Tarawa - the fight for 'Bonnyman's Hill'

22nd November 1943: At enormous cost the US Marines finally turn the tide in the bloody struggle against the suicidal Japanese defenders

Led by a Marine with a wounded hand, an assault squad charging from the shore around opened barbed-wire entanglement to battle firmly entrenched Japanese in pillboxes on Tarawa. The leader is carrying his bayoneted rifle in the crook of his arm instead of with his wounded hand

Storming inland to the airfield on Tarawa.

The bitter struggle on the tiny island of Tarawa continued. During the first day the Marines had spent time shooting snipers out of the trees only to see more creep back overnight and threaten them the second day. The Japanese also occupied broken-down U.S. vehicles on the beach and in the water, using these as sniping positions - until they got blasted out. These were suicidal tactics that caused many US casualties - but the Marines gradually enlarged their bridgehead and began to prevail.

… he voluntarily crawled approximately 40 yards forward of our lines and placed demolitions in the entrance of a large Japanese emplacement …

Marines man an artillery position on Tarawa in November 1943. The helmet of the Marine in the center standing behind the field gun was pierced by a Japanese bullet, but he was unharmed.