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By Roger W. Sinnott, July 21, 2009 | |
| | | 1. Battle of Tarawa Memorial Marker | | The red plaque on the right of this picture commemorates the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of Tarawa. | | |
Inscription. Marker front, upper plaque:
“Follow Me”
2nd Marine Division
United States Marine Corps
Battle of Tarawa
November 20, 1943
To our fellow Marines who gave their all!
The world is free because of you!
God rest your souls
1,113 killed 2,290 wounded
The Central Pacfic spearhead
To world victory in World War II
“Semper Fidelis”
Marker front, lower plaque:
To the People of Kiribati
“During World War II, many lives were lost in the Battle of Tarawa which restored liberty to these islands under British administration at the time.
Through the evolution of political development the Gilbert Islands gained its independence on 12 July 1979 from Britain and became the Democratic Republic of Kiribati.
The political processes that took place on these islands, since the Battle of Tarawa, would have been difficult to achieve without the gallantry and the blood of these most remarkable men of the United States Marines.
Enjoy your independence and guard it well.”
Marker reverse, upper plaque (not shown):
United States Navy
Battle of Tarawa
November 20, 1943
In grateful memory
to those men who paid for liberty with their lives
Sailors, Airmen, Chaplains, Doctors
and | | | | 
By Roger W. Sinnott, July 21, 2009 | |
| | | 2. Wider View of Marker at Betio, Tarawa | | |
especially to
the Navy Corpsmen
30 killed 59 wounded
To the crews of supporting United States ships
carriers, battleships, cruisers and destroyers,
submarines, transports and landing craft,
Well Done
We, your fellow Marines, salute you one and all!
God rest your souls
Marker reverse, lower plaque (not shown):
Sealed Nov. 29, 1987
Camp Lejeune, NC, USA
To be opened Nov. 20, 2143
From our world to yours.
Freedom above all!
Location. 1° 21.373′ N, 172° 55.663′ E. Marker is in Betio, Tarawa. Marker can be reached from Rue de Betio. Click for map. The marker is located in Prince Philip Park, a sportsground complex, which was once part of the runway used by Japanese forces during World War II. Marker is in this post office area: Betio, Tarawa 00197, Kiribati.
More about this marker. The satellite image on the map link should be used to locate the marker.
Regarding Battle of Tarawa Memorial. In their advance across the Pacific in World War II, U.S. forces made their first major amphibious landing at the atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, heavily defended by the Japanese. The invasion planners wanted for a flooding tide so the Marines could race ashore in small amphibious | | | | 
By Roger W. Sinnott, July 21, 2009 | |
| | | 3. Seawall on Betio’s North Coast | | In 1943 the Marines came ashore here, designated Red Beach One. Still submerged near the seawall are numerous rusting parts of amphibious landing craft. | | |
craft and Higgins boats. The planners were well aware that the date chosen for the invasion — November 20, 1943 — was a time of neap tides (tides of reduced range because the Moon was near first or last quarter). But calculations indicated the boats should still clear the surrounding coral reef at the appointed H-hour, 0830, and the boats would get in.
Instead, as it turned out, the boats got stuck on the coral 600 yards from shore and the Marines were forced to wade in, rifles over their heads, under withering fire from Japanese shore batteries. According to Col. Joseph Alexander’s Utmost Savagery — The Three Days of Tarawa (Naval Institute Press, 1995), Tarawa’s mysterious “tide that failed” lacked scientific interpretation until Donald W. Olson published his seminal essay in Sky & Telescope magazine for November 1987, page 526. Olson showed that the neap tide on November 20th happened to coincide with an apogean tide (when the Moon was at the far point of its orbit around Earth). The combined effect of the two factors was a tide of such minimal range as to fully explain the disaster.
The momentum of the assault was lost, and fierce fighting lasted three days. Four soldiers won the Medal of Honor. As the marker records, the Marines paid a high price for their eventual victory at Tarawa.
Also see . . .
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By Roger W. Sinnott, July 21, 2009 | |
| | | 4. What Is Left of a Japanese Gun Emplacement | | |
1. Wikipedia entry for the Battle of Tarawa. An account of the 1943 landing. (Submitted on December 22, 2009, by Roger W. Sinnott of Chelmsford, Massachusetts.)
2. Tarawa 65 years later, Service members return to Tarawa for memorial service. An article about commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Tarawa. The red plaque seen in the above pictures was placed during this ceremony. (Submitted on December 22, 2009.)
Credits. This page originally submitted on December 22, 2009, by Roger W. Sinnott of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 5,236 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 22, 2009, by Roger W. Sinnott of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Picture of reverse site of the marker. •
Readable picture of the red plaque on the side of the memorial. • Can you help?
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