Battle of Tarawa

A U.S. amphibious assault on Japanese-held Tarawa Atoll, fought November 20–23, 1943, during the Gilbert Islands campaign of the Pacific War.

Amphibious warfare: Military operations that coordinate forces moving from sea to land, or from land to sea. Tarawa was an assault from ships onto a defended atoll.
Gilbert Islands campaign: The Allied campaign to capture Japanese-held islands in the Gilbert Islands in November 1943. Tarawa was the campaign's central and costliest assault.
Julian C. Smith: A U.S. Marine Corps general who commanded the 2nd Marine Division during the Battle of Tarawa. Smith directed the Marine division responsible for capturing Betio.
Amphibious tractor: An armored amphibious vehicle designed to carry troops from ships across water and onto shore. The difficulty of crossing Tarawa's reef increased demand for tracked landing vehicles.
Red Beach 3: A designated landing beach on Betio's northern shore during the Battle of Tarawa. The landing there became a focal point of the initial assault.
Betio: The islet in Tarawa Atoll where the battle's main fighting took place. U.S. forces concentrated their landings and fought the decisive action on Betio.
Operation Galvanic: The U.S. operation to seize the Gilbert Islands in November 1943. Tarawa was one of the principal objectives of this operation.
David M. Shoup: A U.S. Marine Corps colonel who commanded forces ashore at Tarawa and received the Medal of Honor. Shoup coordinated the assault from Betio under intense fire.
LVT-1 Alligator: An early tracked landing vehicle used by U.S. forces in World War II amphibious operations. Its ability to cross reefs informed later vehicle use after Tarawa.
Betio airfield: A Japanese-built airfield on Betio that U.S. forces captured during the battle. Taking the airfield was a major objective of the ground advance.

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