Well my year, 11 months actually, in Kiribati has come to an
end. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience and this really has been one of the
highlights of my life so far despite the many challenges the year has held. I’ve
been looking forward to getting home but now it is almost time to leave I have mixed
feelings about heading home but am looking forward to getting back into my hobbies,
including gaming when I do.
I haven’t been able to do much in the way of gaming from out
here. However, I was round at the deputy High Comms place a while back and
noticed a large collection of Osprey’s and assorted military books. You wouldn’t
be a wargamer would you? Yep. Alas we didn’t manage to get any gaming in but
was nice to chat about rules etc now and then.
One thing that has kept me sane out here is my weekly Dungeons and Dragons session with my gaming group back home via messenger. We’ve been gaming pretty much weekly since 2001 so wasn’t going to let a small matter of pretty average internet access and being in the middle of the Pacific hold me back, and indeed it has been a real sanity check being able to have that weekly contact with the guys and the silliness that is our Tuesday night gaming sessions.
As I said I’m looking forward to getting home and getting back
into a few projects. First off the block will probably be continuing my Lord of
the Rings project using Dragon Rampant rules. I have been tempted to get a few
more of those lovely Conqueror Models dwarves for my collection… we will see. However,
being out here and seeing how little people have has made me reevaluate my own priorities
regarding my discretionary spending so think I’ll be a tad more careful with gaming
purchases in future-
that’s the plan anyway.
I’ve only the tomorrow left and I’m off home, arriving mid-afternoon on Christmas day after an overnight stopover in Fiji. So expect
a more regular updates in 2019.
This month is the 75th anniversaries of the Battles of Tarawa and Makin here in Kiribati (or the Gilbert Islands as they were then known- Kiribati is Gilbert in the i-Kiribati language).
Butaritari lies a couple of hundred kilometres north of Tarawa. The atoll is roughly
four-sided and nearly 30 km across in the east-west direction, and averages
about 15 km north to south. The reef is more submerged and broken into several
broad channels along the west side.
The Japanese landed on Butaritari on December 10, 1941, three days after the attack on
Pearl Harbour and began to build a seaplane base on the island of Butaritari.
On August 17, 1942, Butaritari was attacked by Colonel
Evans Carlson's 2nd Marine Raider Battalion. Landing from two submarines the 211-man
force killed 83 of Makin's garrison and destroyed the island's installations
before withdrawing. In the wake of the attack, the Japanese reinforced the Gilbert Islands. This saw the arrival on Makin of a company from
the 5th Special Base Force and the construction of more formidable defenses.
Butaritari’s defences were centered around the lagoon
shore near the seaplane base in the central part of the island. There were two
tank barrier systems. The west tank barrier, which extended from the lagoon
two-thirds of the way across Butaritari, was 12 to 13 feet wide and 5 feet
deep, and was protected by one anti-tank gun, a concrete pillbox, six
machine-gun positions and 50 rifle pits. The east tank barrier, 14 feet wide
and 6 feet deep, stretched from the lagoon across two-thirds of the island and
bent westward with log anti-tank barricades at each end. It was protected by a
double apron of barbed wire and an intricate system of gun emplacements and
rifle pits.
A series of strongpoints were established along the ocean
side including 8-inch coastal defense guns, 37mm anti-tank gun positions, machine-gun
emplacements and rifle pits. The Japanese expected an invasion to come on the
ocean side of Butaritari, following the example of Carlson’s raid in 1942, and
established their defenses two miles from where that raid had taken place.
Without aircraft, ships or hope of reinforcement or relief, the outnumbered and
outgunned defenders could only hope to delay the coming American attack for as
long as possible.
The Japanese garrison on Butaritari consisted of 798 men: 284 combat troops
of the 3rd Special Base Force-Makin Detachment along with 100 aviation personnel and about 500 Korean labourers. The garrison was commanded by Lt. j.g. Seizo Ishikawa.
