The Hawkins Room PTO (id:#57820)

Heat of Battle (Blood Reef Tarawa ID: BR 3)   [next]   [previous]

(Revision: MMP: HASL 5 - Blood Reef: Tarawa BRT1)

Red Beach One, Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands 1943-11-21 (6 others)

Overview:

Lieutenant Dean Hawkins, and his Scout Sniper platoon had the distinction of being the first American force on the island of Betio. He led a detachment of engineers and his Scouts along the pier on D-Day taking out bunkers and buildings likely to be in the way of the following assault waves. On the second day Hawkins was a veritable one-man show going after pillboxes and fortified buildings. When not on his own, he repeatedly led assaults into "The Pocket", to relieve pressure on the pinned Marines on the beach and to stop the deadly enfilading fire. Hawkins personally destroyed 6 pillboxes on the second day on Betio. He would throw a grenade, then rush the emplacement, then stuff another grenade or Demolition charge into the aperture.

Defender: Japanese (7th Rikusentai, and the 6th Special Base Force)  

Errata (source)