The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: Marcus Island (original) (raw)
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The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia | |
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National Archives #520944. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Cropped by author
Marcus Island (153.980E 24.295N) was occupied by the Japanesein 1899 to serve as a cable station and was later developed into a military base. It is a tiny triangular island of just 1 square mile (2.6 km2), of which a good fraction was taken up by the Japanese airfield.
Halseyraided Marcus on 4 March 1942. The island was raided again on 31 August 1943 and 19-20 May 1944.
On 9 October 1944 a bombardment was carried out by three heavy cruisers and six destroyers under Allen Smith to suggest that the next Alliedmove would be up the Boninsladder. This was unsuccessful in deceivingthe Japanese, in spite of the use of smoke, dummy radar target floats, and pyrotechnics to create the impression of a large invasion force.
The island was still in Japanese hands at the end of the war.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009, 2011 by Kent G. Budge. Index
