Pacific Ocean Areas

Planning the Attack In May 1943, the Combined Chiefs of Staff decided to seize them.

This difficult assignment fell to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz who bore the impressive titles of Commander-in-Chief Pacific and Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Areas based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

He turned to four very capable men who would carry out the actual operation.

three admirals who were experts in amphibious landings fast carrier strikes and shore bombardment and major-general holland m smith who was the commanding general of the marines five amphibious corps and now also would be commanding general expeditionary troops it was he who would command the troops once they got ashore original cautious plans for stepping-stone attacks starting in the eastern marshals were modified and the daring decision was made to knife through the edges and strike directly at kwajalein atoll in the heart of the marshals cluster of thirty-two atolls more than one thousand islands and eight hundred sixty seven reefs kwajalein is the largest atoll in the world sixty miles long and twenty miles wide a semi enclosed series of eighty reefs and islets around a huge lagoon of some eight hundred square miles located six hundred twenty miles northwest of tarwa and two thousand four hundred fifteen miles southwest of pearl harbor its capture would have far-reaching strategic significance in that it would break the outer ring of japanese pacific defense lines within the atoll itself there were two objectives roye and namur a pair of connected islands shaped like weights on a four-mile barbell in the north end and crescent-shaped quadrillean island at the south end the fourth marine division under major-general harry schmidt was to assault roi namur and the army seventh infantry division under major-general charles h corlett would attack kwajalein after these islands were taken there was one more objective in the marshals eniwatak atoll this was targeted for attack some three months later by a task force comprised of the twenty second marine regiment called in the corps the twenty second marines and most of the army's one hundred sixth infantry regiment brig general thomas e watson u s m c would be in command as a preliminary to these priority operations the occupation of another atoll in the eastern marshals was planned this objective was majiro which would serve as an advanced air and naval base and safeguard supply lines to quadrillion two hundred twenty miles to the northwest because it was believed to be very lightly defended only the marine five amphibious corps reconnaissance company and the second battalion one hundred sixth infantry seventh infantry division were assigned to capture to support all of these thrusts there would be a massive assemblage of u s navy ships carriers battleships cruisers destroyers and an astonishingly varied array of transports and landing craft these warships provided a maximum potential for intensive pre-invasion aerial bombing and ship-to-shore bombardment the increased tonnage in high explosives the lengthened duration of the softening up process and the pinpointing of priority enemy targets were all lessons sorely learned from the inadequate preparatory shelling which had contributed to the steep casualties of tarawa for the marshals there were altogether three hundred eighty ships carrying eighty five thousand men with the plans in place and a very tight schedule to meet the d-day deadline the complex task of assembling and transporting the assault troops to the target area was put in motion readying the army seventh division was the easiest part of the logistical plan it was already in hawaii after earlier operations at attu and kiska in the aleutian islands off alaska the twenty second marines however had to come from samoa where it had been on garrison duty for some eighteen months and the fourth marine division was still at camp pendleton in california where it had recently been formed on thirteen january nineteen forty four the division sailed from san diego to commence the longest shore-to-shore amphibious operation in the history of warfare forty three hundred miles life at sea soon settled down into a regular routine all hands soon became acquainted with the rituals of alerts for general quarters in the blackness of pre-dawn mess lines stretching along the passageways inspections and calisthenics on the cluttered decks the loud speaker with its shrill whistle of a boatswain's pipe and its now hear this fresh-water hours and classes and weapons cleaning every day off duty the men took advantage of the opportunity to sleep play cards stand in line for ice cream write letters and of course engage in endless speculation about the division's objective which was originally known only by the intriguing title of burlesque and camouflage on twenty one january the transports carrying the marines anchored in lahaina roads off maui hawaii and visions of shore leave raced through the minds of all the men pula girls surf swimming cooling droughts and a local bar just what was needed after the long nights in the crowded humid troop compartments during the voyage over the ship's loudspeakers sad to say came a not unexpected announcement there will be no liberty after one day filled with conferences and briefings for the senior officers the task force sailed again next stop the marshall islands en route crossing the one hundred eightieth meridian there were the traditional colorful ceremonies in which the old salts initiated the men who had never before crossed the international date line into the domain of the golden dragon on thirty january the ships threaded their way through the eastern atolls of the marshals and the following morning dawn thirty one january they halted before their objectives with the northern component off roi namur and the southern component facing kwajalein island on every transport the men crowded the ships rails to stare at the low-lying islets which they must soon attack the twenty third twenty fourth and twenty fifth marines were assigned to the roi namur operation and the thirty second seventeenth and one hundred eighty fourth infantry regiments of the army's seventh division were to take the quadrillean island objectives meanwhile the small group assigned to majoro second battalion hundred sixth infantry plus the five amphibious corps

