November 20, 1943; Battle of Tarawa : The first American offensive in the critical central Pacific region (THIS DAY IN HISTORY)
ZONA PERANG (zonaperang.com) – On this day in 1943, U.S. Marines assault the Tarawa Atoll(Operation Galvanic) in the Gilbert Islands. Of the more than 4,600 Japanese defenders dug in on the island, all but 17 are killed in 72 hours of intense fighting. American casualties are also heavy: 1,600 killed, 2,000 wounded. The first time…