| A Very Brief Look at Guam in World War II by: Nathanael T. Miller |
| Guam was taken by the U.S. from Spain during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Guam was conquered and occupied by Japanese forces starting on December 8, 1941 (because of the international dateline running down the middle of the Pacific, this would have made it late in the day on December 7, 1941, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii). The enemy swooped in on Guam, Wake Island, and the Philippines, as well as British, French, and other possessions. The people of Guam, the Chamorros, endured a 30-month occupation that was typically brutal in the Japanese fashion of the time. American forces returned to the Marianas Islands starting in June of 1944 by taking Saipan, which is about 100 miles north of Guam. The 3rd Marine Division and U.S. Army elements, including the 305th Infantry, landed on Guam on July 21, 1944. By August 9th, U.S. commanders declared Guam secured, even though fighting would go on in the jungles until late 1945. Guam's northern end became a major B-29 SuperFortress field, and the Navy took back the base at Apra Harbor. Naval Base Guam became one of the main staging areas for supplies as the Navy pushed toward Japan. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz moved his HQ from Pearl Harbor to Guam, and located it on a hill that bears his name today. There is no definite number of Japanese that were on the island, but the general guess is 20,000 or so. Most of them would die, many in suicide "Banzai" charges against a massed and solid American position. There are many more detailed books and websites that give the blow-by-blow history of Guam in WWII. This has only been a brief overview, a primer, if you will. Much historical detail will be found as you tour around the island in this virtual look at fading WWII scars. |
| Learn the story of this Marine in the Hall of Heroes. |