Battle of Guam
The Battle of Guam was a significant military engagement during World War II that took place on July 21, 1944, as part of the broader campaign in the Pacific Theater. Following the successful capture of Saipan, U.S. Army and Marine forces landed on Guam, approximately 100 miles south, facing fierce resistance from Japanese troops. The battle involved heavy naval support, including air strikes from Admiral Marc Mitscher's Fast Carrier Task Force, which aimed to neutralize Japanese defenses and secure the island.
After intense fighting over several weeks, Guam was ultimately captured on August 10, 1944, with the U.S. suffering around 1,400 fatalities and 5,600 wounded, while Japanese casualties were significantly higher, estimated at about 10,000. This battle marked a pivotal moment as it facilitated the U.S. Army Air Force's strategic positioning for B-29 bomber missions against Japan, shifting the momentum in the Pacific War. The successful seizure of the Marianas Islands, including Guam, hindered Japan's ability to control the Pacific and set the stage for further allied advancements. The battle's outcomes had lasting implications for the war and the future of the region.
On this Page
Battle of Guam
Type of action: Air, sea, and ground battle in the Philippines
Date: July 20-August 10, 1944
Location: Guam, the largest island in the Mariana Islands in the Pacific
Combatants: Third U.S. Marine, First Marine Brigade, and Seventy-seventh Army divisions vs. 19,000 Japanese
Principal commanders:United States, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (1885–1966), Admiral Marc Mitscher (1887–1947); Japanese, Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa (1886–1966)
Result: Successful recapture from the Japanese of a strategic base in the Pacific
On June 15, 1944, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine divisions under Admiral Chester W. Nimitz landed on Saipan, beginning a bloody three-week battle. Then, on July 21, Army and Marine units invaded Guam, one hundred miles south of Saipan, and three days later, Marines attacked Tinian Island. Guam fell to the Third Marine, Seventy-seventh Army divisions, and First Marine Brigade on August 10, after a difficult struggle. Admiral Marc Mitscher’s Fast Carrier Task Force (which included six heavy and six light carriers, escorted by fast battleships, cruisers, and destroyers) used bombers to strafe Guam, neutralizing the Japanese airfield.
The United States had 1,400 fatalities and 5,600 wounded. The Japanese, led by Jisaburo Ozawa, had 10,000 fatalities, and several hundred more died when they refused to surrender during the mopping-up operations.
Significance
The Battle of Guam was an important turning point of the Pacific war because the U.S. seizure of the Marianas placed the U.S. Army Air Force’s B 29 bombers in easy reach of Japanese islands, enabling the United States to fly missions against Japan in late November and destroying Japan’s objective of controlling the Pacific.
Bibliography
Josephy, Alvin M. The Long and the Short and the Tall: The Story ofa Marine Combat Unit in the Pacific. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1946.