Because of space limitations aboard ship, each company embarked without one of its rifle sections. It is a linear reef feature, 12.3 km long north-south, with five islets, the two larger ones being inhabited (Makin and Kiebu). Japanese presence on the island was relatively light. Sgt. Geography. A battle-weary LT. Col Evans Carlson, USMC, back onboard Nautilus after the first blooding of \"Carlson's Raiders\" at Makin Atoll. USG Image of Marine Raiders on the deck of the USS Argonaut after the Makin Raid. The raid was among the first American offensive ground combat operations of World War II. Two companies of Raiders traveled eight days by submarine from Pearl Harbor to Makin, then made one of the most daring attacks of World War II. The Battle of Makin was an engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought from 20 to 24 November 1943, on Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. Dean Winters of the 2nd Marine Raiders Battalion – “Carlson’s Raiders” – prepare to debark from the submarine USS Nautilus before the Makin Raid.

By 1942, much of the garrison established on Makin was moved out because of little Allied threat leaving the Japanese garrison on the island with a small seaplane base, weather … The force was drawn from the 2nd Raider Battalion and comprised a small battalion command group and two of the Battalion's six rifle companies.

The Japanese first gained the territory on December 9, 1941 with a 300 strong SNLF task force made for the capture of the Gilbert island chain, largely because there were so few civilians on the island. Walter Carroll and Pfc. 17 Aug 1942 - 18 Aug 1942. Of the 12 MIA Marines 9 were captured and taken to Kwajalein Atoll where they were interrogated and eventually executed with the Japanese never reporting them as POWs. The raid on Makin Atoll was primarily a diversion to lure Japanese attention away from the main landings at Guadalcanal, but things went badly from the start. Battalion headquarters, A Company and 18 men from B Company—totaling 121 troops—were embarked aboard the submarine Argonaut and the remainder … The raiders approached Makin in … The aim was to destroy Imperial Japanese installations, take prisoners, gain intelligence on the Gilbert Islands area, and divert Japanese attention and reinforcements from the Allied landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

The August 1942 raid on Makin Atoll by the 2nd Raider Battalion (\"Carlson's Raiders\") was staged as a diversion to the invasion of Guadalcanal.

Makin is located six km northeast of the northeastern corner of Butaritari atoll reef and 6.9 km from the Butaritari islet of Namoka.

In mid-July, Makin Atoll in the Gilbert archipelago was selected. Contributor: C. Peter Chen ww2dbase Makin Atoll, with the main island of Butaritari, was taken by the Japanese at the first phase of the quick expansion across the Pacific, two days after the Pearl Harbor attack. The raid was scheduled for Aug. 17, 1942, only 10 days after the start of Operation Cactus. The Raid on Makin Island was an attack by the United States Marine Corps Raiders on Japanese military forces on Makin Island in the Pacific Ocean.