Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign

Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign
Part of the Pacific War, World War II
An SBD Dauntless flies patrol over USS Washington and USS Lexington during the Gilbert and Marshall islands campaign.
Date November 1943 – February 1944 Location Gilbert and Marshall Islands, Pacific Ocean Result US victory
Belligerents
United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Chester W. Nimitz Holland Smith Richmond K. Turner Ralph C. Smith Marc A. Mitscher Harry W. Hill Thomas E. Watson (USMC)	Kōsō Abe Kanemitsu Keiji Shibazaki † Seizo Ishikawa Monzo Akiyama † Chūichi Hara Yoshimi Nishida †
Casualties and losses
3,300 dead or missing, 4,830 wounded	21,000 dead, 141 captured

The Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign were a series of battles fought from November 1943 through February 1944, in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the United States and the Empire of Japan. They were the first steps of the drive across the central Pacific by the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps. The purpose was to establish airfields and naval bases that would allow air and naval support for upcoming operations across the Central Pacific. Operations Galvanic and Kourbash were the code names for the Gilberts campaign that included the seizures of Tarawa and Makin. Operations Flintlock and Catchpole were aimed at capturing Japanese Bases at Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Majuro in the Marshall Islands.

The Imperial Japanese Navy occupied the Gilbert Islands three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. They built a seaplane base on Makin and dispersed troops along the coastlines of the atolls to monitor the Allied forces' movement in the South Pacific.

Approximately 220 miles (350 km) northwest of the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands were also occupied by the Japanese, and were seen as an important outpost for their navy.

Allied commanders knew that an eventual surrender of Japan would require penetration of these islands. While commander of the U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur wanted to push towards the Philippines via New Guinea, the U.S. Navy's Admiral Chester Nimitz favored a drive across the central Pacific, through the Gilberts, the Marshalls, the Carolines, and eventually the Marianas, which would put American B-29 bombers within range of Tokyo. In addition to forcing the Japanese to fight two fronts against the Allies (Nimitz driving from the east, and MacArthur from the south,) Nimitz's plan would neutralize the outer Japanese defenses, allowing American ground, naval, and air bases to be stationed there for future attacks against other occupied island groups. These outer islands included the atolls of Tarawa and Makin in the Gilberts, and Majuro, Kwajalein, and Eniwetok in the Marshalls.

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