The newly formed 2nd Marine Raider Battalion face a frightening first mission during the early days of WWII: to rout the much larger Japanese garrison on Makin Island. The movie has a gritty, realistic feel, achieved by the use of actual war combat footage, and a cast of reliable Hollywood tough guys, including Randolph Scott as Col. Thorwald, and Noah Beery Jr. as Cpl. Kurt Richter. Keep an eye out for a young Robert Mitchum in one of his earliest roles as the swaggering 'Pig-Iron' Matthews!