In November 1943, the men of the 2nd marine division watched as bombardments destroyed the Japanese defenses on an islet in the tarawa atoll. But when the marines landed, the Japanese poured out of their protective bunke...In November 1943, the men of the 2nd marine division watched as bombardments destroyed the Japanese defenses on an islet in the tarawa atoll. But when the marines landed, the Japanese poured out of their protective bunkers and began one of the most brutal encounters of the war.