| |
| | Island Hopping |
 | | Near the close of 1943, a thrust at the Gilbert Islands from the Central Pacific, in which Tarawa, Makin, and Apamama were seized, paved the way for the assault on the Marshall Islands on January 31, 1944. |
 | | Betio, the primary island of Tarawa atoll, is only two miles long and 600 yards wide, but it had the only airstrip in the islands and was vigorously defended by highly trained Japanese troops. |
 | | Near the close of 1943, a thrust at the Gilbert Islands from the Central Pacific, in which Tarawa, Makin, and Apamama were seized, paved the way for the assault on the Marshalls on 31 January 1944. |
| www.u-s-history.com /pages/h1671.html (2672 words) |
|