Tarawa - Red Beach-Blood Tide

RED BEACH - BLOOD TIDE: THE BATTLE OF TARAWA follows CH's successful OMAHA BEACH series ... just move things over an ocean, and then some.

BETIO, TARAWA ATOLL, 20 November 1943: On the morning of D-Day on Tarawa, Red Beach Two was to be a killing ground for both sides. Landing Team 2, 2nd Marine Division paid a stiff price to get ashore. This was especially so for their attached engineers. These Marines in particular were a breed apart: skilled infantrymen, imbued with the skill and nerve to be demolitions experts, flame-thrower operators and obstacle breaching engineers. Staff Sergeant William J. Bordellon was among the best and brightest of this group. When Japanese shellfire disabled his LVT at H-Hour, killing most of his platoon, Bordelon led a handful of survivors toward the shelter of the seawall. Bordelon quickly fused the remaining dynamite into four explosive charges, stood up in the face of intense fire from Japanese machine gun positions, and lobbed one charge after another into the positions until being wounded in the left arm and face by shrapnel. Despite Bordelon's heroics, the most dangerous strongpoint sat with impunity some distance inland, firing steadily at the wading Marines/ The Sergeant crawled forward, and managed to stuff one of his charges through the firing slit, wiping out the gun and crew.

During the effort, Bordelon took another bullet through his already wounded arm, and his fourth charge exploded just as he was about to hurl it. Despite being seriously wounded, Bordelon refused treatment. Instead, he was joined by another stalwart, Marine Sergeant Beers, and continued his quest to silence the Japanese bunkers. After Beers was wounded, Bordelon apparently left the battlefield to drag him to saftey, only to return again with a grenade launcher to continue his one man war. Wounded again in the shoulder, Bordelon stood up to fire his weapon when he was shot dead in the exchange. After the battel, SSgt. William J. Bordelon was the only enlisted man to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on Tarawa.

The invasion of Tarawa Atoll was the second American offensive in the Pacific after Guadalcanal. On 20 November 1943, an aerial bombardment of carrier-based Dauntless dive bombers preceded the amphibious landings. The shore was defended by a maze of bunkers and interlocking gun positions so well-entrenched that the preliminary bombardment had little effect.

Once the bombing lifted, the island’s defenders were able to take up defensive positions and began repelling incoming landing craft. The majority of the Higgins boats got hung up on the barrier reef surrounding the island, forcing the Marines inside to jump over the side into neck-high water and wade hundreds of yards to shore, all the while under constant machine gun and artillery fire.

Amphibious tractors, also known as Amtrak’s or LVTs (Landing Vehicle Tracked) fared slightly better as they were designed to climb over obstacles and land on shore. Over the course of the day, more than half of the Allied landing craft were destroyed by Japanese mortars and light artillery.

Includes:

• 1 Color Wraparound Cover Sheet
  
• Nine 18” x 12.5” Color Cardstock Maps
  
• Four ASL Special Rules Sheets
  
• Three Countersheets of 176 Counters
  
• Six Countersheets of 240 Counters
  
• 10 Scenarios
  

Scenarios included:

• Hawkins’ Way – Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 20th 1943
  
• Bordelon and Beers - Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 20th 1943
  
• Blood Red Beach - Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 20th 1943
  
• My Deloris - Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 20th 1943
  
• Killing Ground - Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 22nd 1943
  
• Newsmakers - Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 22nd 1943
  
• Schoettel’s Redemption - Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 23rd 1943
  
• Bonnyman’s Forlorn Hope - Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 22nd 1943
  
• 1310 - Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 23rd 1943
  
• Red Tide at Tarawa - Betio Island, Taraw Aatoll, Gilbert Islands, November 20th-23rd 1943