European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 17, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Vasfa marines Advance slowly under heavy fire As they Lay claim to a Tarawa Beach More than 1,000 marines were killed in three Days of fighting for the Chain of tiny islands. Pacific blood Bath . Troops battled Japan and each other for a tiny Chain of islands by Sid Moody the associated press t was scarcely bigger than a Golf course this Coral islet called Betio. But it was the first of a series of bloody stepping stones across the Central Pacific for the United states toward Japan Steps in world War ii. That were to make names like Saipan Pel Eliu iwo Jima and Okinawa hallowed names. The Marine Landing on Tarawa the better remembered name of the atoll of which Betio was a part in nov. 20,1943, was a Harbinger of most of what was to come. Short furious fighting on islands too Small for subtlety ending in Triumph for the americans and annihilation or mass suicide for the japanese garrisons. Gen. Douglas Macarthur commander of the Southwest Pacific come deplored the straight ahead Point Blank tactics of the marines As heedlessly wasteful of lives. His american and australian army troops however lost More men Clearing Eastern new Guinea than the marines and army had in vicious fighting on Guadalcanal in 1942. Macarthur argued a in vain a that America s naval and air strength be poured into his offensive up the new Guinea coast on to the Philippines and thence to Japan. The interservice infighting for limited men and Materiel a with the War in Europe having priority a sometimes left bystanders wondering who the real enemy was a the Axis or . Generals and admirals Down the Hall. Fortunately the Pacific was big enough to accommodate Large egos jealousies and traditions. Whatever its merits Macarthur s strategy flew in the face of the Navy brass and their commander adm. Ernest j. King who were damned if their new fast carriers and battleships would serve under an army general. Moreover they argued by opening a second front in the Pacific the japanese would be whips wed by alternating american attacks and kept off balance and out of Pacific Ocean _ Gilbert is. A new Guinea _ _. A a e0uaip-. T3t a Solomon is. Austral position. This turned out to be the Case. When marines landed on Bougainville in the Soloi wands on nov. 1,1943, the japanese Fleet hurried t earing an attack on their major Basie at Rabaul. Thu t Ere was Only a land Garrison to defend Tarawa 1,4 Miles to the East three weeks later. The existence of parallel offensives also solved the problem of handling Macarthur s hero status with the me can Public and the army s and Navy s Unwiller to Nave one service command the other. The establishment of the two Heaters and two a it j  Pacific neatly solved the bureaus a Pic relations problems a wrote War historian 24 the stars Ano stripes wednesday november 17,11