This fascinating WWII film shows the campaign in the Marshall Islands in 1943-1944, with the strategic importance of the islands described — hitting the Japanese flank near the naval base at Truk and securing a line of assault in the south Pacific. The film shows American aircraft destroying Japanese shipping and cutting off Japanese bases from vital supplies, all the while diminishing Japanese air power. Japanese bases on the Marshalls were assaulted for 75 days by aircraft, from air strips in the Gilberts and from carrier based planes. 15,000 tons of shells were used in the assault on Tarawa as part of the pre-invasion bombardment, clearing a pathway for what was still a very bloody assault on the island. The film ends with images of Admiral Nimitz visiting troops on newly-conquered Kwajalein.
The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, from November 1943 through February 1944, were key strategic operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps in the Central Pacific. The purpose was to establish airfields that would allow land based air support for the upcoming operations across the Central Pacific. The campaign began with a costly three-day battle for the island of Betio at the Tarawa atoll. The campaign was preceded a year earlier by a diversionary raid on Makin Island by U.S. Marines in August 1942.
Japanese bases in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands were the outer perimeter of eastern defenses for the Japanese Empire. The Marianas campaign followed the next summer.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
