Figure 1.--Many youths were involved in the fighting on both sides. Tenagers as young as 17 years of age could volunteer for American military service with their parents approval. Here Marines on Eniwetok sshow tghe strains of combat (February 17, 1944). Many lessons learned on Tarawa at great cost were used in the Marshalls to limit losses.

Japan seized the Marshall Islands during World War I (1914). The League of Nations awarded a mandate to the Japanese after the War. The Japanese set up their administration Jaluit which had been the German administrative center. The penetration of the outer shell of Japanese islands in the south was followed by assauilts on the outer shell of Japanese islasnd defenses in the Central Pacific. The Japanese heavily fortified their island bastionss in preparation. New carriers and planes were beginning to reach the U.S. Pacific fleet. The American plan to defeat Japan was centered on a drive across the Central Pacific. Here the outer perimeter of the Japanese defenses were the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. The Japanese when they launched the war sought to destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet. The Imperial Fleet would then protect the expanded Empire. The elite corps of Japanese carrier pilots were lost during a series of naval engagements (Coral Sea, Midway and the Solomons campaign) during 1942. As a result, the Imperial Navy did not oppose the American invasion of the Marshalls, hopeing that well entrrenched and equipped garisons could fend off amphibious invasions. The U.S. Marines and Army forces proved they could not. The Marines and Army supported by the U.S. Navy took both Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls in bloody invasions. Lessons learned at Tarawa were implemented to limit losses. The Marines landed on Kwajalein atoll (January 31, 1944). The United States quickly took control of the islands. They were then turned into gforward bases to target the Carolines and ultimarely the Marianas. The logistics of amfibious operations were greatly aided by nearby land bases for support.

The Islands

The Marshalls Islands are two basically parallel north/south orientefd chains situated about 100 miles apart. The eastern islands were rferred to as the sunrise chain and are made up of Mille, Maloelap, and Wotje atols. The western or sunset chain includes Bikini, Eniwetok, Jaluit, Kwajalein, and Rongelap atols. These were just the major atols, there were many smaller atols. Kwajaleinis the world's largest coral atoll with over 90 small islands. It is located in the geographic center of the Marshalls and is about 2,100 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor. Much closer were the Gilberts to the southeast.

Background History

The Europeans to vist the Marshalls were Spanish explorers (early 16th century). The Islands are name after a British captain who visited them (1788). Considerable mapping was done on Russian expeditions under Adam Johann von Krusenstern (1803) and Otto von Kotzebue (1815 and 1823). The Marshall Islands were not claimed by a European power until Spain claimed them (1874). The Germans at the time were actively building an Empire, but most of Africa and Asia was already claimed by other European powers. Germany also claimed the islands. The Pope helped mediate the dispute between Spain and Germany. The Germans paid the Spanish $4.5 million and Spain in return recognized Germany's claim (1885). The Germans established a protectorate over the islands and opened trading stations on Jaluit and Ebon to develop the copra (dried coconut meat) trade. This continues to be a key part of the Island's econonmy. Marshallese Iroij (high chiefs) continued internal rule supervised by the German colonial administration. The Germans were not very successful. Administrative affairs were managed by private German and Australian commercial interests.

Population

The population of the Marshall Islands are of Micronesian origin. This means people who began a series of migrations from Southeast Asia. The population has a matrilineal culture organized on a complex system of clans and lineages based on land ownership. Most of the population is Christian, primarily Protestant. Only 4 islands and 19 atolls are actually inhabited. The terrains is primarly coral, limestone, and sand. This limits the population that can be supported. The total area of the islands is 181 square kilometers, about 60 percent of which is farmed. About half the population is located on Majuro Atol. We are not sure about the civilian population of the Marshalls was at the time of the War, but it seems less than 10,000 people.

Japanese Colonial Administration

Japan seized the islands during World War I (1914). The League of Nations awarded a mandate to the Japanese after the War in Article 22 of the League of Nations Charter. The Japanese set up their administration Jaluit which had been the German administrative center. The Marshalls were referred to as the Eastern Mandates. The Japanese after World War I settled about 1,000 people in the Marshalls in addition to military personnel. The Japanese set out to reshape the local culture in the Japanese image. The Japanese seized coastal land and attempted to reshapre the social struicture from the indegenous Matrilineality to the Japanese Patriarchal system. Instruction in the schools was in Japanese. At the time of World War II, the road network was still minimal. The Japanese had, however, on at least one of the islands in the major atol group had built airstrips. They constructed barracks, airfields, piers, and other basic military installations throughout the islands. After the start of the War, the Japanese began to further fortify the islands, especially in 1943 when it became obvious that the U.S. Navy was preparing anphibious invasions. The Marshalls were an easterly Japanese Pacific possession and thus a likely target of the rapidly expanding Pacific fleet.

