I may have posted some of these, but recall I had issues when trying to post others, sorry if you have already seen them.



This is one of the four 8" guns the Japanese had. I think they had a 14 mile range. They opened up early on but pretty shortly after doing so, the Navy took all four out of action and destroyed 2 of the ammo dumps. I think the Japanese had 75 men were assigned to each of these.




One of the Sherman tanks just off the beach. I think there were six that attempted to come ashore behind my Dad's platoon on Red Beach 1, and two of them actually made it. They made a huge difference on that end of the island.




Shibazaki's bunker. I climbed the steps on my first trip there, but they were getting in pretty bad shape. The signage that went up after my first trip contains an error, in my opinion. It says Shibazaki and his senior officers were killed outside the command post on November 22nd. I am certain they were killed on November 20th, the first day of the battle. Had they not been, we likely would have lost the battle.




Another view of one of the 8" guns.


One of the 500 or so metal pillboxes of which I think 3 remain. It would have been covered with sand back in November, 1943. Was a little surreal walking inside and looking out at the water and imagining seeing all those Marines coming in. I think I read something like they estimate most of the Japanese soldiers saw everything go down viewing it from a gun slit or the equivalent. They died there or when they tried to get away when we burned them out.




The last trip we witnessed the returning of some of the remains that were headed to Hawaii. That got to me a little bit. Still over 400 Marines buried there and they are still trying to find them all and return them home.

Thank you for the post.

Are they maintaining any of the defenses to prevent them from rusting into oblivion? It looks like the guns are being repainted.

Wow...thanks for posting these!

Apache said:

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Thank you for the post.

Are they maintaining any of the defenses to prevent them from rusting into oblivion? It looks like the guns are being repainted.

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The Kirabati people are very different from us in terms of culture, as might be expected. My first trip there the island of Betio (where the fighting took place) looked like a garbage dump. Litter in the streets, yards, etc. Not much in the way of sewer or septic systems, the people would poop on the beach, etc. They were making an effort to clean things up but it didn't appear to be working. Still very untidy, Conex shipping containers everywhere.

For the 75th anniversary trip, things looked amazingly better. That pillbox had been dug up out of the sand (you can see the mark where the top of the sand was) and placed on the concrete pad. They had built sidewalks and put up signage at some of the places (like the two bunkers).

I think they are making some effort with regard to the 8" guns, there are a few smaller ones that are in very good shape given their age and being in the salt air and equatorial heat.

Although they are very appreciative of the effort made by the Americans especially on Butaritari (Makin) where they hold a celebration every November 20th. I have attended it twice.

The coral reef surrounding the Betio is dead or dying. There are 33 or 35 (I forget how many) islands in the Tarawa atoll, Betio being the furthest west. They are now connected via causeways. The causeway between the eastern tip of Betio and the western tip of the next island over (Bairiki) supposedly has impacted the currents and water flow which has put the hurt on the coral reef. I waded out 400 yards or so off Red Beach 1 and saw little evidence of much of anything alive. Betio is in what is called South Tarawa, about 50,000 live there, As you drive up the chain, to the North Tarawa islands you are in a tropical paradise. I always think that those islands must have been what Hawaii looked like in the 1700's. Pristine beaches, very few people, water in shades of blue and green that have no names.