OPERATION GALVANIC - Proud and Few

0 Nov 1943, BETIO ISLAND, TARAWA ATOLL, OPERATION: GALVANIC \\Size: Massive Playtime: Several hours\\As part of Admiral Nimitz's 'Island Hopping' Campaign, Tarawa Atoll was selected as the first location to be re-taken. The small Island of Betio (pronounced Bay-shio) was chosen as the target. OPERATION: GALVANIC would include many other 'firsts'; this would be the first time making an 'opposed' amphibious assault; the first time the USMC commander would have his command center onboard a Navy Battleship, the first time AMTRACs would be used to conduct a landing. The coordination of all elements of such an operation rivalled the complexity of the Moon landings conducted 25 years later. Mistakes would be made and lessons would be learned, but at great cost.\\The Japanese had fortified the island into one giant pillbox. The IJA Commander boasted that 'a million men would take a thousand years to conquer this island.' The USMC would take the island in 3 days, but the cost was horrific; casualty rates in the combat battalions ran from 30% to nearly 90%. Uncensored footage of the invasion was shown in theaters in America and the public was outraged at the cost of life, yet grimly determined to stay the course. In retrospect, the operation's name was very fitting; OPERATION: GALVANIC galvanized the US public into unquestioned support of the war effort, and galvanized the Navy & Marines to do their best to not let the mistakes made here be repeated elsewhere, ever again.\\ Design notes: This is the historical set-up. Recommend use Alternate Fire Density & Variable Ending optional rules. Other optional rules upon mutual player agreement. Due to extremely low tide, only the LVT 'amtracs' could reach the beach; the LCVP Higgins Boats & LCMs could not cross the reef; the USMC player should drop all boat carried reinforcements at the reef, do not proceed to the beaches. As the AMTRACs approached their respective beaches a smoke barrage was laid on Red 1,2 & 3 - one barrage per beach - with the fourth smoke barrage targeted at the base of the Ocean Pier (vic hex 72, 25). The USMC has at start four 10 round 5" fire missions; these 'Available' fire missions are for the smoke screen; do not use High Explosive with them. If they are not used on turn 1, they will become unavailable the rest of the game. There are 2 x Naval Gunfire Support Observers in an assault boat located in hex 120,5. They are provided so the USMC player can use his turn 1 support; the boat & officers are withdrawn on turn 2. Historically the Navy ceased high explosive gunfire along the western part of Betio 20 minutes prior to troops landing. Destroyers continued to fire at the eastern half of the island to include Red Beach 3. This pause allowed the Japanese to come out of their shelters and re-occupy their defensive positions on the west part of Betio. Japanese 'reinforcements' represent the soldiers moving back to the bunkers & foxholes from their bombardment shelters. The USMC player should take his empty LCVPs & LCMs to the north map edge and remove them from the map to prevent the Japanese from gaining excess VPs. Blue 'ocean' hexes inside the reef-line represent deep spots & sand hexes represent exposed reef. The wire & tetrahedrons are shown as 'American' because the US had complete recon on where they were located. Mines are shown as Japanese, as these would be harder to spot. \\See the associated text file for more history & player strategy.