BATTLES OF TARAWA AND KURSK

battle of Tarawa

BATTLE OF TARAWA

• In Nov 1943 marines invaded Tarawa, Tarawa is an atoll located about 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Also it was part of the Gilbert Islands

The invasion

About 18,000 Marines were sent to Tarawa and 4,500 Japanese troops were defending the island. The marines objective was to take and airfield on the island. When the Marines were invading they had to let off there troops short because of low tides they would have to go through razor sharp coral and getting shot at by the Japanese.

• The battle was an 76 hour battle on the second day they sent reinforcements they made the same journey as the day before but brought more artillery and tanks.

• After the battle 4800 defenders died 17 were captured America suffered 3,000 dead and about 2,000 wounded.

Battle of Kursk

• The battle of Kursk started on the 1st of July 1943 to August 23. it was one of the most largest tank battles in history.

• The battle of Kursk involved as many as 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and as many as 2million soldiers

• The Germans goal during the battle was to pinch off a part of the Russian army in the eastern front

• During the battle the Germans attacked a town called salient from the northern and southern directions the 13th soviet army held of the German offense.

• At the end of the battle the 9th German army had lost more than 2thrids of its tanks and men the Russians lost more than a couple hundred thousand men.