Two Marine Corps photographers were killed while filming this documentary.
The destroyer shown near the beginning of the film delivering orders to the command ship is the U.S.S. Frazier (DD-607). During the battle of Tarawa it provided pre-invasion bombardment and fire support to the Marines ashore. Commissioned in 1942, the ship earned 12 battle stars in WWII. She was decommissioned in 1946 and sold for scrap in 1972.
One of the Marine photographers who filmed the Battle of Tarawa was actor Louis Hayward. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his action.