GI Joe World War II Liberators Pacific Marine 12" Action Figure 2003 Hasbro USED

In 1944, the Allied forces in World War II launched major counter-offensives as more weapons, manpower and equipment became available. The success of these campaigns moved America and its allies past their previous setbacks and renewed their strength and determination. As the Allied forces liberated enemy-occupied countries, they were welcomed by the people in each city and town, as the restorers of freedom to a war-ravaged world.

In the Pacific Theater, the battle of Tarawa was part of the overall battle to liberate the Pacific from the enemy's control. The Marines assaulted Betio, an island in the Tarawa Atoll, where the enemy had a 4,000-foot airstrip. The island had extremely formidable defenses including barbed wire barring the way to the beaches, underwater mines and pillars to deter landing craft, and a shoreline covered with heavily reinforced pillboxes, blockhouses and emplacements housing weapons from 13 mm to 8-inch guns. The Marines fought for 76 long, grueling hours to take this virtually invulnerable island and in the end they succeeded, although at a heavy cost to both sides. The capture of Betio was one step in the liberation of the Pacific and the push toward Allied victory.

Marines in the Pacific had in their arsenal the 30 caliber, water-cooled machine gun. It had a rate of 450 shots per minute and great stability due to its weight, and it made an excellent defensive weapon when Marines established their own beachheads.

G.I. Joe World War II Liberators - A Real American Hero - Poster included inside! - Ages 5+ - Hasbro 2003

Box shows scuffing and has been opened. The plastic shows scuffing and scratches. The machete and sheath are missing from the box. The other items have never been removed from the box.