Before the outbreak of war, the US Navy and the Marines had put considerable effort into developing a doctrine to support amphibious operations from ship to shore gunfire. When the marines landed on Tarawa in November 1943, it would be the first serious test of this doctrine.

In this episode, I’m joined by Donald Mitchener to discuss the doctrine and how it developed from those initial assault landings on Tarawa through to the end of the war.

Donald is a lecturer at the University of North Texas and author of ​​U.S. Naval Gunfire Support in the Pacific War.

Become a patron: patreon.com/ww2podcast