Last week Marine Major General Holland M. ("Howlin' Mad") Smith, who commanded amphibious operations in the assault on the Gilbert Islands, spoke to home folks who had quailed at the losses on Tarawa (TIME, Dec. 13).
Said he: "Those who say that the casualties on Tarawa were too high and that such a thing must not happen again should realize that the Marines on Tarawa killed four Japs for each Marine that died. We lost approximately 1,000 Marines but the Japs lost everybody they had. ... In an offensive operation you should expect to lose more than the enemy. ... So we...
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