Japanese Forces

Tadao Onuki

of the few Japanese defenders to survive the battle of tarawa one was a tanker. His name was Tadao Onuki and his story was published in Japan in 1970 called The End of the Tarawa Garrison. Onuki decided to take his type 95 light tank closer to the beach accordening to the Japanese defense doctrine of destroying the enemy on the beach, Here he had a good field of fire toward the beach he destroyed several US marines amtracs with his 37mm main gun at the approaching Marines, "There we broke our silence. Under roaring fires, enemy craft wrecked, American soldiers went down one after another, went falling into the sea."