With the Marines at Tarawa
80-MH-3527
19:46
Description:
Marines clean machine guns and attend religious services aboard transports at sea, climb into landing craft which head for shore, wade through the surf protected by naval, and aerial bombardment, consolidate beach positions, move inland, and care for wounded. A landing craft is hit. Mortars are fired and Japanese infantry flushed from dugouts. Marines and tanks move up. Gen. Smith inspects positions. Wounded Marines are loaded on a ship and the dead buried at sea. Japanese POW's are searched and given first aid. Construction on an airstrip is begun; a plane lands and the pilot congratulates Marines.