21 Days of CONFLICT: The Battle for Guam - Documentary Film

The Second Battle of Guam (21 July-- 10 August 1944) was the American capture of the Japanese had island of Guam, a United States territory (in the Mariana Islands) during the Pacific campaign of World War II. Guam is the largest of the Marianas, 32 miles (52 km) lengthy and 10 miles (16 km) wide. It had actually been a United States ownership since its squeeze from Spain in 1898 up until it was captured by the Japanese on 10 December 1941, following the assault on Pearl Harbor. It was not as heavily fortified as the various other Mariana Islands such as Saipan that had actually been Japanese properties since completion of World War I, yet by 1944 it had a huge Japanese garrison.
The Allied prepare for the invasion of the Marianas, Operation Forager, called for heavy preliminary barrage, initially by provider aircraft and planes based in the Marshall Islands to the east, then when air superiority was gained, close bombardment by battleships. Saipan, Tinian, and Guam were selected as targets because of their dimension, their viability as a base for assisting the next stage of procedures towards the Philippines, Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands; the deep-water harbor at Apra was suitable for the largest ships; and airfields for Boeing B-29 Superfortresses could be built from which to bomb Japan.
The invasion of Saipan was planned for 15 June 1944, with landings on Guam tentatively set for 18 June. The original schedule was confident. A huge Japanese carrier attack and stubborn resistance by the all of a sudden large fort on Saipan led to the invasion of Guam being delayed for a month.
An US naval and air barrage lasted from 11-13 June 1944, involving 216 service provider aircraft and B-24s. On the 13th and 12th, 12 Japanese cargo ships and several angling vessels were sunk. Battlewagons started shelling the island on 27 June, signed up with by a service provider group on 4 July, and 2 even more on 6 July, with the loss of 16 US plane.