USMC014
King & Country
The U.S.M.C. has always believed that first and foremost every Marine must also be a ‘Marine Rifleman’. Great value has always been placed on ‘skill and marksmanship’ in the Corps and, in WW2, that was immeasurably assisted by the M1’Garand’ Rifle. A .30 caliber, semi automatic rifle it weighed 9.5 pounds was gas-operated with a rotating bolt, had an effective firing range of 500 yards and was loaded with an 8-round clip.
Tough, reliable and accurate it was a Marine’s best friend! This standing Marine fires off a few rounds at the enemy.
The Battle of TARAWA was fought between 20-23 November 1943 and was part of the U.S. invasion of the Gilbert Islands in the central Pacific region. Although not the first time U.S. forces had met the Japanese in battle it was the first time they had faced serious opposition to an amphibious landing. On the tiny Tarawa Atoll more than 4,500 Japanese defenders were well-supplied and expertly dug-in and fought virtually to the last man. Opposing them were the men of the 2nd Marine Division, U.S.M.C., some of America’s toughest and best fighting forces.
Of approximately 12,000 Marines who assaulted Tarawa 3,146 became casualties with almost 1,000 killed and over 2,000 wounded. That was the deadly toll of just 76 hours of bloody, brutal, non-stop combat.