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Makin Island Raid
The raid on Makin Island was an attack by Marine Raiders of the United States Marine Corps on the Japanese-controlled Makin Island from August 17–18, 1942. Aims of the raid included destroying local installations, acquiring prisoners of war and military intelligence on the Gilbert Islands, and diverting Japanese attention and reinforcements from the Guadalcanal campaign and battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo. Only the first of these objectives were achieved, but the raid did boost morale and provide a test for Raider tactics. Preparations and organization The raid was among the earliest American offensive ground combat operations of World War II. The force was drawn from the 2nd Raider Battalion and comprised a small battalion command group and two of the battalion's rifle companies. Because of space limitations aboard ship, each company embarked without one of its rifle sections. Headquarters Battalion, A Company, and 18 men from B Company—totalling 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gilbert And Marshall Islands Campaign
The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign was a series of engagements fought from August 1942 to February 1944, in the Pacific War, Pacific theatre of World War II between the United States and Empire of Japan, Japan. They were the first battles of a large-scale offensive across the Central Pacific by the United States Pacific Fleet and United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps. The goal of the campaign was to establish airfields and naval bases that would allow American air and naval assets to support future operations across the Central Pacific. Operation ''Galvanic'' and Operation ''Kourbash'' were the codenames for the Gilbert Islands, Gilberts campaign (in modern Kiribati), and included the seizures of Tarawa and Butaritari, Makin, which took place during the Battle of Tarawa on 20–23 November 1943 and the Battle of Makin on 20–24 November 1943. Operation ''Flintlock'' and Operation ''Catchpole'' had the goal of capturing Japanese bases at Kwajalein Atoll, Kwajalein, Ene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Tulagi And Gavutu–Tanambogo
The Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo was a land battle of the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II, between the forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allies of World War II, Allied (mainly United States Marine Corps) ground forces. It took place 7–9 August 1942 on the Solomon Islands, during the initial Allied landings in the Guadalcanal campaign. U.S. Marines of the 1st Marine Division, commanded by U.S. Major General Alexander Vandegrift, and the invasion force under Brigadier General William H. Rupertus, William Rupertus, captured the islands of Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo. The Japanese Navy had built a naval and seaplane base on these islands. The landings were fiercely resisted by the Japanese Navy troops who, heavily outnumbered and outgunned by the Allied forces, fought and died almost to the last man. While the landings on Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo were taking place, Allied troops were also landing on nearby Guadalcanal, with the objective of c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kwajalein Atoll
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ) is part of the Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilian personnel) often use the shortened name, Kwaj . The total land area of the atoll amounts to just over . It lies in the Ralik, Ralik Chain, southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. The US Navy has hosted a naval base on Kwajalein Island since World War II. It was the final resting place of the German cruiser ''German cruiser Prinz Eugen, Prinz Eugen'' after it survived the Operation Crossroads nuclear test in 1946. In the late 1950s, the US Army took over the base as part of their Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile efforts, and since then the atoll has been widely used for missile tests of all sorts. Today it is part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, with various radars, tracking camera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Missing In Action
Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed in action, killed, Wounded in action, wounded, prisoner of war, captured, capital punishment, executed, or Desertion, deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave have been positively identified. Becoming MIA has been an occupational risk for as long as there has been warfare. Problems and solutions Until around 1912, service personnel in most countries were not routinely issued with Dog tag (identifier), ID tags. As a result, if someone was killed in action and their body was not recovered until much later, there was often little or no chance of identifying the remains unless the person in question was carrying items that would identify them, or had marked their clothing or possessions with identifying information. Start ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Killed In Action
Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA did not need to have fired their weapons, but only to have been killed due to hostile attack. KIAs include those killed by friendly fire during combat, but not from incidents such as accidental vehicle crashes, murder, or other non-hostile events or terrorism. KIA can be applied both to front-line combat troops and naval, air, and support forces. Furthermore, the term died of wounds (DOW) is used to denote personnel who reached a medical treatment facility before dying. The category ''died of wounds received in action'' (''DWRIA'') is also used for combat related casualties which occur after medical evacuation. PKIA means presumed killed in action. This term is used when personnel are lost in battle, initial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makin Island Raid, August 1942
