U.S. destroyers swung broadside to the low-lying coast and sounded a compelling reveille with the barking of their 5-in. guns. Boats crowded with green-clad men crawled like bugs toward the shore. This was no landing on an enemy beach saturated by bombardment; success this time depended on surprise.
The Japs were surprised. Shells fell around the boats as they pushed their way into a 50-yd.-wide channel through coral reefs. But the Japs were too late, their resistance disorganized. The green-clad troop tumbled out onto a strip of beach and drove the defenders back into...
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