Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
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The Marine and US Army landing on the Tarawa Atoll's Betio and Makin islands were the first operations in the new Central Pacific front of the Pacific War. Tarawa was one of the deadliest amphibious landings for the Marine Corps which hadn't yet perfected such complex operations. But the lessons learned at Tarawa would already be applied a few months later at Kwajalein and Eniwetok.
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George Durrett, Luis Gonzalez, Mike Cumings, Jr., Charles Shananaquet II, Joel Sanchez, shane cawthon, Andrew Thomas Mooney, Chris Rohde, Bruce D, Jim Frame, Glenn Sugden, Lisa Anderson, George Haramundanis, G S, Kempf Mario, jhgBo8jigr hzufjkl, Gayle Elizabeth, Glenn G Webb, Stephen D Nugent PsyD, Daniel L Garza, Chris Daley, Simen Røste, Amy Williams, Jim F Barlow, Taylor Allen, Adam Smith, Josh Bruder, Konstantin Bredyuk, Richard L Benkin, Matt, Rob Carle, Murray Godfrey, Jan, Gage Manthey, Theodore Patrick Shannon, Bruce G. Hearns, Stephanie Schindhelm, Paul Wilcox, Brad Durbin, Fogeltje,
» SOURCES
Alexander, Joseph. “Utmost Savagery: The Three Days of Tarawa” Naval Institute Press, 1995
Cook, Paul J. “Peninsula Lessons for Atoll Warfare: The U.S. Marine Corps and the Development of Naval Gunfire Doctrine” Athens Journal of History, Vol. 6, No. 4 (2020)
Sherrod, Robert Lee. “Tarawa: The Story of a Battle” Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1944
Toll, Ian W. “The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944” W. W. Norton & Company, 2016
Wright, Derrick. “Pacific Victory: Tarawa to Okinawa 1943-1945” Sutton Publishing Limited, 2005
Wukovits, John. “One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle of Tarawa” NAL Caliber, 2006
»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Mark Newton
Director: Toni Steller
Editing: Philipp Appelt
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: above-zero.com
Research by: Mark Newton, Florian Wittig
Footage Research Support: The Archive Project thearchiveproject.com
Fact checking: Florian Wittig
Executive Producer: Florian Wittig
Channel Design: Simon Buckmaster
Contains licensed material by getty images, picture alliance, and Reuters
Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3
Music Library: Epidemic Sound
All photos and film in our documentaries are authentic historical footage. We do not use generative AI to create new assets. However, we may use AI tools to upscale or clean up certain assets without distorting or compromising the original image.
All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2025
Get Nebula with 50% off annual subscription with my link: go.nebula.tv/realtimehistory
Watch Epic History's WW2 Series: nebula.tv/videos/epichistorytv-road-to-ww2-1931-34?ref=realtimehistory
The Marine and US Army landing on the Tarawa Atoll's Betio and Makin islands were the first operations in the new Central Pacific front of the Pacific War. Tarawa was one of the deadliest amphibious landings for the Marine Corps which hadn't yet perfected such complex operations. But the lessons learned at Tarawa would already be applied a few months later at Kwajalein and Eniwetok.
» SUPPORT US
patreon.com/realtimehistory
nebula.tv/realtimehistory
» THANK YOU TO OUR CO-PRODUCERS
George Durrett, Luis Gonzalez, Mike Cumings, Jr., Charles Shananaquet II, Joel Sanchez, shane cawthon, Andrew Thomas Mooney, Chris Rohde, Bruce D, Jim Frame, Glenn Sugden, Lisa Anderson, George Haramundanis, G S, Kempf Mario, jhgBo8jigr hzufjkl, Gayle Elizabeth, Glenn G Webb, Stephen D Nugent PsyD, Daniel L Garza, Chris Daley, Simen Røste, Amy Williams, Jim F Barlow, Taylor Allen, Adam Smith, Josh Bruder, Konstantin Bredyuk, Richard L Benkin, Matt, Rob Carle, Murray Godfrey, Jan, Gage Manthey, Theodore Patrick Shannon, Bruce G. Hearns, Stephanie Schindhelm, Paul Wilcox, Brad Durbin, Fogeltje,
» SOURCES
Alexander, Joseph. “Utmost Savagery: The Three Days of Tarawa” Naval Institute Press, 1995
Cook, Paul J. “Peninsula Lessons for Atoll Warfare: The U.S. Marine Corps and the Development of Naval Gunfire Doctrine” Athens Journal of History, Vol. 6, No. 4 (2020)
Sherrod, Robert Lee. “Tarawa: The Story of a Battle” Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1944
Toll, Ian W. “The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944” W. W. Norton & Company, 2016
Wright, Derrick. “Pacific Victory: Tarawa to Okinawa 1943-1945” Sutton Publishing Limited, 2005
Wukovits, John. “One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle of Tarawa” NAL Caliber, 2006
»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Mark Newton
Director: Toni Steller
Editing: Philipp Appelt
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: above-zero.com
Research by: Mark Newton, Florian Wittig
Footage Research Support: The Archive Project thearchiveproject.com
Fact checking: Florian Wittig
Executive Producer: Florian Wittig
Channel Design: Simon Buckmaster
Contains licensed material by getty images, picture alliance, and Reuters
Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3
Music Library: Epidemic Sound
All photos and film in our documentaries are authentic historical footage. We do not use generative AI to create new assets. However, we may use AI tools to upscale or clean up certain assets without distorting or compromising the original image.
All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2025
