On 10 November 1943, men of the United States Marine Corps invaded the island of Betio, located at the southwest corner of Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands chain in the Central Pacific. This invasion, known as Operation Galvanic, was a phase of the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

The landings on Betio were the Americans' third amphibious operation of the Pacific War, after Guadalcanal Island and Cape Torokina on Bougainville Island, but the first in which the Japanese vigorously resisted the landings on the beaches, pinning the Marines down with machine-gun and mortar fire. Worse, American planners at Pearl Harbor had grievously misjudged the timing of high tide at Betio, leaving the landing craft stranded on the shallow coral reefs where the Marines were slaughtered.

The island was declared secure after three days. Given the small size of Betio (0.59 sq. mi.), planners had expected it to take one.

Command structure

Naval

The roles of Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPOA) and Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC), were both exercised by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz from his headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Since the Gilberts and Marshalls lie in the Central Pacific, their capture was the responsibility of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, led by Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance from aboard his flagship, heavy cruiser Indianapolis.

The ships and troops of Operations Galvanic (landings on Tarawa Atoll) and Kourbash (landings on Makin Atoll) were under direct operational command of Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard old battleship Pennsylvania.

Ground troops V Amphibious Corps Major General Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith Tarawa: 2nd Marine Division (Major General Julian C. Smith) Makin: 27th Infantry Division (Army) (Major General Ralph C. Smith)

Both Admiral Turner and General Holland Smith sailed with the Northern Attack Force even though it was obvious that Tarawa would be the scene of the main ground action. If the Japanese mounted a counterattack, it was most likely to come from the Marshalls since the closest Japanese bases to the Gilberts were located there. Nimitz and Spruance wanted the two highest-ranking officers to sail with the forces that would be the first to encounter any such enemy response. Unbeknownst to the Americans, the Japanese had stripped almost all their naval and air assets from the Marshalls in an attempt to resist the Allied effort in the Central Solomons. Thus, no counterattack materialized.

American

Ground forces – Tarawa

2nd Marine Division Major General Julian C. Smith Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brig. Gen. Leo D. Hermle Chief of Staff: Col. Merritt A. Edson Personnel officer (G-1): Lt. Col. C.P. van Ness Intelligence officer (G-2): Lt. Col. Thomas J. Colley Operations officer (G-3): Lt. Col. James P. Riseley Logistics officer (G-4): Lt. Col Jesse S. Cook

Eastern landing area: 8th Marine Regiment Colonel Elmer E. Hall Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Paul D. Sherman First Wave (Red Beach 3): 2nd Battalion (Maj. Henry P. Crowe) CMoH recipient: Lt. Alexander Bonnyman Jr. ( Nov 23) Second Wave (Red Beach 3): 3rd Battalion (Maj. Robert H. Ruud) Third Wave (Red Beach 2): 1st Battalion (Maj. Lawrence C. Hays Jr.)

Central landing area: 2nd Marine Regiment Colonel David M. Shoup (CMoH recipient) Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Dixon Goen First Wave (Red Beach 1): 3rd Battalion (Maj. John F. Schoettel) First Wave (Red Beach 2): 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Herbert R. Amey, Jr. ( Nov 20), then Lt. Col. Walter I. Jordan) CMoH recipient: Lt. William D. Hawkins ( Nov 23) Second Wave (Red Beach 2): 1st Battalion (Major Wood B. Kyle)

Western landing area: 6th Marine Regiment Colonel Maurice G. Holmes Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Russell Lloyd Third Wave (Green Beach): 1st Battalion (Maj. William K. Jones) 21–24 Nov (Outer Islands of Tarawa): 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Raymond L. Murray) Fourth Wave (Green Beach): 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Kenneth F. McLeod)

10th Marine Regiment (Artillery) Colonel Thomas E. Bourke Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Ralph E. Forsyth 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Presley M. Rixey) 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. George R. E. Shell) 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Manly L. Curry) 4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Kenneth A. Jorgensen) 5th Battalion (Maj. Howard V. Hiett)

18th Marine Regiment (Engineer) Colonel Cyril W. Martyr Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Ewart S. Laue 1st Battalion (Engineers) (Maj. George L.H. Cooper) CMoH recipient: Sgt. William J. Bordelon ( Nov 21) 2nd Battalion (Pioneers) (Lt. Col. Chester J. Salazar) 3rd Battalion (Seabees) (Cmdr. Lawrence E. Tull, USN)

Other units 2nd Defense Battalion 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Maj. Henry C. Drewes ( Nov 20)) 2nd Tank Battalion (Lt. Col. Alexander B. Swenceski) (M3A1 Stuart) Co.C, Tank Battalion, I Marine Amphibious Corps (M4A2 Sherman)

Ground forces – Makin 27th Infantry Division (Army) Major General Ralph C. Smith 165th Regimental Combat Team 3rd Battalion / 105th Infantry Regiment ("Appleknockers") Attached units 193rd Tank Battalion (light) 2nd Raider Battalion Colonel Evans Carlson

Japanese

Gilbert Islands defense forces Rear Admiral Keiji Shibazaki ( Nov 20) Approx. 5,000 total men under arms 3rd Special Base Force 7th Sasebo SNLF 111th Construction Unit 4th Fleet Construction Dept. (detachment)

See also Orders of battle involving United States Marine forces in the Pacific Theatre of World War II: Battle of Guadalcanal order of battle Battle of Saipan order of battle Guam (1944) order of battle Battle of Leyte opposing forces Battle of Peleliu opposing forces Battle of Iwo Jima order of battle Okinawa ground order of battle Naval Base Tarawa

Sources

Notes