The US 27th Infantry Division was a New York National Guard unit that had been transferred to Hawaii where it remained 18 months before being chosen
to take part in the Gilbert Islands invasion.
On November 20th 1943 at the same time as the 2nd Marine
Division landed at Tarawa the 27th Infantry Division's 165th Regimental
Combat Team landed on Butaritari on Makin Atoll. infantry were supported by Lees and Stuart tanks of the 193rdTank Battalion which were to prove invaluable in supporting the infantry.
The American plan was to overwhelm Makin’s defenders with
crushing air and naval barrages followed by an amphibious landing intended to
mop up any lingering enemy resistance. The U.S. planners hoped to lure the Japanese into committing most of their forces to oppose the first landings on Red Beach which would allow the troops landing on Yellow Beach to attack from the rear. The US commanders estimated it
would take about two days to clear the island.
The
Japanese, however, did not respond to the attack on Red Beach. Instead they withdrew
from Yellow Beach with only harassing fire, leaving the troops of the 27th
Division no choice but to knock out the fortified strongpoints one by one.
Reduction operations were hampered by the frequent inability to use heavy
support weapons, including tanks, because of the danger of cross-fire.
Japanese snipers hidden in the fallen trees and shell craters started were to take a heavy toll on the attackers and the American regimental commander was killed while rallying his
troops.
Like Tarawa the Battle lasted three days and it wasn't until the morning of the
23rd of November when the troops of the 3rd Battalion reached the eastern tip of Butaritari and organised resistance was declared
ended.
In the battle of Makin the
27th Division lost 66 soldiers killed and 152 wounded. Japanese casualties were
550 men killed and 105 prisoners of war, all but one of whom all but one were
labour troops.
The Battle of Makin is less well known than the Battle of Tarawa but Makin is notable in that it was the first
amphibious assault conducted by U.S. Army forces in the Central Pacific during
World War II. Valuable lessons were learned that were to pave the way for larger operations on
Saipan, ion the Philippines, and on Okinawa. Makin also marked the combat debut of
armour in an Army-led Pacific landing and was the only time American-crewed Lee
medium tanks were used in battle against Japan.
So why the sudden interest in the Battle of Makin? As mentioned this month is the 75th Anniversary of the battle, along with
Tarawa, and next weekend I’m heading up to Buitaritari with some other kiwi
volunteers for the weekend and hope to be able to explore some of the remnants
of the battle. With a bit of luck I'll have a few pictures to post in a week or so.
Well, I'm back in wargaming purgatory, so not much to report on the gaming front. However, I took these pictures back in February. I went with an Aussie
friend for a trip over across the lagoon to North Tarawa for a swim. I was surprised to see a rusting WWII shell lying on the beach and then he took me to see a stockpile of rusting shells slowly rusting way on the shoreline. Are any of them live? I have no idea but bloody well hope not.
Someone as stockpiled them there, my friend said that a few years ago a contractor had put them there and that (I think) they were to be supposed to have been disposed off, but currently they are just lying on an uninhabited atoll across the lagoon, relics of the battle of Tarawa.
I have been living in South Tarawa for the past 9 days or so. I've had a week long orientation and started my volunteer job this week. I must say I am absolutely loving it so far. The country of Kiribati is very different to what I was expecting, hell I didn't really know what I was expecting, and am looking forward to the year ahead.
I've been pretty busy so haven't really had a chance to explore the WWII sites yet, but travel past many on my way to work in the morning. I am hoping to get some time to explore this weekend or next.
As part of my orientation on Monday we went past this WWII Japanese bunker in the Marine Training Centre where I am working. The duty officer's watch house is sited on top of it! It has been painted a nice dark green. There are still bullet hole pock marks on the surface.
Japanese Bunker in my place of work!
Today at lunchtime I went for a walk along the road that passes Red 3 beach.
Another view of Red 3, looking east. I'm not sure what that is in the water, possibly the remnants of some US equipment? The lagoon is pretty badly polluted by human waste and not recommended for swimming it, at least for foreigners. The locals don't seem to mind though.
