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Walking Radioman
This GI is ‘humping’ the SC-300 / BC1000 man-pack radio usually reserved for infantry platoon headquarters.
This radio set was known as the ‘walkie-talkie’ while the hand-held SCR-536 /BC611 was nicknamed the ‘handie-talkie’.
Radiomen usually carried a lighter weight personal weapon… sometimes a 1911 Colt Automatic .45 pistol or, more commonly, the M1 Carbine as is shown here.
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Marine Radioman
As this kneeling Marine operator receives instructions on his ‘SCR-300’ portable radio transmitter he cradles his M1Carbine next to him. This back-packed radio was the first to be nicknamed a ‘Walkie-Talkie’. 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.
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