Description

The first full-scale effort to recover from the Japanese some of their strongholds in the Central Pacific was the expedition to the Gilbert Islands in November, 1943. Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard furnished components of the expeditionary forces. The Army elements were commanded by Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith. They comprised the 27th Infantry Division Task Force, derived principally from that division but with many provisional units attached. The Capture of Makin narrates the Army’s part of the campaign, which was the prelude to later advance among the Marshall Islands. ……. This study is based upon a first narrative prepared in the field from military records and from notes and interviews recorded during the operation by Lt. Col. S. L. A. Marshall. His manuscript has been edited and partially rewritten with the help of additional documentation by Maj. John M. Baker and Dr. George F. Howe. Although in published form the book contains no documentation, the original manuscript, fully documented, is on file in the War Department. One photograph (p. 113) is by the U. S. Coast Guard; the aerials (pp. 10, 38, 51, 52, 58, 78, 82, 102, 114) are by the U. S. Navy. All others were taken by the U. S. Army Signal Corps.