__NOTOC__ Makin may refer to: Places *Makin (atoll), an atoll in Kiribati, known to U.S. military forces during World War II as "Little Makin" *Butaritari, an atoll in Kiribati known to U.S. military forces during World War II as "Makin Atoll" and "Makin Island" * Makin, Indiana, a small town in Warren Township, Huntington County, Indiana, United States * Makin, Pakistan, a town in South Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan * Makin, South Australia, a locality in South Australia *Division of Makin, an electoral division in South Australia, Australia * Hundred of Makin, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Makin Tehsil, South Waziristan Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan Battles *The Makin Island raid, a 1942 raid by U.S. Marines on Japanese military forces on Butaritari during World War II *The Battle of Makin, the 1943 U.S. invasion of Butaritari during World War II People *Andrey Makin, birth name of Andreï Makine, French writer * Baths ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boys Anti-tank Rifle
The Boys anti-tank rifle (officially Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55in, Boys, and sometimes incorrectly spelled "Boyes") is a British anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It was often nicknamed the "elephant gun" by its users due to its size and large bore. There were three main versions of the Boys: an early model (Mark I) which had a circular muzzle brake and T-shaped monopod, built primarily at BSA in England; a later model (Mk I*) built primarily at the John Inglis and Company in Toronto, Canada, that had a rectangular muzzle brake and a V-shaped bipod; and a third model made for airborne forces with a 30-inch (762 mm) barrel and no muzzle brake. There were also different cartridges, with a later version offering better penetration. Although adequate against light tanks and tankettes in the early part of the war, the Boys was ineffective against heavier armour and was phased out in favour of the PIAT hollow charge weapon mid-war. Design and development The fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flying Boat
A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though a flying boat’s fuselage provides buoyancy, it may also utilize under-wing floats or wing-like hull projections (called sponsons) for additional stability. Ascending into common use during the First World War, flying boats rapidly grew in both scale and capability during the interwar period, during which time numerous operators found commercial success with the type. Flying boats were some of the largest aircraft of the first half of the 20th century, exceeded in size only by bombers developed during the Second World War. Their advantage lay in using water instead of expensive land-based runways, making them the basis for international airlines in the interwar period. They were also commonly used as maritime patrol aircraft and air-s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banzai Charge
Banzai charge or Banzai attack () is the term that was used by the Allied forces of World War II to refer to Japanese human wave attacks and swarming staged by infantry units. This term came from the Japanese battle cry , and was shortened to banzai, specifically referring to the bayonet charge tactic used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War. This tactic was used when the Japanese commanders of infantry battalions foresaw that a battle was about to be lost, as a last ditch effort in thwarting Allied forces. Origin The banzai charge is considered to be one method of , a suicide attack, or suicide before being captured by the enemy such as ''seppuku''. The origin of the term is a classical Chinese phrase in the 7th-century '' Book of Northern Qi'', which states "", "A true man would atherbe the shattered jewel, ashamed to be the intact tile." Among the rules there existed a code of honor that was later used by Japanese military governments. With the revolu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oscar Peatross
Oscar Franklin Peatross (March 2, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of major general who served as Marine Raider in World War II and was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism on August 17–18, 1942. He also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In 1993, the parade deck at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island was named for Peatross. Early career Peatross was born on March 2, 1916, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduated from Needham B. Broughton High School in 1934. He later graduated from North Carolina State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1939. Peatross joined the Marine Corps on November 6, 1940, and due to his university degree he was selected for the Officer's Candidate School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. He completed the school on February 20, 1941, and was commissioned a second lieutenant on that date. Peatross was then ordered to San Di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Outboard Motor
An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method of propelling small watercraft. As well as providing propulsion, outboards provide steering control, as they are designed to pivot over their mountings and thus control the direction of thrust. The skeg also acts as a rudder when the engine is not running. Unlike inboard motors, outboard motors can be easily removed for storage or repairs. In order to eliminate the chances of hitting bottom with an outboard motor, the motor can be tilted up to an elevated position either electronically or manually. This helps when traveling through shallow waters where there may be debris that could potentially damage the motor as well as the propeller. If the electric motor required to move the pistons which raise or lower the engine is malfunction ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inflatable Boat
An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and Bow (watercraft), bow made of Inflatable, flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and Hull (watercraft), hull are often flexible, while for boats longer than , the floor typically consists of three to five rigid plywood or aluminium sheets fixed between the tubes, but not joined rigidly together. Often the Transom (nautical), transom is rigid, providing a location and structure for mounting an outboard motor. Some inflatable boats can be disassembled and packed into a small volume, so that they can be easily stored and transported. The boat, when inflated, is kept rigid cross-ways by a foldable removable thwart. This feature makes these boats suitable for Lifeboat (shipboard), liferafts for larger boats or aircraft, and for travel or recreational purposes. History Early attempts There are ancient carved images of animal skins filled with air being used as one-man floats to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