Japanese Strategy

The Japanese controlled Gilbert and Marshall Islands were the outer perimeter of the Japanese Empire in the Central Pacific. The Japanese when they launched the war sought to destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet. The Imperial Fleet would then protect the expanded Empire. The elite corps of Japanese carrier pilots were lost during a series of naval engagements (Coral Sea, Midway and the Solomons campaign) during 1942. As a result the Imperial Navy did not oppose the American invasion of the Marshalls, hopeing that well entrrenched and equipped garisons could fend off amphibious invasions. The Japanese throughout 1943 were reinforcing their island bastions and strenghtening their defenses.

American Strategy (May 1943)

The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) presented their "Strategic Plan for the Defeat of Japan" during the Anglo-American Washington Conference (May 1943). American industry was finally delivering the war material providing the American military the capability of intensifying operations in the Pacific theater. Admiral Nimitz and the Navy was directed to conduct the primary campaign in large measure because the Central Pacific provided the the shorter, more direct approach to Japan. General MacArthur much to his displeasure was directed to conduct a secondary campaign that would support Nimitz's effort. The two campaigns would complement each other as the Japanese would be engaged over a wide expanse of territory and would be kept guessing where the next blow would fall. The basic JCS plan would prove to be the blueprint for not only demolishing the Japanese Pacific Empire, but to the eventual surrebder of the Home Islands. Admiral Nimitz was confronted with the largest battlefield ever assigned to a military commander--the vast straches of the Pacifuc Ocean. The strategy he develooed was to seizing one island chain which was then used to support operations on the next chain. The logistics of amfibious operations were greatly aided by nearby land bases for support.

The Gilberts (November 1943)

Nimitz's first target was the Gilbert Islands. The Gilberts were 565 nautical miles southeast of the Marshalls. The Japanese could not fortify and garrison every island in the Pacific. The U.S. Army's 27th Infantry Division seized Makin Island with only limited Japanese resistance. Tarawa proved a very different matter. The U.S. 2d Marine Division was shattered by heaviky entrnched Japanese defenders who fought to the death. The Marines finally took Tarawa but only after suffering appalling losses. To the surproise of American planners, the Imperial Fleet did not oppose the American invasions. Tarawa was very different tham the island invasions in the Sollomons. It was the first American amfibious invasion of a heavily fortified Japanese island. Not surprisingly many problems were found in the operation. Naval preinvasion bombardments proved ineffective against Japanese fortifications. Air support proved inadequate to support the marines. Communications was the principal problem. The Marines were inadequately equipped. In particular there was a shortahe of tracked landing craft. Despite these problems, the Marines proved that the U.S. Navy amphibious forces were capable of taking heavily fortified Japanese bases. The Navy carefully studdied the Tarawa landings and the lessons leaned there would be used to better plan subsequent operations. The United States immediately began establishing Tarawa and Mankin as forward bases for the next target--the Gilberts. Air bases there brought the Marshalls within range of land-based air attacks. American aircraft could now conduct combat and photographic reconoisance missions throughout the Central Pacific. The immediate target was the Marshalls.

Operation Flintlock--American Invasions (January 1944)

The penetration of the outer shell of Japanese islands in the south was followed by assauilts on the outer shell of Japanese island defenses in the Central Pacific. New carriers and planes were finally beginning to reach the fleet (1943). The first major American offensive after Guadacanal and the Sollomons was the amphibious assault on the Gilbert Islands (November 1943). The U.S. Marines proved in the Gilberts that cur off island garrisons could not hold. The Marines and Army supported by the U.S. Navy next assaulted the Marshall Islands. They took both Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls in bloody invasions. The Marines landed on Kwajalein atoll (January 31, 1944). The United States quickly took control of the islands.

Created: 7:09 AM 9/26/2008
Last updated: 9:07 AM 1/29/2009