhouetted by Moon.
The last IS yards of the pier was