In 1943 Admiral Nimitz is ordered to reconquer the Central Pacific islands. His first target is the Gilbert and Marshall islands. In the Gilbert islands, an ancient british colony conquered by the Japaneses in 1942, the major island is Tarawa where the 4 800 Japaneses have built a runway under the orders of admiral Shibasaki. While planning the attack on the Gilbert, Nimitz reconquer the Aleutian (Alaska). The admiral has just received the new constructions: new battleships, new carriers type Essex, new escort carriers… and onboard the new fighters Hellcat, Corsair and Helldiver. To conquer the islands he has 6 modern battleships, 7 old ones, 6 carriers of which 4 are of the new type Essex, 5 light carriers, 8 escort carriers, 15 cruisers and 35 destroyers. The 50th Task Force with the 6 modern battleships and 11 fast carriers (total of 700 aircrafts) commanded by counter-admiral C.A. Pownall is to cover the landings.
The island of Betio, a fortress South-West of Tarawa is equiped with 4 canons of 203mm borrowed at Singapore. November 20th, after a serious 2 hours and a half bombing by counter-admiral Richmond K. Turner with his 3 old battleships, 4 cruisers and 9 destroyers (3000 tons of bombs on a 900 hectares region) and another bombing made by bombers, the 2nd Marine division lands on three beaches at Tarawa around 8h45 and finds a heavy fire complicated by the tide and sea streams. Communications are difficult and when night falls the Marines have progressed of only 150m. After 3 days of fights with flamme-throwers and grenades the Americans get the control of the island and make 136 prisonners of which 129 are coreen workers while about 5550 Japaneses die. On their side the Americans count 1048 deads and 2200 harmed. The islands of Abemama 140km North-East and Makin North-West fall without much resistance: only 64 soldiers of the 165th US regiment die. On the ocean the carrier Independence is damaged by a torpedo-bomber and November 24th the escort carrier Liscome Bay is damaged badly (642 victims) by a torpedo launched by the japanese submarine I-175. The Galvanic operation ends there and the american commanders will have to find a new tactic to reduce the human losses in the next operations.
After the Gilbert Nimitz directs is attention on the Marshall: Flintock operation. Three fast battleships (among which the Iowa and the New Jersey), three fast carriers (two Essex and one Langley) and two escort carriers are sent to Nimitz in reenforcement. These ships complete the 58th Task Force with its 16 carriers with aboard 716 aircrafts. First the 4th Marine division and 7th US division take Majuro. Then on January 31st 1944 the Roi-Namur islands are taken. Kwajalein, Wotje and Maloelap are the next islands on the list and Nimitz decides to land only at Kwajalein leaving the other two islands alone. Lucky him since the japanese last reenforcements have been sent to the two small islands. From January 29th to February 11th 6 232 raids are made and 1150 tons of bombs are dropped on the island. February 1st the 5th Amphibic Force (42 000 soldiers) lands at Kwajalein and takes control of the island in 4 days with only 372 deads and 1582 injured against the 7 870 dead Japaneses. The attack was better since the communications were excellent, the amphtracks (amphibic tanks) were numerous and the battleships and cruisers more active. After that conquest Nimitz uses the Hopping to forget the japanese troops on Wotje and Maloelap and he lands on February 19th at Eniwetok, at 670km of Kwajalein, with the backup troops of the 5th Amphibic Force which had not been used yet. He uses all his gunpower to cover the landing and so only 195 of his men die against 2 741 Japaneses (only 70 Japaneses survive). The japanese troops isolated on Wotje and Maloelap will surrender with the capitulation of Japan, forgotten, hungry and sick.
At the end of February 1944 the american troops in Central Pacific are only at 1500km of the Mariannes and at 1000km of the Carolines and of Truk -the japanese naval base-. The american aircrafts are now free to raid the Combined fleet which thus has to repark itself more West in the Palaos.
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