Julian Smith knew what to expect from the neap tides at Betio. “I’m an old railbird shooter up on the marshes of the Chesapeake Bay,” he said, “You push over the marshes at high tide, and when you have a neap tide, you can’t get over the marshes.” His landing boats were similarly restricted as they went in toward Tarawa. Smith was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for Tarawa to go with the Navy Cross he received for heroic acts in Nicaragua a decade earlier. The balance of his career was unremarkable. He retired as a lieutenant general in 1946, and he died in 1975, age 90. To the end of his life he valued his experience at Betio. As he communicated to the officers and men of the division after the battle: “It will always be a source of supreme satisfaction and pride to be able to say, ‘I was with the 2d Marine Division at Tarawa.’” ] [Sidebar (page 7): The Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces Tarawa was the first large-scale encounter between U.S. Marines and the Japanese _Special Naval Landing Forces_. The division intelligence staff had forewarned that “naval units of this type are usually more highly trained and have a greater tenacity and fighting spirit than the average Japanese Army unit,” but the Marines were surprised at the ferocity of the defenders on Betio. [Illustration: _Japanese on Betio conduct field firing exercises before the battle. The film from which this picture was developed came from a Japanese camera captured during the assault._ Photo courtesy of 2d Marine Division Association ] The Japanese “Imperial Marines” earned the grudging respect of their American counterparts for their esprit, discipline, marksmanship, proficiency with heavy weapons, small-unit leadership, manifest bravery, and a stoic willingness to die to the last man. Major William K. Jones, whose 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, engaged more of the enemy in hand-to-hand combat on Betio than any other unit, said “these [defenders] were pretty tough, and they were big, six-foot, the biggest Japs that I ever saw.” Major Lawrence C. Hays reported that “their equipment was excellent and there was plenty of surplus found, including large amounts of ammo.” The Japanese used _Special Naval Landing Forces_ frequently in the early years of the war. In December 1941, a force of 5,000 landed on Guam, and another unit of 450 assaulted Wake Island. A small detachment of 113 men was the first Japanese reinforcing unit to land on Guadalcanal, 10 days after the American landing. A 350-man SNLF detachment provided fierce resistance to the 1st Marine Division landings on Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo early in the Guadalcanal campaign. A typical SNLF unit in a defensive role was commanded by a navy captain and consisted of three rifle companies augmented by antiaircraft, coast defense, antiboat, and field artillery units of several batteries each, plus service and labor troops. [Illustration: Photo courtesy of 2d Marine Division Association