WORLD WAR II WONDERS: During World War II, the Marshall Islands served as the eastern defensive perimeter for the Japanese military forces in the Central Pacific. After taking control of the Marshalls from Germany in 1914, the Japanese steadily increased their military presence here and, beginning in the late 1930s with the anticipation of war, they began to heavily fortify the atolls of Kwajalein, Wotje, Maloelap, Jaluit and later Mili and Enewetak. These heavy fortifications were intended to help launch air attacks on certain targets (such as Hawaii, Wake Island, Kiribati and Johnston Atoll) and to serve as defense posts for Japan's more westerly strongholds.
The first U.S. attack on Japanese forces in the Marshalls occurred in the early morning hours of February 1, 1942. The ensuing three years of fighting would prove to be some of the bloodiest in all of the Pacific. When the smoke cleared, what remained was an extravagant collection of war wrecks and relics unrivaled in the Pacific.
An amazing inventory of intact land-based relics exist in the Marshalls. These include air raid shelters, barracks, hospitals, storage tanks, power plants, tanks, trucks, trains, towers, anti-aircraft guns, coastal defense guns, multi-purpose guns, pillboxes, walls, trenches, air control centers, various bombers and fighters, runways, hangars and much more.
Approximate number of relics per atoll:
• Maloelap: 215
• Jaluit: 104
• Wotje: 229
• Mili: 167
• Majuro: 1
For more information on WWII expeditions in the Marshall Islands, contact:
Marshall Islands Aquatics
P.O. Box 319
Tel: 692-625-6267
Fax: 692-625-3669
Email: Aquamar@ntamar.net
For international reservations, contact:
Valor Tours, Ltd.
Robert F. Reynolds, President
10 Liberty Ship Way, #160
Sausalito, CA 94965
Tel: 415-332-7850
Fax: 415-332-6971
Email: bobatsqv@msn.com
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