The Start of the Island Hopping | Battle of Tarawa - 1943

In November 1943, the U.S. Marines launched the first major amphibious assault in the Central Pacific — the invasion of Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll. For 76 hours, the 2nd Marine Division fought fiercely against well-prepared Japanese defenses in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. The Battle of Tarawa tested new tactics, revealed the brutal cost of island warfare, and became a defining moment in the Pacific campaign.