The Japanese command bunker, about 200m from where I work! It is now surrounded by a Mormon school.
The front of the command post, showing evidence of some pretty significant hits! Would love to get a look inside it.Today it is the backdrop to a basketball court.
I will hopefully have plenty more pictures to come.
Today Tarawa is part of the country of Kiribati (pronounced, Ki-ri-bus) which is one of the poorest countries on the Pacific. Kiribati is a smattering of small coral atolls scattered across an area of ocean the size of the continental United States The highest point in the islands is a whole 3 metres above sea level and whenever there is a tsunami warning many locals on South Tarawa go to the highest point of the island, the sports stadium for protection!
Tarawa has a large lagoon of approximately 500 square kilometres (193 square miles) and a wide reef. Although naturally abundant in fish and shellfish of all kinds, marine resources are being strained by the large and growing population. Drought is frequent but in normal years rainfall is sufficient to maintain breadfruit, papaya and banana trees as well as coconut and pandanus.
North Tarawa consists of a string of islets, with the most northern islet being Buariki. The islets are separated in places by wide channels that are best crossed at low tide.On South Tarawa, the construction of causeways has now created a single strip of land from Betio in the West to Buota in the Northeast.
Most I-Kiribati live on South Tarawa (on the map North Tarawa is in yellow, South Tarawa in red).Today, approximately 50,000 people call South Tarawa home making it one of the most densely populated places in the Pacific. The land area of South Tarawa is 3,896 acres (1,577 ha) or 15.76 square km. However, much of this land is not available for use including the water reserve and runway, the causeways, and a large area of reclaimed land at Temwaiku while the eastern corner of the atoll is too swampy and low-lying for settlement. If these areas are excluded, the land area of South Tarawa is only just over 1,000 hectares (10 square km or 2,500 acres) and the population density of 49 people per hectare or 4,905 per square km is almost equal to the density of London (5,100 people per km2) and twice the density of Sydney, Auckland or New York.
Kiribati has few natural resources and is one of the least developed Pacific Island countries. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. The public sector dominates economic activity, with ongoing capital projects in infrastructure including road rehabilitation, water and sanitation projects, and renovations to the international airport, spurring some growth.
South Tarawa is the economic hub of Kiribati, the location of the main port and airport and of most of the State Owned Enterprises and private businesses. Copra produced on the outer islands is processed on Betio, producing copra oil for the international market and other products which are sold locally. There is also a fish processing plant producing tuna for export. However, imports far outweigh exports, and most households on South Tarawa rely on Government employment and remittances from relatives working overseas for their income. Unemployment and under-employment are a serious problem; in 2010 only 34% of urban adults (over 15) were engaged in cash work; the remaining two-thirds are either out of the labour force, unemployed or engaged in subsistence activities. Young people are especially likely to be unemployed and this is a growing problem.
As well as South Tarawa the other main population centre is the eastern island chain of the Line Islands of which Kiritmati Island (Christmas- no not the one in the Indian ocean full of refugee detained by Australia) is the largest island and is several hundred kilometres to the east.
Causeway linking atolls in South Tarawa
Kiribati is well of the usual beaten track for most tourists and it is experiencing first hand the impact of climate change and is experiencing all sorts of problems due to sea level rise and rapid population growth. Some settlements have been abandoned due to frequent flooding and fresh food, especially fruit and vegetables, are often in short supply due to the salination of the soils, meaning a lot of food needs to be imported. So Kiribati is not your typical South Pacific paradise. In fact the country has purchased land in Fiji in case they are forced to leave their homeland for good!
