After the bloody Battle of Tarawa, which raged from November 20 to 25, 1944, during World War II, American soldiers posed in front of a pile of dead Japanese soldiers.

　　Following the bloody Battle of Tarawa, which erupted from November 20 to 25, 1944, during World War II, American soldiers posed in front of a mountain of Japanese soldiers' corpses. The Battle of Tarawa began on November 20 when 18,600 American troops landed on Tarawa Island and engaged in combat with 4,600 Japanese soldiers.The fighting continued for four days until November 25, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The U.S. forces occupied Tarawa Island. Of the 3,636 Japanese soldiers, only 17 survived. Of the 1,200 Korean laborers brought to Tarawa, only 129 survived. The U.S. forces suffered 1,009 killed in action and 2,101 wounded.

　　By November 23, the Japanese forces had lost most of their heavy equipment. Approximately 350 Japanese soldiers gathered near the eastern end of the runway where the U.S. forces had set up camp. They decided that rather than wait passively for death, they would launch a night raid. Wounded soldiers who could not participate in the raid committed suicide by putting the muzzle of their guns in their mouths or stabbed each other with bayonets.

　　The night raid began at 7:30 PM when Japanese soldiers infiltrated the American camp. Approximately 50 Japanese soldiers advanced from the runway to the southern coastline, infiltrating the American lines through dense underbrush. After fierce fighting, the Japanese forces were temporarily repelled.The next night raid began at 11:00 p.m., with a group of Japanese soldiers shouting as they launched an attack from the woods in front of the camp. The American forces used mortars and machine guns to defeat the group of 50 soldiers. 

　　The Japanese army's third night raid began at 4:00 a.m., with a charge against the American positions.Approximately 300 Japanese troops charged, firing artillery and machine guns, as well as receiving gunfire from destroyers. Under concentrated American fire, most of the Japanese soldiers were killed before reaching the American positions. The remaining Japanese soldiers engaged in close combat with bayonets and rifles. By dawn, the bodies of 300 Japanese soldiers lay scattered inside and outside the American positions.