Central Pacific

bigpigeon.us webpage WWII-Japan > Central Pacific > Marshall Islands, © 2023 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 5 Jan 2023.  
​Not yet complete.

The Marshall Islands, 31 January - 22 February 1944

The Marshall Islands were a former German colony administered by Japan as a League of Nations mandate after WW I. They were sometimes called the Eastern Mandates, to distinguish from the Mariana and Caroline islands further to the west, which the Japanese also administered.

The Gilbert Islands to the south had been captured in November 1943. The Marshall Islands were far better suited to serve as advance operating bases during attacks on the Mariana and Caroline islands.

US Marine and Army forces attacked three major atolls in the Marshall Islands: 

• ​Majuro in the southeast Marshalls was lightly defended and was taken without US casualties by a force of about 1,000 on 31 January.
• Kwajalein in the central Marshalls is about 300 miles northwest of Majuro.
• Eniwetok, also spelled Eniwetak, in the extreme northwest Marshalls is about 400 miles northwest of Kwajalein.

Resistance on each of Kwajalein and Eniwetok atolls, though moderate, was far less than had been experienced on Tarawa atoll in the Gilbert Islands. US casualties were accordingly lighter, but were still in the moderate to heavy range.

Kwajalein Atoll, 31 January - 3 February 1944:

• V Amphibious Corps (Holland Smith).
• 4th Marine Division and 7th Infantry Division.
• ​531 US dead, about 8,000 Japanese dead.
  
• The US attack struck at the atoll's two major island clusters, Kwajalein and Roi-Namur.

Kwajalein Atoll, January 1944

Eniwetok Atoll, 17-23 February 1944:

• Eniwetok Expeditionary Group (TG 51.11, Harry W. Hill), an ad-hoc group.
• 22nd Marine Regiment
• 106th Infantry Regiment
• ​390 US dead, about 3,400 Japanese dead.
• The US attack struck in succession Engebi Island, Eniwetok Island, and Parry Island.

Eniwetok Atoll, 1944

With the Marshall Islands in US control, they were developed as base areas for the mid-1944 operations in the Mariana Islands.

Sources for Big Pigeon's Central Pacific > Marshall Islands webpage:​​

• The Kwajalein Atoll, January 1944 map is courtesy of the United States Military Academy at  https://www.westpoint.edu/academics/academic-departments/history/world-war-two-asia.
• The Eniwetok Atoll, 1944 map is courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Eniwetok_map.png.

Pottawattamie County, Iowa Area WW II Dead - Central Pacific > Marshall Islands:

• Taken from the bigpigeon.us WW II Dead module.

07-02 - Central Pacific > Marshall Islands: (one dead, updated 4 Oct 2023)
† Jones, Paul Bernard, SN 297,023, US Marine Corps, Webster Co.

• Co. C, 1st Bn., 22nd Marine Regt.; KIA 22 Feb 1944 Parry Is., near Eniwetok Is., Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Is.; Battle of Parry Is. - Central Pacific > Marshall Islands.