Review of Marines at Tarawa Return to Guam

History buffs and war movie fans will not want to miss this riveting documentary. It depicts the rather harrowing battle that occurred between the U.S. Marines and the Japanese as fought for control of the Pacific island of Tarawa.

The Battle for Tarawa proved to actually be a pivotal point in the Pacific Theatre, occurring near the end of 1943. Located southeast of the Japanese Empire, the Gilbert Islands served as outposts and the island of Tarawa itself had been turned into a very heavily fortified base. In fact, it was probably the most fortified base in the Pacific at the time. On November 20, 1943 the 2nd Marine Division began to move toward invading the beaches. The fighting that ensued was quite severe and the Marines suffered heavy casualties. More than 1,000 were killed in the battle that followed. With almost 5,000 Japanese soldiers defending the based, it was naturally a heated battle. When it finally ended on November 23rd; however, almost the entire Japanese defensive line had been wiped out. Only 17 remained alive.

This film follows the horrific events that occurred during that three day time period, detailing the efforts of the 2nd Marine Division as they fought to take control of the island. Of the more than 1,000 men who were killed in the battle, two of them were Marine photographers working on this very documentary.

In 1945, the documentary won an Oscar for Best Documentary.


 

only $4.50