Hawkins Field Betio Tarawa March
1944 Betio, Kiribati
By March 1944, the captured airstrip on Betio in Tarawa Atoll had been renamed Hawkins Field. This photograph shows the base several months after the 1943 battle, as US forces expanded it into an operational airfield for the ongoing Pacific campaign.
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Tarawa aerial view through time — all 5 photos taken here (1943–2005) →
