Sands of Iwo Jima — Kiribati
The film opens at Tarawa — the battle that shocked America with its carnage and forged the Marines who would go on to Iwo Jima.
The Battle of Tarawa (November 20-23, 1943) killed 1,000 Marines in 76 hours on an island barely 3km long. Landing craft hit an unexpected reef 500 metres from shore — men had to wade under fire for 15 minutes. The tactical failures at Tarawa directly transformed American amphibious doctrine for every subsequent Pacific island assault.