Why the interest in Kiribati/Tarawa? So why the sudden interest in Tarawa and Kiribati? Well, as alluded to in the previous post, apart from my general interest in World War Two history, it is because I’m off to live there for a year! I’ve accepted a role with New Zealand’s Volunteer Service Abroad and will be living there for twelve months. It is not going to be easy, no doubt there will be many, many challenges and struggles ahead but I am hoping that the experience will be a life changing one. I've never been a fan of the corporate treadmill so see this as an opportunity to branch out and do something completely outside my comfort zone. I’ve been wanting to do a VSA assignment for many years but it is only now that my kids are nearing the end of high school that I feel the time is right. So recently I applied for a role in Kiribati and am pleased to say that I have been accepted for the one year posting.
I’ll be leaving my wife and kids back home in NZ but due to the isolated nature of Kiribati volunteers have to leave the island every 4 months or so for a week or two break either back home or elsewhere in the Pacific so plan on meeting up with my wife in Fiji every four months or so and hope that other family members will take the opportunity to pop out for a visit to one of the more remote corners of the Pacific.
I’m not sure when I will be going yet, I have a four day briefing in Wellington in a couple of weeks but still have to pass medical checks etc before going so it is still quite a process. I am hoping some time in early January so I can give my current employer plenty of notice and as I’ve some work to do around home first but we will see.
No doubt the year ahead will be fraught with challenges and it will be a very difficult one, but I am really looking forward to the experience, it is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long, long time and intend to create a blog to about my experience.
So, in the next twelve months things will change dramatically for me and wargaming will not really be on my regular radar for quite some time.
The island atoll of Tarawa lies in the heart of the Pacific Ocean in the Gilbert islands approximately 4000 km (2500 miles) southwest of Hawaii and 2100kms east of Truk Island in the Caroline islands.The island was scene of a bloody battle during World War Two.
Prior to the outbreak of war New Zealand had a 18 coastwatchers stationed on the island, most of whom were civilian volunteers from the NZ postal service.
The Imperial Japanese Navy occupied the Gilbert Islands three days after the attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1943. They built a seaplane base on Makin and dispersed troops along the coastlines of the atolls to monitor the Allied forces' movement in the South Pacific.
After the arrival of the Japanese forces these coast watchers were captured and most were later executed by the Japanese.
John Jones was one of seven coastwatchers on Butaritari atoll in the north of the group. He was captured and taken to a prison camp in Japan. Seventeen others were beheaded by the Japanese on Tarawa atoll in August and September 1942 in retaliation for an American raid on the atolls. An eighteenth, Ron Third, was based on Ocean Island, now called Banaba, died in captivity after the island was captured by Japan in the August of that year. Five other civilians - three Britons, an Australian and a New Zealander - were also killed in the Tarawa massacre.
All those executed received a posthumous mention in dispatches and the civilian coastwatchers were retrospectively given military rank in 1944 so that their dependants could claim pensions and other rights. In 2014 their sacrifice was finally officially recognised in New Zealand with a memorial dedicated to them was unveiled in Wellington. John Jones, the last surviving Coastwatcher, then 94 years old, was able to finally pay tribute to his fallen friends and colleagues http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10587923/WWII-coast-watchers-honoured.
However, the fate of the coastwatchers remained largely unknown here in New Zealand until recently and it was a long forgotten chapter of our wartime history. After having waited for so long for recognition of his comrades sacrifice, John Jones passed away earlier this year at the age of ninety-six http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/89163265/last-survivor-of-wwii-radio-operators-in-kiribati-dies
The Americans put up a memorial to the murdered coastwatchers after their forces retook Tarawa and this memorial was replaced in 2012 by a new memorial. It is interesting to note that is memorial was provide by the Australian government, not the New Zealand one!
The Battle of Tarawa Nov 20-23rd 1943
Tarawa was to become the southerly point of Japan’s defensive shield, and so its capture was seen as being important in keeping the lifeline between Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand open for the allies.
