A US Marine examines a wooden dummy Japanese rifle used on Saipan.


Fake Rifle

A Marine moves forward loaded down with  machine gun ammo on top of his M1 and his helmet on backward. The enemy is right in front of them. Note, his buddy ready to throw a grenade! The Japanese commander had boasted, "A million men cannot take Tarawa in a hundred years." The Marines took it in 3 days.
It just shows you how heavily defended the island was. Garrison of 3,500 Japanese on an Island a mile long by half a mile wide. 
12,000 Marines put on the Island and they suffered just over a thousand fatalities in 72 hours.
The US public was shocked at the cost. A foretaste of what was to come.
taken from FB/Kyle Worthington/Richard King

Tarawa

Marines fire a 37mm gun at Japanese positions during the invasion of Iwo Jima.