A Legend is Born

In the pre-dawn light, the first amphibious invasion of a fortified beach began. Marines of 2/2 were slated to hit Red Beach Two, while those of 3/2 were assigned Red Beach One. Colonel Shoup, commander of the Regimental Landing Team, had planned for the first waves to travel …

1943-11-20

BRT06

In the pre-dawn light, the first amphibious invasion of a fortified beach began. Marines of 2/2 were slated to hit Red Beach Two, while those of 3/2 were assigned Red Beach One. Colonel Shoup, commander of the Regimental Landing Team, had planned for the first waves to travel in on LVTs. At first the Japanese let the "little boats with wheels" travel unmolested as they concentrated their fire on the larger ships. When the LVTs rammed up against the reef and kept going, the rikusentai realized that the reef would not stop these strange new vehicles. As the Marines reached the beach, overwhelming fire kept them pinned down as the following waves waded in.

Betio Island, Tarawa

The Battle of Tarawa was a battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that was fought on 20–23 November 1943. It took place at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Americans died in the fighting, mostly on and around the small island of Betio, in the extreme southwest of Tarawa Atoll.

American

Japanese

Scenario Type = Standard