Like most islands in this region, Tarawa was actually a coral atoll and consists of 38 islands surrounded by coral reef. Betio island is the largest island group and lies at the southernmost reach of the lagoon, and it was here that the majority of the Japanese troops were based. Shaped roughly like a long, thin triangle, the tiny island is approximately 3.2 kms (2 miles) long and only 730m (800 yards) wide at its widest point. A long pier was constructed jutting out from the north shore onto which cargo ships could unload cargo while anchored beyond the 500-metre (550 yd)-wide shallow reef which surrounded the island. The northern coast of the island faces into the lagoon, while the southern and western sides face the deep waters of the open ocean.
Tarawa was selected for the site of one of the first amphibious landings to pierce the Japanese defensive shield, and as it turned out to be the first one where the beach landing was opposed by Japanese forces. Unfortunately for the marines who landed the planners had ignored the advice of a New Zealand expat who had lived on the islands for 15 years who had told them that the lagoon would be less than 3 feet deep at the time of the landing. Although the Am tracks were able to navigate the lagoon the Higgins boats and other landing vessels were unable to and so many marines found themselves floundering ashore and having to cross up to 1200 metres of lagoon, under heavy fire the whole way, to even arrive to the beaches. Many of them did not make it. Indeed about half of all US casualties were among those struggling to cross the lagoon.
The main value of the island was its airfield. Rear Admiral Shibasaki Keiji defended Betio with 4,836 troops of whom 2600 were of the Special Naval Landing Forces and about 1,000 were Japanese construction troops. There were also 1,200 Korean labourers on the island. At Keiji's disposal were also 14 large coastal defence guns, 50 field artillery pieces, over 100 machine gun nests, and 500 pillboxes dotted the landscape. To further deter landing attempts, the Japanese constructed a huge wall across the lagoons to the north.
The American 2nd Marine Division landed on 20 November and were met with fierce resistance from the Japanese defenders. indeed at the end of the first day the marines toehold was extremely precarious but luckily the Japanese commander had been killed while vacating his bunker to allow it to be turned into a hospital and this meant the Japanese were disorganised and did not launch a night counter attack, which could have had disastrous consequences for the Americans.
On the second day the Americas were able to consolidate their position and secure the beaches for reinforcements. By the end of the day, the entire western end of the island was in U.S. control though the position was still far from secure but the tide had turned in the Americans favour.
The third day of battle consisted primarily of consolidating existing lines along Red 1 and 2, beaches an eastward thrust from the wharf, and moving additional heavy equipment and tanks ashore onto Green Beach. During the morning the forces originally landed on Red 1 made some progress towards Red 2 but took casualties. Meanwhile, the 6th Marines which had landed on Green Beach to the south of Red 1 formed up while the remaining battalion of the 6th landed.
By the afternoon the 1st Battalion 6th Marines were sufficiently organised and equipped to take to the offensive. At 12:30 they pressed the Japanese forces across the southern coast of the island. By late afternoon they had reached the eastern end of the airfield and had formed a continuous line with the forces that landed on Red 3 two days earlier. By the evening the remaining Japanese forces were either pushed back into the tiny amount of land to the east of the airstrip, or operating in several isolated pockets near Red 1/Red 2 and near the western edge of the airstrip.
That night the Japanese forces formed up for a counterattack, which started at about 19:30. Small units were sent in to infiltrate the U.S. lines in preparation for a full-scale assault. The assembling forces were broken up by concentrated artillery fire, and the assault never took place. Another attempt, a large banzai attack, was made at 03:00 and met with some success, inflicting 173 casualties, including 45 dead.
The next day the island was finally secured. The Japanese fought almost to the last man, exacting a heavy toll on the Marines. The 2nd Marine Division suffered 894 killed in action, 48 officers and 846 enlisted men, while an additional 84 of the wounded later succumbed their wounds. A further 2,188 men were wounded in the battle. Of the 3,636 Japanese in the garrison, only one officer and sixteen enlisted men surrendered. Of the 1,200 Korean laborers brought to Tarawa to construct the defences, only 129 survived. All told, 4,690 of the island's defenders were killed.
As well as the Americans and Japanese losses the islands were home to an indigenous population who also suffered extensive losses during the battle, which, as so often in military history, is often overlooked.
