The Battle of Tarawa was a battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that was fought on 20–23 November 1943. It took place at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Americans died in the fighting, mostly on and around the small island of Betio, in the extreme southwest of Tarawa Atoll.
U.S. Divisions suffered similar casualties in previous campaigns, such as over the six months of the Guadalcanal Campaign, but the losses on Tarawa were incurred within 76 hours. The nickname " Bloody Tarawa" is not usurped.