The Beach at Tarawa

WWII - Japan

Naval War

bigpigeon.us webpage WWII - Japan > Central Pacific, updated by RAC 16 May 2022.   Some webpages in this webarea are incomplete.

Links to subordinate webpages:

• The Gilbert Islands
• The Marshall Islands
• The Mariana Islands
• The Palau Islands
• ​Towards the Philippines
•  The Pacific Communications Zone

In June 1942, the Japanese attack at Midway Island in the Central Pacific was coupled with a secondary attack 2,000 miles to the north in the Aleutian Islands. American success at the Battle of Midway stopped Japanese advances in the Pacific Ocean.

• However, several factors, such as the shortage of aircraft carriers, argued against quick follow-up US landings in the Central Pacific, where the large distance between island chains made it difficult to provide land-based air support for amphibious actions.
• For the next seventeen months, except for the expulsion Japanese forces from the Aleutian Islands, the Pacific War focussed on a smaller area in the South and Southwest Pacific. 

Here is an outline of major Central Pacific operations after the Battle of Midway:

• In November 1943, the Central Pacific Campaign began with the landings on Tarawa and Makin atolls in the Gilbert Islands.
• Invasion of selected isands in the Marshall Islands followed in January-February 1944.
• In June 1944, the Mariana Islands Campaign began.
• Finally, September-November 1944 witnessed the tragic Battle of Peleliu in the Palau Islands.

In a year, US forces in the Central Pacific advanced nearly 3,000 miles from Tarawa to Peleliu.

​Below are two maps of the Central Pacific. I haven't yet decided which map to use.

Within the Central Pacific are four island chains that figure into World War II history. Looking at the right part of the accompanying map, one can imagine these islands form sort of a tilted rectangle:

• The Mariana Islands - the upper left corner.
• The Marshall Islands - the upper right corner.
• The Gilbert Islands - the lower right corner.
• The Caroline Islands - the lower left corner.

In the middle of the rectangle, the main Japanese base was at Truk in the Caroline Islands. Although Truk was attacked by air and sea, most of the Caroline Islands did not witness land combat.

The timeline below summarizes major Central Pacific amphibious operations, including invasion month and number of US dead):
 Gilbert Islands (lower right on the map):

• Nov '43 - Tarawa Atoll (~1000 Marine and 700 Navy deaths)
• Nov '43 - Makin Atoll (66 dead)

Marshall Islands (north of the Gilberts):

• Jan '44 -  Kwajalein & Roi-Namur (~431 dead)
• Feb '44- Eniwetok (~390 dead)

Mariana Islands (northwest of the Marshalls):

• Jun '44 - Saipan (3,426 dead)
• Jul '44 - Guam (1,783 dead)
• Jul '44 Tinian (326 dead)

Palau Islands (southwest of the Marianas):

• Sep '44 - Peleliu (2,336 dead)
• Sep '44 - Anguar (260 dead)

WWII - The Central Pacific

Central Pacific June 1944

Sources for the The North and Central Pacific webpage:

• The The Beach at Tarawa header photo is courtesy of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA.
• The WWII - The Central Pacific map was found at https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Strategy/Strategy-22.html.