Makin Island raid

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Makin Island raid Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II U.S. Marines return to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on August 26, 1942, on board the U.S. submarine Nautilus following their raid on Makin Island Date August 17 – August 18, 1942 Location Butaritari (Makin Island) in the Pacific Ocean Result U.S. tactical victory Belligerents  United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester Nimitz, Evans Carlson Koso Abe, Kanemitsu Strength 211 83–160 Casualties and losses 21 killed, 9 captured (executed later) 83–160 killed 2 aircraft destroyed 2 small ships sunk[1]

v • d • e Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign Makin raid – Tarawa – Makin – Kwajalein – Truk – Eniwetok

The Makin ("muggin") Island raid occurred on August 17 – August 18, 1942, and was an attack by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) on Japanese military forces on Makin Island (now known as Butaritari Island) in the Pacific Ocean. The aim was to destroy Japanese installations, take prisoners, gain intelligence on the Gilbert Islands area, and divert Japanese attention and reinforcements from the Allied landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

Contents 1 Preparations and organization 2 Execution of the raid 3 Reaction by the Japanese 4 Evacuation of the Raiders 5 Conclusions 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Preparations and organization

The USMC raiding force was drawn from the 2nd Raider Battalion and comprised a small battalion command group and two of the Battalion's six rifle companies. Because of space limitations each company embarked without one of its rifle sections. Battalion headquarters, Company A and 18 men from Company B (totaling 121 troops) were embarked aboard USS Argonaut and the remainder of B Company (totaling 90 troops) was embarked aboard USS Nautilus. The raiding force was designated Task Group 7.15.^[2]

[edit] Execution of the raid

The Marines launched in rubber boats powered by small, 6hp outboard motors shortly after midnight of August 17. Surface conditions were windy and rainy, with a difficult chop, swamping many boats and drowning out outboard motors. The mission continued with operable boats towing to shore those without power.

The Raiders were landed at 05:30 and swiftly defeated the Japanese garrison, estimated to number as few as 83 or as many as 160 troops. During the fighting, Sergeant Clyde A. Thomason was killed while leading an assault on a Japanese position. Thomason was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions and was the first Marine to win this award during World War II.^[3]

[edit] Reaction by the Japanese

[edit] Evacuation of the Raiders

The Raiders were evacuated from the island by the same two submarines. Nine U.S. Marines were inadvertently left behind or returned to the island during the night withdrawal. They were subsequently captured and executed by Japanese forces after being moved to Kwajalein.^[4]

[edit] Conclusions

Carlson reported that he had personally counted 83 Japanese bodies and estimated that "160" Japanese were killed based on reports from the Makin Island natives with whom he spoke. Additional Japanese personnel may have been killed in the destruction of two boats and two aircraft. Morison states that 60 Japanese were killed in the sinking of one of the boats.

Although the Marine Raiders succeeded in annihilating the Japanese garrison on the island, the raid failed to meet its other material objectives. No Japanese prisoners were taken, and no meaningful intelligence was collected. Also, no significant Japanese forces were diverted from the Solomon Islands area. In fact, because the vulnerabilities to their garrisons in the Gilbert Islands were highlighted by the raid, the Japanese strengthened their fortifications and defensive preparations on the islands in the central Pacific, which may have caused heavier losses for U.S. forces during the battles of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaigns. However the raid did succeed in its objectives of boosting morale and testing raider tactics.^[5]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Hough, LtCol Frank O., USMCR; Maj Verle E. Ludwig, USMC, Henry I. Shaw, Jr., (1958). Pearl Harbor To Guadalcanal, History Of The Marine Corps Operations In World War II, Volume I. Washington, D.C.: United States Marine Corps. 
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1949 (reissue 2001)). Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, May 1942 – August 1942, vol. 4 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Champaign, Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06995-6. 
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1961). Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, June 1942 – April 1944, vol. 7 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ASIN B0007FBB8I. 
• Rottman, Gordon; Duncan Anderson (consultant editor) (2005). US Special Warfare Units in the Pacific Theatre 1941–45. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 1841767077. 
• Peatross, Oscar F.; John P. McCarthy and John Clayborne (editors) (1995). Bless 'em All: The Raider Marines of World War II. Review. ISBN 0965232506. 
• Smith, George W. (2003). Carlson's Raid: The Daring Marine Assault on Makin. Berkley Trade. ISBN 978-0-425-19019-7. - Neutral review of this book: [1]
• Wiles, W. Emerson "Tripp" (2007). Forgotten Raiders of '42: The Fate of the Marines Left Behind on Makin. Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1-59797-055-6. 
• Young, Howard. "Carlson's Raiders on Makin, 17–18 August 1942", Marine Corps Gazette 87(8): August 31, 2003.

[edit] External links

• FROM MAKIN TO BOUGAINVILLE: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War by Major Jon T Hoffman, USMCR, official USMC historical account of raid
• World War II Submarines and Marines Unite, press release by Commander, Submarines Pacific, in 2000 summarizing the raid.
• Crowl, Philip A.; Edmund G. Love (1955). Seizure of the Gilberts and Marshalls (English). United States Army in World War II — The War in the Pacific p. 60–66. Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.- Briefly describes the Makin Raid and its impact on future U.S. operations in the Gilbert Islands.
• Hoffman, Jon T. (1995). Makin (brochure). FROM MAKIN TO BOUGAINVILLE: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War. Marine Corps Historical Center. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
• Whitman, Edward C.. SUBMARINE COMMANDOS: "Carlson's Raiders" at Makin Atoll. Undersea Warfare. United States Navy, Chief of Naval Operations, Submarine Warfare Division. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
• Enright, Ray (Director). (1943) 'Gung Ho!': The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders [Feature-length film]. Universal Pictures. — U.S. film that dramatizes the Makin Raid.