Battle of Tarawa — 76 Hours of Carnage in the Central Pacific

US Marines assaulted Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, encountering the most heavily fortified Pacific island they had yet attacked. Of approximately 4,700 Japanese defenders, only 146 survived; they fought almost to the last man. US Marines suffered approximately 1,000 killed and 2,100 wounded in 76 hours. The battle shocked American public opinion when graphic photographs and film footage were released — the first time the US government allowed images of American dead. The costly lessons of Tarawa — about amphibious equipment, naval gunfire support, and reef obstacles — directly shaped subsequent Pacific island assaults.