The Makin Atoll Raid was a raid that was carried out by the United States 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, otherwise known as Carlson's Raiders. The raid itself took place on August 17, 1942 with the main objective being to distract the Japanese from the main Invasion of Guadalcanal. Furthermore, the raid would provide a morale boost and be a general test of the ability for Marine Raider Battalions to quickly raid and leave Japanese-held territories.