Japanese commanders agreed to counterattack with bombers, submarines, and the main battle fleet.

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, SYNCPAC, SYNCPOA, took these capabilities seriously.

Nimitz directed Spruance to, "...get the hell in and get the hell out." Spruance in turn warned his subordinates to seize the target islands in the Gilberts with lightning speed.

This sense of urgency had a major influence on the Tarawa campaign.

Planning the Attack In May 1943, the Combined Chiefs of Staff decided to seize them.

This difficult assignment fell to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz who bore the impressive titles of Commander-in-Chief Pacific and Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Areas based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

He turned to four very capable men who would carry out the actual operation.

three admirals who were experts in amphibious landings fast carrier strikes and shore bombardment and major-general holland m smith who was the commanding general of the marines five amphibious corps and now also would be commanding general expeditionary troops it was he who would command the troops once they got ashore original cautious plans for stepping-stone attacks starting in the eastern marshals were modified and the daring decision was made to knife through the edges and strike directly at quadrillean atoll in the heart of the marshals cluster of thirty-two atolls more than one thousand islands and eight hundred sixty seven reefs Kwajalein is the largest atoll in the world, 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, a semi-enclosed series of 80 reefs and islets around a huge lagoon of some 800 square miles.

In May 1943, the Combined Chiefs of Staff decided to seize them.

This difficult assignment fell to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who bore the impressive titles of Commander-in-Chief Pacific and Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Areas, CINCPAC, CINCPOA, based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

He turned to four very capable men who would carry out the actual operation.

Three admirals who were experts in amphibious landings, fast carrier strikes, and shore bombardment, and Major General Holland M. Smith, who was the Commanding General of the Marines' V Amphibious Corps and now also would be Commanding General, Expeditionary Troops.

Planning the Attack In May 1943, the Combined Chiefs of Staff decided to seize them.

This difficult assignment fell to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz who bore the impressive titles of Commander-in-Chief Pacific and Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Areas based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

He turned to four very capable men who would carry out the actual operation.

three admirals who were experts in amphibious landings fast carrier strikes and shore bombardment and major-general holland m smith who was the commanding general of the marines five amphibious corps and now also would be commanding general expeditionary troops it was he who would command the troops once they got ashore original cautious plans for stepping-stone attacks starting in the eastern marshals were modified and the daring decision was made to knife through the edges and strike directly at quadrillean atoll in the heart of the marshals cluster of thirty-two atolls more than one thousand islands and eight hundred sixty seven reefs Kwajalein is the largest atoll in the world, 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, a semi-enclosed series of 80 reefs and islets around a huge lagoon of some 800 square miles.

Planning the Attack In May 1943, the Combined Chiefs of Staff decided to seize them.

This difficult assignment fell to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz who bore the impressive titles of Commander-in-Chief Pacific and Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Areas based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

He turned to four very capable men who would carry out the actual operation.

three admirals who were experts in amphibious landings fast carrier strikes and shore bombardment and major-general holland m smith who was the commanding general of the marines five amphibious corps and now also would be commanding general expeditionary troops it was he who would command the troops once they got ashore original cautious plans for stepping-stone attacks starting in the eastern marshals were modified and the daring decision was made to knife through the edges and strike directly at quadrillean atoll in the heart of the marshals cluster of thirty-two atolls more than one thousand islands and eight hundred sixty seven reefs Kwajalein is the largest atoll in the world, 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, a semi-enclosed series of 80 reefs and islets around a huge lagoon of some 800 square miles.