(November 21-24, 1943), one of the bloodiest battles of
World War II between American and Japanese forces. Tarawa, one of the Gilbert Islands in the South Pacific, was occupied by the Japanese in 1942. As part of the Allied island-hopping campaign toward the Philippines, U.S. Marines bombarded the island, meeting heavy Japanese resistance but forcing an evacuation. In four days of fighting, 4,500 Japanese soldiers died, leaving fewer than 20 alive; 3,000 Marines were killed or wounded.
