Donald MacIlwaine Mitchell

Private Donald Mitchell served with How Company, 8th Marines during the battle of Tarawa. As a member of the Second Battalion’s weapons company, he likely served as a crewman for a water-cooled machine gun or 81mm mortar.

The amphibious assault on Betio, Tarawa atoll – Operation GALVANIC – commenced on 20 November 1943. The Second Battalion 8th Marines was given the job of assaulting the easternmost of three landing beaches – “Red 3” – and, once ashore, moving inland to quickly secure the airfield that covered much of the tiny island’s surface. A heavy and morale-boosting naval bombardment convinced many Marines that the task would be a simple one, and spirits were high at 0900 when their amphibious tractors started paddling for the beach.

The Japanese were quick to recover. Shells began bursting over the LVTs. “As the tractors neared the shore the air filled with the smoke and fragments of shells fired from 3-inch guns,” notes A Brief History of the 8th Marines. “Fortunately, casualties had been light on the way to the beach, but once the men dismounted and struggled to get beyond the beach, battle losses increased dramatically.” Most of the beach defenses were still intact, and these were supported by row after row of pillboxes, rifle pits, and machine gun nests.

Private Mitchell was last seen alive during the landing operation. He was reported as missing in action after the battle; when no further word of his whereabouts was received, his status was changed to killed in action effective 20 November 1943.