Raid on Makin Island

Raid on Makin Island
Part of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign of the Pacific Theater (World War II)
U.S. Marines return to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on board the American submarine Nautilus following the Makin Island raid, 26 August 1942.
Date 17–18 August 1942 Location Makin Island (now Butaritari), Pacific Ocean 3°09′N 172°50′E / 3.150°N 172.833°E / 3.150; 172.833 Result American strategic victory
Belligerents
United States  Gilbert and Ellice Islands	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Chester W. Nimitz Evans Carlson	Kōsō Abe Kyuzaburō Kanemitsu †
Strength
211 troops (from the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion) 2 submarines	2 officers 69 other ranks 2 civilians attached 13 aircraft[citation needed] 3 small ships
Casualties and losses
19 killed 17 wounded 9 captured (later executed) 2 missing	46 killed 2 flying boats destroyed 2 small boats sunk[1]
class=notpageimage| Location within Pacific Ocean

The Raid on Makin Island (17–18 August 1942) was an attack by the United States Marine Corps Raiders on Japanese military forces on Makin Island (now known as Butaritari) in the Pacific Ocean. 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. Only the first of these objectives were achieved, but the raid did boost morale and provide a test for Raider tactics.