One Square Mile of Hell

The Beach on Betio

At a cocktail party the other night, a few of us were discussing the experiences of the father of one of the group. That brave soul had tramped ashore at Utah Beach in Normandy, France during the famed D-Day invasion of Europe in June of 1944.   The man's memories were held mostly to himself but, nearing his death, he did let his sons in on his experiences.  Riveting stuff.

John Wukovits, in dramatic words penned in his book One Square Mile of Hell, tells of the experiences of the sailors and Marines of the 2nd Marine Division as they came ashore at a little island called Betio in the Tarawa Atoll in November of 1943.   The Marines' mission was to secure the island's airfield to eliminate its usefulness to the Japanese.  In addition, the Marines were to test amphibious tactics to be used by the Allies upon invading Normandy in the spring of the following year.

The Marines' story of the three day battle is gruesome. Despite heavy and sustained bombardment from the air and naval gunfire, the tenacious Japanese were dug in with thick palm logs and steel reinforced concrete over their interlocking fortifications.  The majority of Japanese survived the steel curtain of destruction and waited for the first line of Marines to come into range.

With crossing fields of fire, the Marines plodding over the reef and headed ashore in Higgins boats and Amtracs were cannon fodder.   As Japanese heavy guns and mortars along with scything machine gun fire cut down these valiant men, the lagoon and shoreline filled with the bodies of the dead and blood turned the water red.   The wretched survivors leaped to the task and, in a 72 hour hand-to-hand free-for-all with Japanese Marines, went across this tiny speck of sand and cleared out a tough and resilient enemy.

The Marines had added another glorious chapter to their already sublime history.  Lest we forget the sacrifice one man is willing to give for another, I highly recommend this book.