[stylin19a]

approx 1000 Marines died and 2000 were wounded in 76 hours of hell-fighting, before Tarawa was considered taken.

Scratchin my head about why a mass grave. Has to be a good reason.

[fso301]

Scratchin my head about why a mass grave. Has to be a good reason.

My dad was at Tarawa. The atoll is barely large enough for an airstrip. Dead marines and Japanese were everywhere and when thousands of corpses are lying out in the tropical sun, a health crisis can start real fast.

I'm speculating now but the graves registration people may have done their jobs and moved on but shortly thereafter, marked graves had to be moved to accomodate work on the airfield.

[Domangart]

The body after three says in that location would be a mass of jello that stunk like hell. It was either that or burial at sea. That is what Punch Bowl is for.

[MARTIAL MONK]

Scratchin my head about why a mass grave. Has to be a good reason.

Hundreds of bodies were in the water, some for days. As tanks and other vehicles hit the beach and moved inland they unavoidably were driven over the bodies of dead marines. Nightmare stuff for the tankers.